Issue Date:5/2/2005
Hardwood Floors E-News Monday, May 2, 2005 Issue 262 Next issue published May 16, 2005 Deadline for items: May 11, 2005 Send news to [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------NWFA/WFCA Intermediate School Takes Place in Anaheim, Calif. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) held an Intermediate Sand & Finish School in Anaheim, Calif., last week. Steve Marley of Cal Coast Hardwood Flooring led the school, assisted by the following volunteer instructors: Tony Pantola, Basic Coatings; Scott Greenwood, BonaKemi USA; Don Smithson, Clarke American Sanders; Terry Green, Dura Seal; Glenn Paris, Festool; Tom Peotter, Oshkosh Floor Designs Inc.; Michael Palembas Jr., Palembas Hardwood Floor Inc.; Dave Stark, Virginia Abrasives Corp. ; and Jon Namba, WFCA.
Manufacturer News Armstrong Holdings Inc. (Lancaster, Pa.) reported first quarter 2005 net sales of $840.7 million, 0.5 percent lower than first quarter net sales of $845.0 million in 2004. First quarter 2005 operating income was $7.7 million compared with $40.8 million in the first quarter of 2004. The decline in operating income was primarily due to higher raw material and energy costs, higher selling, general and administrative expenses and increased charges for cost-reduction initiatives, the company reported. Wood flooring net sales of $190.1 million in the first quarter of 2005 decreased 3.7 percent from $197.4 million the prior year. This decrease was primarily driven by a 9 percent volume decline in solid wood floors, but was partially offset by an 18 percent volume increase in engineered hardwood floors and price increases for some products.
Vencon USA LLC (Kennesaw, Ga.) has announced the appointment of China-Inspections, (Beijing, China), with offices in Charleston, S.C., as the quality assurance inspector for all of its hardwood flooring products (solid and engineered) manufactured in China. For more information, visit www.china-inspections.com. Action Floor Systems (Mercer, Wis.) gathered 35 of the company's dealers from around the United States for a first-ever national meeting last February at a Riviera Maya resort on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The reception dinner featured Dr. Terry Paulson, a renowned author and motivational speaker, followed by two days of meetings. After business was concluded, attendees enjoyed beach and jungle trail rides on horseback or ATVs. Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.) is participating in Veranda magazine's "New York's Best" at the Trump Park Avenue April 14 through May 26, providing hardwood flooring for the media room in the more than 5,000-square-foot duplex penthouse. Interior designer Richard Mishaan, media room designer, chose Anderson's Piazza Walnut in Setting Sun to complement his room design. Kährs International (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) has been selected for the 2005 New Southern Home, a premier show home in the Southeast that features the latest in technology, amenities, design and architecture. The 2004 New Southern Home featured Kährs' Oak Tarcot in six rooms, upstairs and downstairs, as well as the master foyer, main hallway and upstairs hallways. Kährs' Oak Blanc also was installed in the children's room. This year's home first will be showcased at the 2005 Southeast Builders Conference to be held July 14-17 at the Orlando Convention Center. The home will then be open to the public July 18-30. For more information, visit www.kahrs.com or call 800/800-5247.Distributor News Vencon USA LLC (Kennesaw, Ga.) has announced its product line will be distributed in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia by Design Distributing Inc. (Ashland, Va.). