It may sound like characters from the latest action-adventure film, but we’re actually talking about the staff of the Hokanson custom carpet factory in Waterloo, Canada. Founded in 1992, it is one of only two privately-owned, major factories in North America devoted solely to manufacturing custom rugs and carpets. It is owned by Texas-based Larry Hokanson and managed by Maureen Catherwood. Together, they insure the very best in quality, production time and shipping. With the factory being in North America, staff and clients are always welcome to visit to experience the custom rug industry.
Highly trained craftspeople bring their exceptional skills and knowledge to this 27,000 square foot world class facility. There is an on-site dye house and dye master with an exacting eye to provide expert color matching. State-of-the-art technology allows the marking department to take color renderings for each rug and superimpose the full scale design to the cotton backing. Hokanson’s hand tufters, or “gunners”, skillfully hand gun row after row of silk and wool yarn to create the rugs. They go through an extensive apprenticeship program and after 7 years become master tufters creating breathtaking works of art. The final step in creating a Hokanson rug involves the finishers. They meticulously hand-shear, clip and at times carve the rug for a look of perfection. Hokanson’s factory employees come from all over the world, and have helped develop cutting-edge techniques in the hand tufted industry. Hokanson has built their quality process on each individual employee taking personal interest and pride in every rug and carpet they create.
The work ethic of this team, and the dedicated sales staff and artists in their showrooms across the United States, ensures the continued excellence and lasting beauty of all Hokanson rugs and carpets. (via Elements of Living)