Technical Services
Wood Technology Expert
Micah joined Nova in December 2023 as our Wood Technology Expert. He provides technical support to our sales team and customers, maintains product documentation including technical drawings and designs, and runs product testing and development. Before Nova, Micah served eight years in the U.S. Air Force, then moved into the wood-products industry as a fine woodworker specializing in reproduction architectural moulding and millwork. He attended Oregon State University, earning a B.S. in Renewable Materials and an M.S. in Wood Science from the department of Wood Science and Engineering. After grad school he worked as an applications engineer at Arclin (a chemical company specializing in adhesive applications for wooden substrates), where he was responsible for experimental design, product development, and standards compliance. In his free time, Micah enjoys woodworking, backpacking, and his bonsai collection.
Capabilities
Beyond selling premium tropical hardwoods, we offer technical support, design assistance, and mechanical-testing data to help you specify, build, and maintain decks that last.
Whether you're a fleet manager, trailer manufacturer, owner-operator, or DIY builder, our team provides expert guidance in wood science and technology. Need help with species selection, finishing, end-grain sealing, adhesive compatibility, or fastening dense tropical species? We've got you covered.
Accuracy matters in design. Our team offers Computer-Aided Design (CAD) services for trailer-decking profiles and assemblies — useful when you're specifying a custom build or laying out a deck around sections, cross-member spacing, or equipment cut-outs.
Load-bearing wood needs to handle real stress: bending, shear, abrasion, impact, and the heat-cold-wet-dry cycle of an OTR trailer. We run rigorous mechanical testing on the species we sell — load capacity, durability, impact resistance — and share the data so you can decide based on numbers, not marketing.
On YouTube
Talks and walk-throughs from Micah on species selection, installation, and field maintenance.
Research
Internal field studies, industry white papers, and peer-reviewed research.
Internal report · 2023
Sutfin, M.; Placeholder, A.
Three-year service-life study comparing wear, splintering, and fastener loosening rates across 40 fleet trailers in mixed climate operation.
Peer-reviewed · 2021
Placeholder reference
Mechanical-property characterization of Apitong, Angelim Pedra, Cumaru, Massaranduba, and Garapa against published baselines.
White paper · 2022
Sutfin, M.
Field-applied sealing protocols, recommended re-application intervals, and a maintenance checklist for fleet operators.
Quality
Standards, inspection programs, and field-tracking work behind every shipment.
Every container received at the Forest Grove and Memphis warehouses is inspected for moisture, grade conformance, and dimensional accuracy before stock is released for sale. (Placeholder — replace with the real inbound QA spec.)
Spot-sample anatomical verification on suspect lots through partnerships with university wood-science labs. (Placeholder.)
Multi-year tracking of select fleet customers' decks, recording wear patterns, fastener performance, and end-of-life replacement reasons to inform species and treatment recommendations. (Placeholder.)
Reading
Recent how-tos, case studies, and material guidance from the TrailerDecking.com team.
· Micah Sutfin
Carbon sequestration in the trailer decking industry - wood is the best choice
· Steve Getsiv
Want to know how to make your trailer deck boards last longer? If so, find out how from the experts here at TrailerDecking.com!
· Steve Getsiv
Available trailer flooring options compared — find the right one for your utility, horse, or commercial trailer. Strength, weight, durability.
Support
Specifying a build, troubleshooting a deck, or comparing species? Reach out directly.
