Issue Date:10/13/2003
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Issue Date:10/13/2003
Hardwood Floors E-News Monday, October 13, 2003 Issue 222 Next issue published October 27, 2003 Deadline for items: Oct. 22, 2003 Send news to [email protected]
NWFA Training Center Hosts First Expert Schools NWFA launched its expert training program from home base, hosting a select group of 16 students on the association's new Chesterfield, Mo., campus for the first Expert Installation and Expert Sand and Finish schools held Oct. 1-4 and Oct. 6-8. Assisting NWFA Technical Director Steve Seabaugh were the following volunteer instructors: Galen Fitzel and Jim Schumacher, 3M; Bob Bailey, Artisan Hardwood Floors; Todd McDonald, Basic Coatings; Chuck Crispin, Birger Juell Ltd.; Pat Cooney, BonaKemi USA; Daniel Boone, Boone Wood Floors; Steve Marley, Cal Coast Hardwood Flooring; Wayne Lee, Clarke American Sanders; Janet Sullivan, Lenmar; Tom Peotter, Oshkosh Floor Designs; Frank Kroupa, R&R Hardwood Floors; and Mark Scheller, Scheller Hardwood Floors.
Manufacturer News Prestige Enterprise International (Cincinnati, Ohio) has expanded to operate a newly refurbished mill in north central Pennsylvania. The hardwood flooring mill is running with new and updated equipment, ensuring precision milling and high-quality unfinished solid wood flooring, the company says, adding that the mill uses only premium grades of lumber to guarantee high standards for flooring grades and longer than average lengths. Prestige also is looking to expand its distribution base across the United States. For more information, contact Prestige at 513/469-6044, fax 513/469-6444, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.prestigefloor.com.
Wood Flooring International (WFI) (Delran, N.J.) ranked #136 on Inc. magazine's 2003 "Inc. 500" list, with five-year sales growth of 1,167 percent. The company also was recognized for effectively integrating its Web site with its day-to-day business. The special issue will appear on newsstands Oct. 14.
Sun Paratech (Union City, Calif.) has begun construction on an expansion of its factory that will include three more buildings and a total of approximately 270,000 square feet of additional space. Upon completion of the expansion, Sun Paratech will produce between 26 and 30 million square feet of Sunfloor Longstrip hardwood flooring per year, most of which will be for export.
Distributor News Floor Style Products (Hastings, Mich.) has announced the winners of the Nevada Floor Style/Norton Sandpaper Giveaway. The grand prizewinner of the Richard Petty Driving Experience, a $1,000 value, is Justin Mills of Phoenix, Ariz. Second-place winner, Affordable Hardwood Floors (Santa Barbara, Calif.) received tickets to the Las Vegas 400 in March 2004, as well as two airline tickets and two nights' accommodations in Las Vegas. Floor Craft (Reno, Nev.) won third place-scale model #43 John Andretti die-cast cars. In addition, specially designed Norton Racing T-shirts were won by: Shoshone Valley Hardwood Floors (Cody, Wy.), Floors of Wood (Arroyo Grande, Calif.), Kenny's Custom Hardwood Floors (La Mesa, Calif.), Robinson Hardwood Floors (Whittier, Calif.) and Hardwood Floors (Modesto, Calif.).
Derr Flooring Co. (Willow Grove, Pa.) sponsored two factory-finished hardwood flooring installation schools the week of Aug. 18. Sixty-five students attended the schools, receiving both hands-on and classroom instruction on the proper methods of installation, repair and maintenance of hardwood flooring. Steve Seabaugh, technical director of the NWFA, was the primary instructor for the schools and was assisted by: Rusty Swindoll, NWFA; Tom Peotter, Oshkosh Floor Designs; Mark Lamanno, Armstrong Floor Products; Gregg Bethune, BonaKemi; and Rick Holden, Dave Balasa and Mike Standen of Derr Flooring. Derr Flooring and the NWFA are tentatively planning a similar school in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area in spring 2004.
