The NBA put together the best of the best players for its 2012 All-Star Game in Orlando, watched by millions. They also picked out the best of the best flooring to play that game on--naturally, it came from the U.P.
Horner Sports Flooring in Dollar Bay provided the game floor for the 2012 NBA All-Stars Game, as they have done for the past 26 years.
Horner Flooring has been in the game for a long time: it first began manufacturing basketball flooring in Michigan in 1891, during the lumber industry's boom days. Still located amid the northern forests of the U.P., Horner remains a small, family-owned business, says CEO Doug Hamar.
"As a family owned business, we cherish our relationships. Be it with the NBA All-Star Game or a single school, Horner will always strive to go the extra mile for its customers," says Hamar.
He says the reason for Horner's longevity and success is a committed, expert workforce in the U.P. and continual product innovations.
Their Pro King portable basketball floor design is a favorite in arenas worldwide, because it allows arenas to put down a quality basketball floor in a really short time. Hamar says more than half the NBA games on a given night are probably played on a Horner floor.
You don't have to go as far as Florida to find one; the Michigan State University Spartans and the Detroit Pistons also play on the same Pro King flooring.
Horner started out by taking advantage of the beautiful hardwoods offered by the U.P. wood industry, and still today, makes maple basketball floors for schools and professional teams across the country.
The Dollar Bay company also achieves all of this as a green, zero-waste facility, which uses its scrap wood to dry lumber and heat its buildings.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Doug Hamar, Horner Flooring
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