Mr. Stalker expresses his approval and generously displays the new Aacer sales sheets.

Aacer was pleased to be in attendance and proud to support Stalker Flooring at the WASBO Conference held March 9^th-10^th in Wisconsin Dells.  I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work the booth with the Stalker team and was thrilled to share and distribute the new Aacer Sports Flooring marketing material.  The new sales sheets were displayed immediately and nothing but positive feedback came of it.

Stalker Flooring has been one of the main sponsors for this Conference, held at the Kalahari Resort, for the last 12 years.  Steve Stalker, owner, has held the Gold Sponsor position very well and seems to thoroughly enjoy it.  “It’s a cause that I personally believe in and the Conference is a great chance for me to get together with many current and future clients.”  

For more information on Stalker Flooring please visit www.stalkerflooring.com.

Ashley Moberg

Marketing Coordinator

Beginning February 5, via the Bob Cousy Award’s website – www.cousyaward.com  – fans will be able to vote for the top point guard. The player that receives the most fan votes will receive one vote toward the final committee vote. Fan voting will run one month – beginning February 5and will conclude March 5.

The current listing of 11 finalists for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford and Aacer Sports Flooring will be narrowed down to five players by March 1st. The final five players in contention for the award will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. These Hall of Fame committees are made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, Sports Information Directors and Hall of Famers. The winner of the 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford and Aacer Sports Flooring will be awarded at the Hall of Fame’s Class Announcement on Monday April 5th in Indianapolis as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

2010 Bob Cousy Award Finalists

Matt Bouldin - Gonzaga

Sherron Collins - Kansas

Devan Downey – South Carolina

Trevon Hughes – Wisconsin

Jeremy Lin – Harvard

Kalin Lucas – Michigan State

Ronald Moore – Siena

Scottie Reynolds - Villanova

Jon Scheyer - Duke

Greivis Vasquez – Maryland

John Wall - Kentucky

The No. 1 Nittany Lion women’s volleyball team made NCAA history again, becoming the first team ever to win three-straight NCAA championships in the sport.  The ladies have been practicing, playing and winning their bump, set, spike in Rec Hall on an Aacer ScissorLoc DC for over 10 years.  This was installed by Miller Flooring, PA and is still providing the athletes with the outstanding athletic floor system quality as it did the day it was installed.  The Aacer Sports Flooring team would like to personally congratulate the Penn State Nittany Lions Women’s Volleyball Team on their history-making win and wish them many more to come!  http://www.youtube.com/gopsutv#p/u/0/wOrCYeyVRGo

The Bakersfield Jam opened its new facility - the intimate, state-of-the-art Jam Events Center.”The Events Center features Aacer Power Play DIN high performance sports floor. This floor is the focal point of the facility and Aacer Sports Flooring is proud to be part of this new and exciting design” said Kevin Barker Vice President of Sales and Marketing. The court is surrounded by a ring of courtside seats, fourteen floor-level executive suites and four luxury lofts from which fans can enjoy an intimate view of Bakersfield Jam games. The new building also includes a lofted bar and dining area, a cigar room and several on-site conference rooms that will be used for a variety of purposes.

In addition to hosting 22 of the Jam’s 24 home games (with the other two played at Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena) the Events Center will be home to a number of off-season activities for the Jam, including the Bakersfield Jam Summer Camps. The Events Center can also serve as a home court to Bakersfield club teams playing basketball or volleyball, and to local adult leagues in either sport.