Rio Grande Flooring Dist. Inc. (Albuquerque, N.M.) celebrated the grand opening of its remodeled front sales office/showroom. In attendance were approximately 100 customers and manufacturing representatives from Armstrong Wood Products, Tembec, Tico Bamboo, Oshkosh Floor Designs and others.
Horizon Forest Products (Raleigh, N.C.) conducted a legal seminar called "Collecting Your Money: How to File a Lien" on Oct. 6. There was a full house as flooring contractors learned the process of filing liens on property from Andy Buckner, a local attorney from the firm Ragsdale Liggett PLLC. The seminar is part of a free series of educational programs given by Horizon Forest Products to the flooring contractors in the Carolinas. The lien program will be held next in the Wilmington, N.C., branch at the end of October.
Southeast Hardwood Flooring Distributors Inc. (Mandeville, La.) has announced its three newest Lauzon Retailer of Excellence dealers: Howard Young Flooring (Milton, Fla.), Custom Floor Designs (Brandon, Miss.) and Ron-Del Flooring (Harahan, La.).
Junckers Hardwood Inc. (Anaheim, Calif.) has expanded its distribution agreement with Hoboken Floors (Wayne, N.J.) to include New York, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Georgia. Effective immediately, Hoboken has the exclusive rights to distribute Junckers products throughout the new territory.
People News Morelock Wood Products (Bend, Ore.) has added David Bryant to the sales team at its Direct Mill Source local retail outlet. Bryant has more than 30 years' experience in the floor covering industry.
Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring (Papineauville, Quebec) has hired Jay Emerson and Christopher Breslin as regional sales managers. Emerson has more than 15 years of experience in the flooring industry and expertise in hardwood installation and sales. He will cover the northeastern United States. Breslin has more than nine years of experience in flooring-related sales positions. He will cover the northwestern United States.
Venteak Corp. (Miami) has added Elmar Band as CEO. Prior to joining Venteak, Band served as CEO in several retail and consulting companies.
Nemco Industries (West Vancouver, British Columbia) has appointed Ted Nemes vice president. Nemes comes to the company from TD Canada Trust, where he was financial advisor to the consumer affairs division.
Wood Flooring International (WFI) has appointed John Provenzale as unfinished solid flooring sales manager, a new position in the company. Provenzale can be reached at [email protected] or 856/764-2501.
Junckers Hardwood Inc. has named Michael Kmetz distribution sales manager. In this newly created position, Kmetz will manage the company's distribution sales on the East Coast, particularly the Hoboken Floors account.
Job Watch Long Flooring Supply (Richmond, Va.), a distributor in the North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland markets, has an opening for a professional sales representative to manage and grow an existing territory. Ability to call on dealer and contractor accounts is a plus. The position offers excellent benefits and a salary-plus-commission role. RZ?sumZ?s should be sent to 1704 Roseneath, Richmond, VA 23230 or e-mailed to [email protected].
On the Web ClassicAire Woodvents (Wilsonville, Ore.) has launched its Web site at www.classicvents.com.
Mark Your Calendar Horizon Forest Products will hold its annual open houses at its four locations during the week of Oct. 20-24. Vendor representatives from Green River Lumber, Dura Seal, Barefoot Flooring, Mullican Flooring, Boen Hardwood, Oshkosh Floor Designs, Wood Flooring International, W.F. Taylor, Professional Coatings, Grill Works, Powernail, Bostik, Dean Hardwoods, Stanley-Bostitch and Hassell & Hughes plan to be in attendance.
The NWFA (Chesterfield, Mo.) will hold its Installation and Sand & Finish School Oct. 21-24 in Anaheim, Calif., and its Introduction to Wood Flooring Installation School Oct. 21-24 in Toronto. For more information on these schools, call the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international) or online at www.nwfa.org.
NWFA Member Services The Profit Planning Group has completed the 2003 Distributor Profit Report, a report of the financial results of NWFA wood flooring distributors. The report is organized to assist distributors in specific areas-Executive Summary, Industry Performance Charts, Detailed Results and Trend Analysis. Contact the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international) for a copy of this free report.