Issue Date:11/25/2002
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Issue Date:11/25/2002
Hardwood Floors E-News Monday, November 25, 2002 Issue 199 Next issue published December 9 Deadline for items: December 5 Send news to [email protected]
NWFA Installation and Sand-and-Finish School Visits Tampa, Fla. NWFA held its most recent Installation and Sand-and-Finish school in Tampa, Fla., Nov. 12-15. Led by NWFA's Steve Seabaugh, the following volunteer instructors guided students through the ins-and-outs of wood flooring: Jim Schumacher, 3M Construction & Home Improvement; Brent Sorbet, Basic Coatings; Bob Burton and J.J. Derman, BonaKemi USA; Daniel Boone, Boone Wood Floors; Wayne Lee, Clarke American Sanders; Bill Costello, Dura Seal; Ricardo Pairazman, Finishing Touch Hardwood Floors; Bob Goldstein, Floor Style Products; Tom Peotter and Tom Tyers, Historic Floors of Oshkosh; Dean Hultman, Hultman Flooring; Sharon Miller, Lenmar; Don Conner, Mullican Flooring; Jack Rogers, SCS Hardwood Floors; Stan Lawson, Powernail Company; A.J. Winstead, Virginia Abrasives; and Mary Thur, Tembec. The school's lead distributor was Coast to Coast Flooring Distributors. The Dynamic Sales class on Nov. 11 was taught by Richard Poirier of Dimension International.
Manufacturer News Shelman USA (Red Bank, N.J.) is setting up exclusive architectural representatives throughout the United States. To date, Shelman has firms covering the following areas: On the Surface (New York City and Northern New Jersey); Munger Partnership (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey); Lizotte Associates Inc. (Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Delaware); Dan Lurie (North and South Carolina); TDA Enterprises Inc. (Georgia, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle); G.W. Caston Inc. (Florida); Specialty Products Company (Texas); and Architectural Directions (Washington and Oregon).
Effective January 2003, Buchanan Hardwoods will relocate to Aliceville, Ala., the manufacturing site of Buchanan Hardwood Flooring. After the first of the year, salesmen Butch Ousley and Jim Bailey can be reached at the new location at 205/373-8710 and by fax at 205/373-6982.
The Karelia Corp. (Kuopio, Finland) is expanding its wood flooring factory in Kuopio, Finland. The investment, worth $12 million, will double manufacturing capacity and increase production with the implementation of state-of-the-art production technology, the company says. Expansion will start this fall and will be completed in the summer of 2003, creating 70 new jobs by the end of 2004. Once the project is complete, the plant will be one of the largest European manufacturing facilities of wood flooring, with an annual capacity of more than 27 million square feet, the company says.
TimberGrass Fine Bamboo Flooring & Panels (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) is expanding its headquarters. Its new address is 12715 Miller Road N.E., Suite 301, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110. The toll-free number is 800/929-6333.
Distributor News Rudy Pelleriti of Galleher Inc. (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) was awarded the Wholesale Salesperson of the Year award voted on by the dealers of the Southern California Floor Covering Association. Pelleriti has been a top Galleher sales rep for the last 14 years, primarily serving builder accounts in Orange County.
Hardwood Wholesalers (Norwalk, Conn.) was named #283 in "Inc." magazine's annual "Inc. 500" list of the top 500 fastest growing privately held businesses in the United States in the magazine's November issue.
HomerWood (Titusville, Pa.) announces BPI as its distributor partner in the following states: Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Southern Kentucky. The appointment is effective immediately.
Johnson Abrasives Co. Inc. (Jaffrey, N.H.) has announced several additions to its distribution network: Blouin's Paint & Floorcovering (Montpelier, Vt.); Intermountain Wood Products (Idaho Falls, Idaho); Rivershores Hardwood Flooring (Grand Rapids, Mich.); Teton Hardwoods & Specialty Hardware (Jackson, Wy. and Victor, Idaho); Wick Floor Machine Co. (San Antonio, Texas); Wood Floor Specialist LLC (Taylors, S.C.). These companies will serve Johnson Abrasive's current direct customers and area contractors. Current direct customers are encouraged to contact the company's new distribution partners and will be rewarded with promotional items after verification of order placement.
People News The National Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) (Chicago, Ill.) has appointed David Rowe, vice president and general manager of Denver Hardwood Co. (Denver), as its president. Serving a one-year term as the association's president, Rowe was elected to the office and began his duties on Nov. 1. Rowe has served on the NAFCD board of directors for seven years, holding several officer positions, including secretary, treasurer and, most recently, vice president. NAFCD also has named its 2003 officers and board of directors. New officers include: David Rowe; Bob Weiss, vice president and 2004 annual meeting chair (All Tile Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill.); Denis Mohn, treasurer (Design Distributing Inc., Richmond, Va.); Scott Hendricks, secretary (Central Distributors Inc., Des Moines, Iowa); and Arden Kelley, immediate past president (Commercial Flooring Distributors, Altamonte Springs, Fla.).
Dri-Eaz Products Inc. (Burlington, Wash.) has added two instructors to its educational team: Ken Larsen, co-founder of CR Restorations Ltd., and Tim Lema, former district manager with Munters Moisture Control. Together Larsen and Lema bring 32 years of water damage restoration experience to Dri-Eaz.
On the Web Customers looking for FSC-certified, environmentally friendly wood can find out what is available at Home Depot stores in their region by visiting a new page on Home Depot's Web site, www.homedepot.com, dedicated to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The page allows visitors to click on their region and see a complete list of all FSC-certified products available. To view the page, click on "building materials," then click on the FSC logo.
Bostik Findley (Middleton, Mass.) has launched its new Web site, www.bostikfindley-us.com. The site is designed to be more user-friendly, providing information about the company, its history, its divisions and its products and services. The site also has new options such as industry specs and CAD drawings for architects and specifiers.
By the Numbers Strip wood flooring shipments in October were 15 percent higher than the total shipped in October 2001, according to NOFMA, The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association. Shipments for the month numbered 52,606,000 board feet, compared with 45,632,000 board feet in October 2001. The total for 2002 now is 9 percent higher than the first 10 months of 2001.
Builders slowed the rate at which they began new homes and apartments by 11.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.6 million units in October, according to the Commerce Department. Single-family housing starts receded 7 percent in October to a 1.35 million-unit pace. Meanwhile, newly-issued permits were up 1.7 percent to a 1.76 million-unit rate in October on a 2 percent gain in the single family sector.
The NAHB's Housing Market Index (HMI) rose two points from October's revised reading to 65 this month, its highest level in two years. Individually, HMI's component indexes also increased, with single-family home sales rising two points to 71; expected sales in the next six months rising two points, to 70; and traffic of prospective buyers rising one point to 48.
The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for current market conditions declined by three points to a 49.8 rating during the third quarter. On the regional level, RMI scores ranged from a high of 53.1 in the Northeast to a low of 45.6 in the Midwest, which showed a 10-point drop from the previous quarter. The South was the only region to register an increase in current market conditions, moving upward by one point to a 50.4 rating.
NWFA Member News Attention members! Looking for ideas for year-end gifts to your employees? NWFA offers a complete line of logo apparel. Choose from a handsome palm-piece watch with leather back and alloy casing to installation crew T-shirts or a bomber-style jacket. Men and women's apparel is available. Contact NWFA for a complete catalog.
Correction In the last issue of E-News, the location of Wood Floors Unlimited Inc. should have been Shreve, Ohio.