Above the Rim (ATR) in Madisonville LA just completed the installation of a new Aacer Sports Floor. You won’t find another gym like this anywhere in the area. The ATR Gym has one of the finest basketball floors installed by Academic Standard LLC in Baton Rouge, LA. ATR has taken gym standards to the next level with high tech video cameras recording all the live action of the gym. Live broadcasts of the games will be on display and you can even watch online via the internet. Aacer Sports Flooring is proud to be part of this new facility where athletes can get specialized training from coach and trainer Doug Saylor. Saylor a former All American point guard played under Coach Dale Brown. Saylor is a certified NCAA strength and conditioning specialist and has worked with players such as Greg Monroe of Helen Cox, Tasmin Mitchell of LSU, and P.J. Brown of the Hornets.  Saylor is the author of HoopLife: The Basketball Player’s Max Potential Playbook, which is endorsed by top coaches nationwide. www.atrgym.com

The Northwest Branch YMCA, located in Wichita, KS has been honored in the Athletic Business Architectural Showcase 2009.  This facility happens to have the AacerFlex Bi Power (red pad) Sports Floor System for the gymnasium and the AacerFlex Bi Power (blue pad) for the aerobics room.  This facility holds two levels for an array of social and physical activities including cardio fitness, aquatics and full court competition basketball.  Aacer is proud to be associated with the facility and Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey Architecture.  We wish nothing but continued success to all involved in this remarkable project. 

For more information on the YMCA Facility please go to http://athleticbusiness.com/galleries/project.aspx?id=356

Baltimore, MD – It was a cold and windy night in the Charm City on December 10^th, but it certainly did not hinder the Baltimore chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) from having a great time with a Maryland tradition: duckpin bowling!  Aacer was proud to be a significant sponsor for the event, and we were proud to be supported by Miller Flooring’s Steve Brown and Matt Shaefer.  Armed with shirts displaying Aacer’s new logo, the Aacer team slid into action, exploding duckpins everywhere – and the occasional gutterball, of course!  On the Aacer team was Northeastern Regional Manager Kit Burkholder, Miller Flooring’s Steve Brown and Matt Shaefer, Cannon Design’s Baltimore specifications writer Ken Hercenberg, Gaudreau project architect Lane Ikeler, and W.R. Grace Senior Sales Representative John Horenkamp.  Aacer continues to support CSI across the country, and hopes that this successful event is a precursor to an excellent national convention when CSI comes to Philadelphia in May of 2010.  Thanks to everyone who attended, and Happy Holidays from Aacer!

Kit Burkholder

NE Regional Manager

St. Louis, MO – Aacer Sports Flooring and the Naismith Hall of Fame teamed up down the street from the famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis to see the tremendous talent featured in the Hall of Fame Showcase on November 17^th, 2009.  In the first game, the Louisville Cardinals downed the Arkansas Razorbacks 96-66 in a game that was closely contested until the Cardinals pulled away early after halftime.  The second game was a dandy, with the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks surviving a scare from the upstart Memphis Tigers, 57-55.  Some highlights:

·         Aacer attended a mixer at the Anheuser-Busch factory with the Hall of Fame, which included many Hall of Famers (see list below) and the coaches from the competing teams.  Anheuser-Busch treated their guests with class, granting tours and picture opportunities with the famous Clydesdales, along wonderful hors d’oeuvres.

·         Aacer revealed their new brand image, handing out comfortable long sleeve t-shirts to fans in the VIP hospitality suite in the depths of the ScottTrade Arena before the games.

·         At halftime, Aacer was proud to be in attendance as a sponsor when the following Hall of Famers were honored at halftime of the Kansas/Memphis game:

o   Rick Barry

o   Walt Bellamy

o   Denny Crum

o   Harry Galatin

o   Gail Goodrich

o   Cliff Hagan

o   Ed Macauley

o   Bob Pettit

o   Eddie Sutton

o   Dick Vitale

o   Lenny Wilkins

o   Lynette Woodard

Virginia High School’s (Bristol, VA) gym floor was recently replaced with materials from Aacer Flooring courtesy of the workmanship of Recreational Plus from Richmond, VA.  The floor 29 year-old floor had water damage and dead spots in various areas which necessitated its replacement, but the old floor had played host to significant events and people over its lifetime. 

In addition to daily use by thousands of Virginia High School students, it played host to perennial prep power Oak Hill Academy players who went on to major college and NBA careers: Carmelo Anthony, Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Rajon Rondo, Jerry Stackhouse, and Rod Strickland, to name a few.  In 2008, it also hosted a famous politician and former basketball player during a campaign stop.  Then-presidential nominee Barack Obama delivered an address from center court. 

The floor system installed is AacerChannel, using Aacer’s new Tri Power pads and 1^st grade maple.  The Tri Power pads are made from EPDM rubber, have excellent load handling, provide tremendous uniformity of play, and emit low vibration.  This pad update to AacerChannel offers the best combination of shock absorption, environmental stability, uniformity of play, and rolling load capability on the market.  AacerChannel is used by the following basketball programs: Iowa State University, the University of Arizona, the University of Louisville, Middle Tennessee State University, the College of Charleston, and for the Charlotte Bobcats, to name a few.

The floor was installed by Aacer-accredited installer Recreational Plus out of Richmond, VA.  Aacer and Recreational Plus hope to help the careers of future Virginia blue-chip players with this performance floor installation!

Chris Wedge

Southern Regional Manager

USMC

Gov. Rick Perry today thanked veterans for their selfless sacrifice and service to our country. The governor spoke at a ribbon cutting at a home built by the Bay Area Builders Association Support Our Troops (BABASOT) for veteran Sgt. David Worswick. BABASOT helps disabled veterans by building more accessible homes to accommodate their injuries.

“America is blessed to have such courageous souls in our midst, wearing our nation’s uniform and standing guard over us,” Gov. Perry said. “I commend the Bay Area Builders for helping pay back at least some of the great debt that we, as a nation, owe those who sacrifice to secure our freedom.”

Worswick was on a mission to confront insurgents in Assadabad, Afghanistan, when his convoy was ambushed, and his vehicle was struck by a road-side bomb. He was thrust head first into the windshield and knocked unconscious, and later awoke to an intense fire fight. Uncertain of what happened, Worswick immediately attended to an injured fellow Marine, helping to keep him alive.  

After returning to base camp, Worswick lost consciousness and learned he had suffered post concussion syndrome. An immediate evacuation was ordered, and he was flown to Bagrahm Air Base and eventually back to the United States. Worswick has had numerous spinal surgeries, and suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and hearing loss. He was medically retired from the Marines in July 2007.

Aacer was proud to be part of this fantastic event and it is our way of giving back to those who have sacrificed the most. Aacer donated the wood flooring for the custom built home. Aacers Pre-finished 3 1/4″ Northern Hard Rock Maple was selected.

Aacer Flooring is especially proud of our latest college reference, LSU’s University Recreation (UREC) Student Recreation Complex Gymnasium and Indoor Track.

The 25,000 square-foot gym floor is the tested and proven AacerCush II floor system.  It uses 2^nd and better grade maple over two layers of ½” plywood with ½” thick recycled rubber pads mounted once every square foot.  The “Eco” pad provides great shock absorption at a moderate price and is composed of 90% post-consumer recycled material.  This allows for good environmental stability and uniformity of play.

The floor was installed by Aacer-accredited installer Sports Unlimited out of Stillwater, OK.  Aacer and Sports Unlimited are very happy to help the LSU recreation community in their recovery efforts. 

