Issue Date:7/21/2003
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Issue Date:7/21/2003
Hardwood Floors E-News Monday, July 21, 2003 Issue 216 Next issue published Aug. 4, 2003, 2003 Deadline for items: July 30, 2003 Send news to [email protected]
L.D. Brinkman President Joins Anderson Jeff Sills, president of L.D. Brinkman, has resigned to accept the position of COO at Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.). Sills began his career at L.D. Brinkman upon graduation from Mississippi State. He became president of Brinkman's Northern Division in 1985, was promoted to executive vice president of sales and marketing in 1987 and was picked to be president of Brinkman in 1995. Since that time, Sills held executive positions with both Beaulieu and Dal Tile before he returned to Brinkman as president after it was repurchased. The position at Anderson, according to company President Don Finkell, was created for Sills. "Jeff wasn't my top candidate for COO, he was my only candidate. I wasn't looking for a COO, I have a good one, but Jeff was an exceptional talent," Finkell says. "It really wasn't the fact that we were looking for somebody and picked Jeff out of a group-it was a matter of knowing Jeff, knowing what he could do for us and finding a place in the organization that best matched his capabilities." To bring Sills on-board, Finkell did some internal rearranging. Existing COO, Johnny Gates, was made executive vice president. Sills says he was attracted to the position because of Anderson's status as a leader in style and design and because of his familiarity with its customer and distributor bases. He plans to bring to the position a certain level of creativity when it comes to putting together programs meaningful for distribution. "One of the biggest things I will bring to Anderson is to give them a better understanding of distribution-what distributors' needs are and how to bring more value-added services to distribution so that we can make Anderson the most profitable line any of our distributors have," Sills says. He will assume his new role as of August 1 and will be responsible for sales, marketing and logistical support. Sills also will become part of the executive committee reporting to Finkell. The company also has made several changes and additions to its field management team. Carr Newton, formerly northeast district sales manager, has been promoted to eastern regional sales manager, with overall sales responsibilities for the eastern and central United States with the exception of Texas and parts of Oklahoma and Louisiana. Erin Finkell has joined the sales team as district sales manager for Florida, and Freeman "Spike" Tilden now is district sales manager for Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Mississippi, Tennessee, the north-central states and eastern Canada. Doug Foucault is the new district sales manager for Northern California. In addition to these changes, Anderson has restructured its West Coast distribution to capitalize on new market opportunities. The following changes are effective immediately: Tom Duffy Company (Fairfield, Calif.) will distribute Anderson and Dellamano products in Northern and Southern California, and the Appalachian, Virginia Vintage, Vineyard and Roane Mountain Timeworn lines in Northern California and northern Nevada; Diamond W (Livermore, Calif.) will continue to distribute the Anderson and Dellamano lines in Northern California and northern Nevada; The Roane Company (Cerritos, Calif.) will continue to distribute Appalachian and Roane Mountain Timeworn and will add Vineyard products in Southern California, Arizona and southern Nevada; Virginia Hardwood Company (Azusa, Calif.) will distribute Anderson, Dellamano, Virginia Vintage and Vineyard products in Southern California, Arizona and southern Nevada.
Manufacturer News Envirocoat Inc. (Skokie, Ill.) has opened its Minnesota distribution center. The facility will serve as a "just in time" service center in Rogers, Minn., for direct sales to dealers/contractors in the Minnesota market. Upper-Midwest contractors interested in purchasing direct from Envirocoat should contact Joanne Taylor at 763/428-8598 or Paul Ostlund at 715/392-0605.
Owens Flooring Co. (Shawano, Wis.) has announced its engineered hardwood flooring, sold under the brand name Plankfloor, now is warranted for installation over in-floor radiant heating systems.
Distributor News ProSource Wholesale Floorcoverings (St. Louis) has introduced its Distinctive Origins Hardwood Collection. All the latest exotic hardwood flooring styles are displayed in a single selection center for easy product comparison. Each sample is labeled to give trade professionals detailed product information. The collection showcases a range of hardwoods, including South American mahogany and walnut, African cherry and Australian cypress. It also includes distressed, timeworn, hand-scraped, rustic and specialty woods. Featured manufacturers include Buell, Columbia, Mohawk, Armstrong and more.
Goodfellow Seattle (Seattle) supplied all of the specified wood flooring, as well as base, filler, nails, finish and other materials, for Seattle's new Marion Oliver McCaw Opera House, which was unveiled on June 27.
Green River Lumber (Great Barrington, Mass.) has named The Bahr Co. (Romeoville, Ill., and Chicago) as a distributor, carrying all species and grades of wood manufactured by the company. The Bahr Co. will be a certified chain-of-custody distributor for Green River under the Forest Stewardship Council.
Cascade Pacific Floor Distributors (Portland, Ore.) has opened a full-service branch in Beaverton, Ore. The branch can be reached by phone at 503/718-1100.
The Vossler Group LLC (Boulder, Colo.), a distributor of reclaimed, exotic and wide-plank hardwood flooring, has opened in the Boulder, Colo., and Rocky Mountain market. The company's new showroom, located inside a local store, Feather Thy Nest (also run by members of the Vossler family), features 30 hardwood flooring samples. The showroom's grand opening will be held July 23 at 1825 Pearl Street, Suite 1, Boulder, CO 80302. The Vossler Group, run by Ryan Webb and Dick and Rich Vossler, can be reached by phone at 303/588-7933.
Industry News Chris Wilson, most recently product manager for wood and laminates at G.E. Shnier Co., has announced the formation of a new company, Forest Connections Inc. (Georgetown, Ontario). Forest Connections plans to provide a complete range of sales representation and marketing services to manufacturers and distributors of hardwood flooring and related forest products. For more information, contact Wilson at 905/691-3232, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.forestconnections.com.
