MUNCIE, Ind. – Spring is around the corner, and you know what that means? The beautiful trees are blooming.
Trees are used for a variety of items, from pencils to paper and houses. Society relies heavily on trees and the wood they provide.
A common job that uses wood is the flooring business. Hans Heintzelman, a Muncie resident, has started his own business, but the journey to get there was not a normal one.
“So I went from [making] the crosses, to the drums and then to the floors. All the while it was always just responding to what people wanted. Just listening to what people needed,” explained Heintzelman.
His business wasn’t the only thing that was growing. He always felt like he could do more for the community, so he did what he always has: listening to what the people wanted. Specifically what they wanted to accomplish within the community.
It all started when Heintzelman met Charles Mason, a retired pescatarian priest, who’s new mission was to plant as many trees as he could.
This partnership between Heintzelman and his cub scoutz group and Mason was the pathway to his tradition today. Planting trees after finishing a flooring job.
Heintzelman has worked with various non-profits like the Plant Roots Foundation and EcoRehab to help with the tree planting industry. Lots are constantly being brough down in construction, and most trees take a while to reach a mature stage.
However, Heintzelman believes there’s one important reason to give back to the natural community.
“If you plant one [tree] in your lifetime, you’re not going to see it grow to maturity, but if no one puts them in the ground, they’re not going to exist,” said Heintzelman.
From building a business to growing trees, Heintzelman has set himself up for a busy schedule. In addition to this, he also helped preserve a historical building, which is right around the corner from where his business is. This earned him the Althea Stoeckel award.
“I bought the building two doors down, which served as my art studio,” Heintzelman said. I started reinventing that from the top down. I was working on the first floor and pulled back and the facade was terrible. So I tore the whole facade off and restored it back to what it originally looked like.”
Even with all of his projects, Heintzelman’s heart always goes back to the trees.
For more information about Heintzelman, or if you’re interested in his services, visit heintzelmanhardwoodfloors.com
Contact Andie Zelaya with comments at andie.zelaya@bsu.edu.