Please read more at: http://www.lsu.edu/urec/html/gym_construction.html

Chris Wedge

Southern Regional Manager

In January 2004, McDonald’s heiress Joan Kroc left a gift of $1.5 billion to The Salvation Army to build and help operate corps community centers across the country. After 20 months and three competitive phases, The Salvation Army in Salem, OR was awarded a portion of the Ray and Joan Kroc gift to build and operate The Kroc Center in Salem.
Salem has received $35.5 million from the Ray and Joan Kroc gift to build the Community Center and $35.5 for an endowment to help operate the facility. Local fundraising efforts brought the total project contribution to $81 million. The project officially opened for business in September 2009, and will offer recreational and community outreach services seven days a week. http://www.salemkroc.org/
Brandsen Hardwood Floors, Inc. emerged as the flooring contractor of choice during the selection process, and Aacer sports floors were installed throughout the building with Aacer’s parquet flooring installed in the aerobics area, AacerCush II with 1 ½” maple in the gym, and AacerFlex with 2 ¼” maple in the chapel. Brandsen also fabricated multiple custom maple trim details to accent the beauty of the Aacer maple while offering the non-profit community center an economic solution.
“We are once again completely satisfied with Aacer floor systems,” said Terry Brandsen of Brandsen Hardwood Floors. Aacer is proud to have Terry in our network. Thanks for the hard work, and the great results. The hard-working people at Aacer are proud to be a part of this project.

Rod Salyer
Western Regional Manager, Sports

Aacer is proud to announce another tremendous NCAA Division I practice facility reference at Georgia Tech University.  The Zelnak Center at the Henry F. McCamish Basketball Complex is one of the finest academic and athletic institutions in the country, Georgia Tech Universitywill immediately rise near the top of Aacer’s list of clients.  The Georgia Tech athletics department unveiled its brand new men’s and women’s basketball practice facility this past week with season-opening practices.  The 24,000 square-foot facility fits perfectly on campus in downtown Atlanta- the sports capital of the south.  The coaching staff and athletics department at Georgia Tech were interested in replicating the play and performance of their existing floor at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum (AMC).  Aacer was able to achieve this goal with the latest addition to our lineup of performance sports floors; the Power Sleeper SE system.  This new floor system will make all of the replication of the AMC plus the improvements of the latest shock absorption, environmental stability, and uniformity of play technology.  Additionally, as the university was seeking to achieve LEED certification for exemplary environmentally-responsible construction practices, the maple flooring used for the practice floors is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, part of the Rain Forest Alliance.   

Aacer hopes to contribute to the legacy that is Georgia Tech basketball.  A leader in the ACC with 15 NCAA tournament births, 7 NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, 2 Final Four Appearances, and names like John Salley, Kenny Anderson, Mark Price, Stephon Marburry, Bobby Cremins, Dennis Scott, and Chris Bosch, to name a few, only a handful of programs can rival Georgia Tech’s success over the years.  The floor was installed by Aacer-accredited installer SSDC Incorporated out of Sandersville, GA.  Aacer and SSDC are proud to be a part of the winning tradition at Georgia Tech University! http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/101609aab.html 

Chris Wedge

Southeastern Regional Manager

Aacer is excited to announce the Iowa State Athletics Department unveiled its brand new men’s and women’s basketball practice facility this week.  The 29,000 square-foot two court facility is without a doubt one of the finest of its kind nationally. The University took the time to do their homework in all aspects of the facility and when it came to selecting the wood sports floor the largest piece of equipment housed in the facility, they selected Aacer Channel. The floor was installed by Aacers dealer Franks Contracting Incorporated. Aacer and its highly skilled dealer are proud to bring cutting edge technology to the Iowa State Athletic Department.

Aacer Flooring would like to congratulate Divine Hardwood on their outstanding new website.  It features great room scenes with beautiful flooring shots.  The true quality and beauty of the product is clearly communicated.  In addition, it is very user friendly and inviting.  To check it out please go to http://www.divinehardwood.com/.  Enjoy.

Ashley Moberg

On September 11, 2009, a day when Americans ponder one of the horrific tragedies in our nation’s history, Aacer Flooring sponsored the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement of the greatest basketball player in history:  Michael Jordan.   Regardless of opinions on Michael’s speech, there is no debate that this was the most ballyhooed class ever inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, a ceremony taking place for the first time ever at the newly-renovated Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts.  The 2009 inductees were:  Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan, and C. Vivian Stringer.  Witnessing this memorable event with Aacer were architects from Ewing Cole in Philadelphia, PA and Cannon Design from Boston, MA.  After the enshrinement formalities, a VIP post-party took place at the Hall of Fame, where Hall of Famers, new and old, with guests enjoyed exquisite hors d’ouevres, fantastic drinks, and not-so-exquisite-or-fantastic dancing (ha!) on center court – a stunning Peshtigo River Cherry hardwood basketball floor, logged and milled by the fine people of Aacer Flooring in Peshtigo, Wisconsin.  Aacer appreciates the Hall of Fame’s hospitality, and special thanks to the architects of Cannon Design and Ewing Cole for attending with us!

