Issue Date:4/18/2005
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Issue Date:4/18/2005
Hardwood Floors E-News Monday, April 18, 2005 Issue 261 Next issue published May 2, 2005 Deadline for items: April 27, 2005 Send news to [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------NWFA Convention Has Tropical Twist The NWFA celebrated its 20th anniversary in tropical style as it traveled to Honolulu for its 20th annual convention April 13-16. Close to 2,000 wood flooring professionals made the trip for the show, which is the largest convention in the world dedicated exclusively to hardwood flooring. Half-day show hours allowed wood flooring professionals plenty of time to do business as well as to enjoy the many allures of Oahu. Motivational speaker Steve Farber kicked off the show with his enthusiastic presentation, "Extreme Leadership." The annual Welcome Reception was held with a Hawaiian flair on the convention rooftop and included entertainment from hula dancers to Hawaiian firedancers. During the final hour of the Expo on April 15, attendees enjoyed mai-tais while prizes including televisions, DVD players and NWFA merchandise were raffled off. That evening, attendees also enjoyed genuine Hawaiian culture, food and drinks at the special NWFA night at a luau.
New NWFA Leadership Announced in Hawaii At the annual membership meeting held on Friday, April 15, President Wayne Cotton's term came to a close, and he was presented with a Sea-Doo Sea Scooter and gold cuff links in appreciation for his years of dedication and service to the NWFA. Also, the new NWFA Executive Committee was announced. Officers now include President Joe Audino of Rode Bros. Floors (Las Vegas), Vice President Ken Schumacher of Schumacher & Company Inc. (Newport, Ky.), Treasurer Rick Holden of Derr Flooring Co. (Willow Grove, Pa.) and Secretary Neil Poland of Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.). Wayne Cotton remains on the board as immediate past-president.
Also at the meeting, Board of Directors members Angela Crowl of Dominic A. DiFebo & Sons (Wilmington, Del.) and Mark Weglowski of BonaKemi USA (Aurora, Colo.) completed their terms. Elected to serve additional three-year terms on the Board of Directors were Bill Costello of Dura Seal (Olive Branch, Miss.), Leonard Hall of Endurance Floor Company Inc. (Miami) and Glen Miller of Preverco Inc. (Etobicoke, Ont.). Elected to serve their first three-year terms were Tom Anstett of Powernail Company (Lake Zurich, Ill.), Don Finkell of Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.) and Terry O'Neill of TRC Distribution (Calgary, Alberta). Other board members who are currently mid-term include Galen Fitzel of 3M (St. Paul, Minn.), Donna Millard of Columbia Flooring (Elijay, Ga.), Yvette Monroe of R & R Hardwood (Boise, Idaho), Neil Moss of Armstrong Wood Products (Lancaster, Pa.), and Barry Nelson of Glitsa American (Maple Grove, Minn.). Ex-officio directors serving one-year terms include John Blesing of Blesing's Flooring (Clifton, N.J.), Jim Gray of Floor Style Products (Hastings, Mich.) and Kevin Mullany of Benchmark Wood Floors (Cedar Crest, N.M.).Contractors Honored with Wood Floor of the Year Awards Winners in this year's Wood Floor of the Year awards were announced at the Bon Voyage Awards Luncheon on the last day of the show. There were 134 entries in this year's contest, which featured seven revamped categories. This year, every award was chosen by NWFA members, with voting taking place online prior to the show and during the Wood Flooring Expo in Honolulu. Winners included: Best Kitchen/Dining Room and Best Commercial Floor: Johnson Yarema Hardwood Floors (Oakland, Mich.) Best Living Room/Family Room: Fulford Flooring (Wilson, N.C.) Best Library/Office: Birger Juell Ltd. (Chicago) Best Bedroom: Majestic Wood Floors Inc. (Frederick, Mo.) Best Entry/Foyer: Signature Floors Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah) Best Restoration: Universal Floors Inc. (Washington, D.C.).
Degrees and Awards Presented at Convention Fifty-four members earned degrees during 2004, and 37 were presented at the convention in Honolulu. Those receiving Craftsman Degrees (for professional wood flooring education) at the NWFA convention included Joe Audino, Roger Barker, Larry Beers, Dan Call, Ray Hess, Dean Hultman, John Kiepper III, Ricardo Pairazaman, Dennis Plaut, Tony Robison, Steve Schmid, Brent Sorbet and Jay Wyckoff.
