Gaylord Gems
Plenty of other flooring manufacturers share projects on their website. They show photos and sometimes describe the project and what went in to the selection, design and of course construction details that made the project a reality. I do enjoy reading about the projects and learn a lot from these posts. Whether it’s seeing a cool new floor stain that we are missing from our offerings or just general design and construction tips and tricks, these posts are very helpful for me. And of course, if the builder or designer is mentioned it gives me an opportunity to reach out to them and introduce myself and our company.
We have a great group of builders and designers we work with on a regular basis. They are amazing people and great at what they do. Some of them are my very best friends. That being said, my true passion is working with the end users. The homeowners. The people who will be walking on our floors for the rest of their lives. Over the years, we have worked with some incredible and interesting people. From celebrities to professional athletes to high level executives at some of the largest companies in the world. Some I am allowed to share with you and some I am not. We’ve worked with so many fascinating people and the entire internet couldn’t hold all of my praise and admiration for everyone, not to mention with two young kids and a business, my writing time is limited. But I’ll do my best.
We’ve called this page “Gaylord Gems”. I wasn’t totally sold on the name but Kelsey and Nikki thought it would work. I’ll admit, it’s much better than my original idea “cool people we’ve sold floors to.” As time allows, I am going to share as much as I can about my experience working with these individuals. Their story, their project, and most importantly our experience working with them. Enjoy!
- Greg Gaylord
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justin Manglitz
When I get a phone call and the person has a strong accent, I love it. Someone’s accent always seems to tell a story; where they’re from, how they were raised, and what they value. It seems weird but I think it’s so cool, especially since none of us realize we have one. I don’t think I sound Canadian but you can sure bet when I’m chatting with an American, they are going to point out every single time I say “EH”. Southern accents are my favorite. They are just so warm and hospitable.
The first time I spoke with Justin Manglitz, I felt that southern hospitality. He told me about his new home build in Georgia and he had a real love for white oak because he was “a whiskey maker by trade.” It was four years from when he first contacted us until he had his floor delivered and with any custom home, there were plenty of changes and conversations. Every time he called, he’d start by apologizing for being a bother and thanking us for our patience. The fact is, we thrive on those changes and enjoy helping people however we can, especially when someone’s project is truly a labor of love. We wanted Justin’s floor and home to be exactly what he dreamed of and that’s what happened. Not to mention, we loved hearing from him every time he called. It was a blast.
It’s always cool to meet someone with a passion for what they do and Justin is no exception. He’s the master distiller at ASW distillery, an award-winning distillery based in Atlanta, Georgia. He loves what he does and is pretty damn good at it. Actually, he’s the Most Awarded Craft Whiskey Distillery since 2018 at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. He hasn’t created a private barrel for us just yet but he did collaborate with the Atlanta Braves making a private barrel for their own reserves. I was able to get my hands on a small selection of his life’s work. It was all incredible and I really wish it was available in Canada. If you want something smooth that will keep your ears warm when it’s -30 degrees, I’d highly recommend any of the Fiddler Bourbons.
Kelly Kline
Kelly reached out to us for flooring early on in his renovation project. We went back and forth for months with samples and selections and every conversation was a blast. I did kind of pretend I didn’t know who he was even though I generally google every client right away (just an fyi). In the end he ended up going with the White Oak Live Sawn Naples for his Malibu renovation which suited it perfectly.
When the renovation was completed, the contractor uncovered the flooring and found it was buckled in an area. Kelly was concerned and phoned me. I got on a flight that day and like Miley Cyrus I touched down at LAX with my jeans and a cardigan. I gave myself two or three days because I didn’t know the extent of the problem. The next morning, I went to Kelly’s home to meet the contractor, installer and Kelly himself to sort out the problem. It was an 8” wide plank so we recommend nailing and gluing and if that’s done, there is rarely any problems. The first thing I did was check the nailing pattern using rare earth magnets but I couldn’t find any. I asked what they used to nail the floor down and they said they didn’t nail it. Then I asked what adhesive they used so they brought me a tube. It didn’t take long to spot the DO NOT USE FOR HARDWOOD FLOORING on the side of the tube. I’m not Sherlock Holmes but it only took about 10 minutes to sort that out. Once we figured that out, we decided on a solution for re-installation and coordinated the delivery of more material. It’s been re-installed and looks great! I often see it in the background when Kelly posts photos of charcuterie boards on Instagram.