  Aacer Flooring, in conjunction with Miller Flooring of West Chester, PA, is proud to announce the installation of an Aacer UltraChannel floor system at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland.  The floor will be the main playing surface for the Eagles men’s and women’s basketball team, both of whom compete at the NCAA’s elite level in Division 1.  The UltraChannel floor is a fixed-resilient system using solid wood and steel channels, which keep the pads in constant contact with the concrete underneath to eliminate inconsistencies in the floor’s stability, ensuring maximum performance for the Eagles’ sports teams for years to come.  The UltraChannel floor system is a signature floor from the experts at Miller Flooring, who have installed hundreds maple floors in the mid-Atlantic region for more than 20 years.  Through Miller’s proficiency and Aacer’s commitment to excellence, we are confident the athletes of Coppin State and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will experience incomparable quality, and we look forward to being the foundation under the athletes for their journeys to the NCAA Tournament.  Go Eagles! Look for completed pictures coming soon!

Kit Burkholder

Northeastern Regional Manager

Aacer Flooring, LLC is proud to announce the addition of BNB Solutions, LLC to their sales and marketing team of professionals. BNB, manufacturer representatives who specialize in providing solutions to the flooring industry, was co-founded by Bob Huckabee and Bruce Boulden, both industry veterans with more than 25 years of industry experience. BNB will handle Aacer’s non-sports flooring products along the Eastern Seaboard from Delaware to Florida. Please contact Bob or Bruce at [715] 582-1181 or Email: contactbnb@aol.com.

Aacer Flooring, LLC is one of a family of wood related businesses owned by the Ort family. To understand who Aacer is, it is important to learn more about the Ort family and their 80,000 acres of top-quality northern hardwood timberland, 35 million board feet of annual sawmill capacity and now a 250,000 square feet state -of-the-art hardwood flooring manufacturing facility.

Aacer Flooring, LLC is a family and employee-owned company with more than 100 years of experience in every part of the hardwood flooring industry. The employees have logged, milled, manufactured and even installed hardwood maple and oak flooring. This bottom-up knowledge of the business created the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with an eye to quality, consistency and customer satisfaction.

Aacer Flooring primarily manufactures hard maple and northern red oak strip flooring but also offers cherry, yellow birch, northern ash, white oak, red birch, hickory and Peshtigo River Cherry. All the flooring is manufactured in a unique environmentally controlled facility. The moisture content of the wood is carefully controlled through each step of the manufacturing process - even during storage. The result is environmentally stable, top quality flooring.

Todd McDonald

National Sales Manager - Residential

Teeming with excitement for the event, Aacer Flooring is eager to spread the word about the Hall of Fame Showcase, scheduled for November 17^th, 2009 at the ScottTrade Center in St. Louis, MO.  The event will feature matchups of four powerhouse men’s college basketball programs, including three former NCAA champions: the Memphis Tigers oppose the Kansas Jayhawks, while the Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Louisville Cardinals in the other half of the double main event.  As a sponsor of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA, Aacer Flooring is proud to be affiliated with this event, and additionally as the provider of the AacerChannel sports floor system in the University of Louisville’s YUM Center, their training and practice facility.  This event promises to offer an electrifying ‘tip-off’ to the 2009-2010 NCAA men’s college basketball season, and Aacer’s Sports Flooring team is excited to be involved.  For more information, please visit http://www.hofshowcase.com/ .

Kit Burkholder

Northeastern Regional Manager