People News Junckers Hardwood (Anaheim, Calif.) has appointed Jason Elliott its territory sales representative for Northern California. Elliott will service dealer accounts. He previously served as assistant manager for The World of Carpets-Carpet One in Santa Rosa, Calif.
U.V. Laviolette (Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec), a manufacturer of prefinished flooring, has named Michel Lamy managing director. Lamy can be reached at 819/693-8881 or by e-mail at [email protected].
By the Numbers In June, strip shipments totaled 58,123,000 board feet, down 1 percent from the 58,608,000 board feet shipped in June 2002, according to NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association. Strip shipments totaled 48,747,000 board feet in May, down 8 percent from the 52,838,000 board feet shipped in May 2002. For the first six months of 2003, strip shipments totaled 307,346,000 board feet, down 1 percent from the 311,351,000 board feet shipped during the same period in 2002.
The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Housing Market Index gained two points to 64 in July, and a component index gauging sales expectations for the next six months rose three points to a reading of 73, its highest level in more than two years. Meanwhile, the index gauging current single-family home sales rose two points to 69, and the index gauging traffic of prospective buyers rose three points to 50.
Builders broke ground on new housing units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.8 million units in June, up 3.7 percent from the previous month, according to the Commerce Department. Nationwide, single-family housing starts rose 5.3 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.46 million units. Regionally, the Northeast posted a 9.9 percent increase in overall housing production, and the West and South registered 8 and 2.3 percent increases respectively. The Midwest posted the only decline-0.08 percent.
NWFA Launches Revamped Web sites The NWFA recently introduced its new and improved Web sites after months of planning, programming and testing. Content from the four existing Web sites, www.nwfa.org, www.woodfloors.org, www.nwfaonline.com, and www.woodfloorbusiness.com, was refined and consolidated into two Web sites: www.nwfa.org, and www.woodfloors.org. These two sites contain all the information previously offered on the four old Web sites, as well as a variety of new information. The NWFA's members-only Web site, www.nwfa.org, features links to technical publications, educational schedules, convention information, degree and certification programs and benefits available to NWFA members. (The www.nwfa.org site also has a Classified Ads section-see the Job Watch item below). The NWFA's consumer-focused Web site, www.woodfloors.org, features information on wood flooring maintenance, the benefits of wood flooring versus other flooring options, finding a professional installer, and also offers a design-a-room feature, which allows consumers to view a variety of hardwood floors in different rooms to get a feel for the possibilities. These new sites will be administered and updated on a regular basis by NWFA staff.
On the Web Action Floor Systems (Mercer, Wis.) has completed an overhaul of its Web site at www.actionfloors.com. The site includes a pre-qualifying process in which visitors can select from a list of applications to help them find the best flooring system for their needs. The site also features simplified navigation, system performance data, downloadable specs and information about Action's hardwood residential floors.
Job Watch Erickson's Flooring & Supply (Ferndale, Mich.) is seeking someone to aggressively represent Chicago and the western suburbs. Experience is a plus. Applicants must have basic computer skills. The position includes competitive compensation and benefits. For more information, contact Eric at [email protected] or call 866/819-9663.
Mark Your Calendar The NWFA will hold its Introduction to Wood Flooring Installation School Oct. 21-24 in Toronto. The school will offer hands-on instruction on wood properties/characteristics; job site evaluation/preparation, layout, installation, techniques, equipment use/maintenance, safety, sanding, finishing and troubleshooting. For more information, contact the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international) or fax 636/519-9664. Students now can register for NWFA schools online at www.nwfa.org.
The next NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association/Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association School will be held Sept. 20-24 in Memphis. For more information, contact NOFMA at 901/526-5016 or visit www.nofma.org.
Erickson's Flooring & Supply will hold its road show training seminars starting in late September and extending through October. These free shows will be held in various cities around Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. There will be a product review, sales training and an overview of Web site sales and marketing at each one. For more information, call 800/225-9663, ext. 1129.
The U.S. Green Building Council will hold its 2003 International Conference and Expo at the David C. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., Nov. 12-14. The show draws professionals from all areas of the building industry for three days of work sessions, networking and exhibits. For more information, call 202/828-7422, fax 202/828-5110 or e-mail [email protected].
The Australian Timber Flooring Expo will be held in Melbourne, Australia, Aug. 20-21 at the Grandstand at the Flemington Racecourse. The show is designed to showcase new products in the timber flooring industry. For more information, visit www.timberflooringexpo.com.au.
The Restoration & Renovation Show will be held Sept. 18-20 in Chicago. The show is dedicated to architectural rehabilitation, cultural landscape preservation and historically inspired new construction. For more information, call 800/982-6247 or e-mail [email protected].
The Remodelers' Show will be held Oct. 23-25 in Baltimore. The event brings together the entire remodeling industry, showcases the latest products and services for all types of remodeling professionals and includes more than 100,000 net square feet of exhibits. For more information, contact Jennifer Weller at 972/536-6343, fax 972/536-6401 or visit www.remodelers-show.com.
NWFA Member Services Visit NWFA's Web site at www.nwfa.org, and you'll find a great member benefit-the Classified Ads section. For a complete list of available jobs, click on "Member Networking" and select "Classified Ads." As an exclusive benefit, NWFA members can post available jobs. Potential employees reply directly to the company posting the job. Members need their member ID number to post a job listing.
NWFA Member Services NWFA members have more advantages with expedited door-to-door delivery of small packages worldwide. Airborne Express and DHL have combined to create DHL Worldwide Express. The combined strength of these two companies provides enhanced service. For scheduling shipments or for a starter kit, call 800/636-2377.