Issue Date:11/10/2003
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Issue Date:11/10/2003
Hardwood Floors E-News Monday, Nov. 10, 2003 Issue 224 Next issue published November 24, 2003 Deadline for items: Nov. 19, 2003 Send news to [email protected]
NWFA Installation and Sand & Finish School Travels to Greenville, S.C. The NWFA held its latest Installation and Sand & Finish School, led by NWFA Technical Director Steve Seabaugh, in Greenville, S.C. Volunteer instructors for the event were: Jim Schumacher, 3M; Richard Conway, All Wood Floorcraft; Rob Johnson, Basic Coatings; Bob Burton and Mark Mukosiej, BonaKemi USA; Wayne Lee, Clarke American Sanders; John Saunders, Connecticut Wood Floors LLC; Steve Crawford, Dura Seal; Joseph Collins, High Country Hardwood Designs; Sharon Miller, Lenmar Inc.; Don Conner, Mullican Flooring; Ray Kunza, Norton Abrasives; Richard McLaughlin, Powernail Company Inc.; and Alan Blake, Stauf-USA Adhesive LLC. The sponsoring distributor for the school was American Products of South Carolina.
VOC Regulation Changes for Stains and Finishes The Volatile Organic Chemical (VOC) content of stains and polyurethane finishes has been limited outside of California and Arizona by local and state or federal regulation to 550 grams per liter for stains and 450 grams per liter for varnishes for a number of years. Now, regulators in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia have proposed or adopted new rules that would further reduce the allowable VOC content in stains and varnishes effective Jan. 1, 2005. Other states, including Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont have come together in a group called the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) to review the same reductions. The acceptable level of VOCs in varnishes will be reduced to 350 grams per liter from the current 550 grams per liter national rule or 450 grams per liter New York/New Jersey rule. The OTC rule will go into effect Jan. 1, 2005. There is a quart exemption to help ease the transition. Stains will be reduced to 250 grams per liter from the current 550 grams per liter. The quart exemption will continue to exist for this category. NWFA members can contact the association at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international) with any questions.
Distributor News Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.) has teamed up with Ohio Valley Flooring (OVF) (Cincinnati) and Derr Flooring (Willow Grove, Pa.), creating 12 new distribution locations for Mullican across seven states. OVF is a wholesale distributor of flooring products serving retailers throughout Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and western Pennsylvania and has distribution points in Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville and Pittsburgh. Derr Flooring operates from its corporate office in Willow Grove and also features a distribution warehouse in addition to its York, Pa.; Paradise Valley, Pa.; Fredericksburg, Va.; Edison, N.J.; and Jessup, Md., locations.
Southeast Hardwood Flooring Distributors (Mandeville, La.) has added the finish line of New Parks, a division of Zinsser Co., to its product line.
Dealer/Contractor News Schmidt Custom Floors Inc. (Waukesha, Wis.) recently completed its new 11,000-square-foot addition. As with its original warehouse, the new facility is heated and humidity controlled. It will house all flooring and related products.
People News Preverco Inc. (St. Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec) has appointed Jean-Marc Surette as its territory manager for the Canadian Atlantic provinces, representing its line of factory-finished and unfinished hardwood flooring. Surette can be reached at 506/866-1592 or [email protected]. The company also has named Ed Muehlbauer of EJM Sales Agency to represent its factory-finished and unfinished products. EJM Sales will cover the British Columbia Canadian interior and surrounding areas. Muehlbauer can be reached at 250/498-9994.
Wanke Cascade (Portland, Ore.) Vice President of Sales and Marketing Craig Lampe has retired after 33 years in the flooring industry. Lampe headed up Wanke's sales and marketing team for the past 25 years and has seen the 72-year-old company through a period of significant strategic growth. Lampe's current duties and responsibilities will be absorbed by the existing sales and marketing team.
Venteak Corp. (Miami) has added Francisco Fraute as CFO. Fraute joins the company from Brahma Brazil, where he was the company's corporate chief of finance and logistics for Venezuela.
Association/Industry News The Kansas City Floor Expo recently hosted flooring manufacturers, architects, designers and other members of the local construction community at the carpenter's union training center. Kansas City's Heartland Flooring Contractors Association joined INSTALL in hosting the event. The Expo served as the official launch of INSTALL in Kansas City. The Expo featured the first-annual design/installation competition among architectural and design firms, giving specifiers first-hand knowledge of the challenges installers face when implementing a specific design.
By the Numbers Sales of new single-family homes continued at a near-record seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.145 million units in September, a marginal decrease from the 1.147 million unit pace in August, according to the Commerce Department. The Northeast posted the largest gain in new-home sales in September, with a 26 percent gain. The West also recorded a double-digit increase, of 12.4 percent, while the South registered a 2.5 percent decline, and the Midwest showed an 18 percent drop-off.
Job Watch Aacer Flooring LLC (Peshtigo, Wis.) is currently in need of a western regional sales manager to pursue sales of all of its products, coordinate customer relations and provide technical services and product information, among other responsibilities. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of three years' experience in sales with dealer/distributor markets; excellent written and verbal communication skills; and hardwood flooring or related industry experience. Knowledge of athletic surfacing is a plus. Qualified candidates should submit their résumé and salary history in confidence to Aacer Flooring LLC, Attn: Human Resource Coordinator, 970 Ogden Road, P.O. Box 151, Peshtigo, WI 54157.
For Sale A well-established, 12-year-old Idaho wood flooring business is for sale in a fast-growing Rocky Mountain ski resort community with a high concentration of custom homebuilding. The business has many repeat customers and includes sanding and installation equipment. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
On the Web ValueWoodFlooring.com (Delran, N.J.) has revamped its Web site. The site now is easier to navigate, with categories for stateside and overseas grouped by flooring type and style and master lists with links to product information.
Mark Your Calendar Domotex 2004 will take place at the Hannover Fairgrounds in Hannover, Germany, Jan. 17-20, 2004. The expo will include cork, parquet, exotic wood, hardwood strip, plank, wood inlays and more. U.S. group exhibits include the USA Pavilion, National Wood Flooring Association Pavilion and American Floorcovering Alliance/State of Georgia Group Exhibit. For more information, contact Rita Dommermuth at 609/987-1202, ext. 233, or visit www.hfusa.com/domotex.
The NWFA will hold its Factory Finished Wood Flooring Installation School Jan. 14-15, 2004, at its training center and headquarters in St. Louis.
NWFA Member Services What do companies like JC Penney, Sears & Roebuck, Ford Motor Credit, Target, Xerox and Federal Express have in common? They use the services of Tek-Collect when an account ages to 60 to 90 days beyond its credit terms. NWFA members also can use the services of Tec-Collect, a Web-based accounts receivable management program. To inquire how Tek-Collect can improve your company's cash flow and to receive a free receivables analysis, e-mail Jack Curenton at [email protected], or call 866/414-4500, ext. 412.