After the visit, Kelly took me to an oceanfront restaurant in Malibu and we had a great lunch together. When I was leaving, I wasn’t able to validate my parking so I was in the process of paying for it. Kelly jumped out of his car and ran over like Usain Bolt to get my ticket to validate it inside the restaurant. I would have gladly paid for parking but it was a nice gesture and just shows how thoughtful of a guy he is.
We said our goodbyes and I went to visit a project we supplied in Santa Barbara. It was beautiful; on a hill overlooking the ocean and a mountain lion casually walked in front of my car on the driveway. I parked very close to the door and ran in but that’s a story for another day.
My next stop was a project in Huntington Beach but while on the way there, Kelly texted me and asked if I wanted to visit him at work the next day. I gladly accepted and was at the Paramount studios the next morning. When I got there, I went to the main entrance and there was a line of tourists waiting to take a tour of the lot. After telling Kelly where I was, he gave me directions to a side entrance. He met me at the gate and introduced me to the security guard like he was an old friend. That day, he was working on the set of Grace and Frankie. I can’t remember what time it was, but it was early and to my surprise everyone had already been there working for hours. Everyone on set works extremely hard. I think Kelly told me one episode of Grace and Frankie takes seven twelve-hour days to film. That is a lot of work for our entertainment and certainly gave me more of an appreciation for every show I watch. Not only was I surprised by the number of hours that are put into one episode but also the number of people. In the lunch room, they had headshots of everyone on the wall along with their role in the production. There was easily over 150 people. The crazy thing is, it seemed as though everyone knew each other like they were a family. Kelly worked with Kathy Bates on the show Harry’s Law and said she knew everything about everyone on set from their parents’ names to where they grew up and even their birthdays. I thought that was just so cool.
My day was spent hanging out with Kelly and Melissa (Missy) Sandora while they were working. What a time consuming and precise job it is getting the hair and makeup perfect so it looks great on television. Missy and Kelly seemed like an incredible team and at that time they were also working together on Modern Family. That was another set I would have loved to have visited because according to almost everyone I am Phil Dunphy’s twin.
While Kelly and Missy were working on Christine Woods (Jessica) I had the opportunity to hang out in the break room. It was Martin Sheen, Sam Waterson, Ethan Embry and myself in a room, that’s it. Martin Sheen came up to me and said “Are you Kelly’s floor guy? I shouldn’t be talking to you”. It caught me off guard and I was a little bit intimidated until he said “Because your Raptors are beating the hell out of my Warriors.” Apparently, the Toronto Raptors were playing the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals. I don’t follow basketball but had to pretend to be a Raptors fan for a few minutes. He then introduced me to Sam and Ethan. Mr. Sheen asked me questions about my work, where I was from and shared stories of all of the time he’s spent in Canada from filming in sawmills in British Columbia to cities in Ontario and Quebec. Ethan and Sam also asked me so many questions. They were so genuine and even though I was in awe of them, they made me feel like the star. We hung out and chatted for 15-20 minutes and it felt like I was in a hockey locker room all over again. It was so much fun.
Us regular folk think famous actors have it easy but I walked away from that experience with such an appreciation for their hard work. I spent the day on set and watched the scenes that were filmed when I was there and it was likely only a few minutes after editing. Martin Sheen and Sam Waterson are both in their 80’s and they’re still working 12 hour days. It’s obvious they love what they do and their work speaks for itself.
If you watch Season 6, Episode 11 The Laughing Stock you won’t see me but I made such an impact you will likely feel my presence. Just kidding, you won’t, but it’s certainly a memory I will never forget. Thanks Kelly.