“Ontario, Calif.—The name Hallmark is much more synonymous with greeting cards than flooring, but Hallmark Hardwoods owner Tony Pan has quietly been making history in the U.S. for nearly 15 years. That’s longer than many of his competitors and certainly longer than all those who import from China. In fact, it can be argued that Pan played a significant role in their success.

Back when Triangle Pacific and its Bruce, Hartco and Robbins brands virtually controlled the U.S. hardwood flooring market in the 1990s, Pan was watching from the sidelines. He realized there was little to no Chinese-made wood being imported into this country. “I knew there had to be an opportunity for Chinese-made product because of the labor advantages,” he said.

So in 1998, Pan brought in solid hardwood flooring from China, claiming to be the first to do so. Species were natural white oak in colors he called honey and roast.”

Pan started off small. He sold to local dealers in Southern California under the United Wood Floor brand and also private labeled for other companies.

He did not stop there. “Then my customers told me engineered wood was very popular, so I wanted to make the highest quality engineered floors,” Pan said. “We developed a multiple birch core, sawn face, premium product.”

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