Those receiving Master Craftsman Degrees (for advanced knowledge and demonstrated wood flooring skills) at the show included Rob Johnson, Dave Posey, Todd Schutte and A.J. Winstead.Wood flooring professionals at the show who earned Advanced Master Degrees (for further advanced knowledge and demonstrated wood flooring skills) included Len Daubler, Rick Jones and Jim Schumacher. Individuals at convention who earned Vanguard Degrees (for leadership and service to the industry) included Greg Fuller, Scott Greenwood, Tim McCool, Donna Millard, Curtis Richard, Paul Ruiz, Don Smithson, Dave Stark and Brett Wheeler. Honored with the Ambassador Degree at the convention (for those who have earned the Vanguard Degree and continue to serve the association) were Joe Boone Jr. and Glen Miller. Also, two members earned the Golden Mallet award for the first time in 2005 by recruiting four or more members. Wayne Lee was presented with his award at the convention. Member Tandy Reeves also earned the award.
NWFA Makes Plans for Baltimore 2006 The dates of the next NWFA convention are April 26-29, 2006. Baltimore, Md., will be the host city for next year.
NWFA Membership Stronger Than Ever Right before the show, NWFA membership passed the 3,500 tally for the first time, marking an impressive achievement-at the end of NWFA's first year, the young association had 180 members.
Basic Coatings Acquired by Betco Corporation Betco Corporation (Toledo, Ohio), a major supplier in the janitorial supply industry, has purchased the assets of The Atlas Companies (Des Moines, Iowa), including wood flooring finish manufacturer Basic Coatings, for an undisclosed amount. Those assets will now collectively be known as Basic Coatings LLC.
The Basic Coatings LLC manufacturing facilities and employees will remain at the Des Moines location. Mike Sundell is now vice president of sales and marketing for Basic Coatings, and he will report to Betco CEO Paul Betz."With the addition of the Basic Coatings wood care product line and industry-recognized expertise, we strengthen our current leadership position in floor care," Betz says. "The technology transfer that will exist will benefit both product lines." The Betco and Basic products will continue to be marketed through the Betco and Basic distribution. With this acquisition, the Betco family of businesses will have a combined revenue approaching $100 million, the company says.
Bradley Lumber Acquires Sykes Plant, Opens Flooring Business Bradley Lumber Company (Warren, Ark.) has acquired the Sykes wood flooring mill in Warren, and the flooring will be produced by a newly formed company, Ouachita Hardwood Flooring. Ouachita Hardwood Flooring will be owned and operated by Wil Maxwell, current director of operations for the Maxwell Hardwood Flooring plant in Monticello, Ark., and Shay Dugal, owner of Custom Wood and Moulding in Strong, Ark. The company will produce solid plank flooring in oak, hickory, walnut, maple, ash and cherry, and it will be a major plank flooring supplier to Maxwell Hardwood Flooring.
Bradley Lumber Company has been in business since September 2002 and produces red and white oak lumber. "Having Ouachita Hardwood Flooring manufacture their products here in Warren is a plus for the hardwood industry in Bradley County and surrounding areas, and it's good for our community as well. It's a win-win situation for all involved," says Dr. David Chambers, president of Bradley Lumber. Ouachita plans to begin its operations in early May and will create 20 to 25 new jobs at start-up with hopes of doubling its workforce in the next two years. Sykes Harris Jr. founded the plant in 1958, producing parquet flooring and, later, engineered flooring. It was later sold to Masonite in 1979, changed hands to Robbins Flooring in 1986 and subsequently became an Armstrong flooring engineered flooring plant. Armstrong closed the Sykes facility in December 2003, citing excessively high operating costs.Manufacturer News Nominated in three categories, Finitec Hardwood Products Inc. (St. Lambert-de-Lauzon) was honored with Fidéide awards for both Manufacturer of the Year and Human Resources Development at the 2005 Gala des Fidéides held March 17. Organized by the Quebec Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurs, the prestigious event recognizes hard-working, inspired entrepreneurs. More than 50 companies from the Capitale-Nationale and Chudiére-Appalaches were finalists in 12 categories.
Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.) was featured on TLC's new primetime home redesign show, Moving Up. The episode, titled "Calamityville Horror," aired April 9 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). Mullican supplied more than 1,000 square feet of 2 1/4-inch solid Saddle Oak hardwood flooring for the kitchen, living room, dining room and three bedrooms of the home, which is located in Beltsville, Md.Distributor News Erickson's Flooring & Supply (Ferndale, Mich.) has announced it is now carrying Finium Prefinished Stair Treads; the Franklin Collection of prefinished flooring by Zickgraf Hardwood Flooring; and Napa Cork's seven new styles of cork by Bamboo Flooring Hawaii. Erickson's covers Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. For more information, call 800/225-9663.
Capella Wood Floors (Vicksburg, Miss.) has announced its product line will be distributed in North Carolina and South Carolina by Ellis Flooring Sales (Greenville, S.C.). Ellis has six locations in the Carolinas-Greenville and Columbia in South Carolina and Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte and Stallings in North Carolina. Ellis, which also does business in a portion of southwest Virginia and Georgia, is a division of Southland Group Enterprises. Ellis' customers include retail floor covering stores, commercial accounts and builders. For more information, call 866/422-7355 or visit www.capellafloors.com.Dealer News McSwain Carpets & Floors (Cincinnati, Ohio) recently made a donation to the Marvin Lewis Community Fund (MLCF) to help provide for its community programs and services for low-income and inner-city children. Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis, the featured speaker at McSwain Carpets & Floors' recent annual employee meeting, accepted the donation. The MLCF was created in 2003 by Lewis and his wife, Peggy, to spread the message of community involvement and accountability for Greater Cincinnati youth.
People News Columbia Flooring (Danville, Va.) has named David Baird business unit manager for commercial flooring; Ben McNabb manager of retail development; and Cindy VanSteen merchandising manager for retail cooperatives. Baird comes to the company from Milliken Carpet, where he most recently held the position of national accounts manager/consumer environments. McNabb joins Columbia after five years with Tarkett Wood Floors, where he was marketing manager. VanSteen comes to Columbia from CCA Global, where she most recently held the position of director of member relations. VanSteen will assist Jason Mielnikowski, Columbia's business unit manager for retail cooperatives, while he expands his role to further develop the company's national accounts program.
Zickgraf Hardwood Flooring (Franklin, N.C.) has hired Chester "Chesty" West as director of technical services. He has more than 20 years' experience in the hardwood flooring industry, most recently serving as inside sales manager for Armstrong World Industries in Oneida, Tenn. Before that, West served in various technical service and sales roles for Hartco/Armstrong. In addition to technical services, West has an active role in the sales and marketing organization of Zickgraf.Job Watch Capella Wood Floors is currently seeking an experienced regional sales manager for the mid-Atlantic region. Applicants should have experience in the wood flooring industry, a strong record of success and a desire to create market growth. The compensation package includes a competitive salary, bonuses, 401(k), health insurance and expenses. Those interested should email a résumé to [email protected].
Mark Your Calendars The NWFA will hold its Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish School May 4-6 in Austin, Texas. The school will be offered in both English and Spanish and will provide attendees with hands-on training on installation, job-site evaluation and preparation, safety, custom design procedures, medallions, sanding and finishing, equipment use/maintenance, repairs and recoats, board replacement, hand-scraping and more. The NWFA also will offer its Subfloor Solutions School May 18-20 at the NWFA Training Center in St. Louis. The school will provide training on subfloor preparation and repair. For more information, call 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international), e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.
The Chinese International Exhibition Company (CIEC) will hold the 6th China International Floor Coverings and Carpet Fair September 13-16 at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing. Last year's event drew more than 150 exhibitors and more than 13,000 domestic and overseas trade visitors to see a wide range of flooring products. This show has been dominated by wood flooring manufacturers for the last three years, and many of the newer wood flooring factories in northern China will have booths this year. NWFA members looking to source products will have an excellent opportunity to sort through many of those firms by participating in this year's delegate program. For more information, contact Dave Spreen by phone at 707/445-2244, by fax at 707/445-1024, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the Web at www.davespreen.com/china/fc2002.NWFA Member Services Use the NWFA member logo to identify your company as a member of the largest trade association anywhere dedicated exclusively to the wood flooring industry. The NWFA member logo can be used on all your promotional materials, business forms, corporate stationery, signs, vehicles, advertising, displays and products. You can download the logo online at www.nwfa.org. Simply select "Services and Supplies" from the menu options and click on "Logo." For more information, call 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international), e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.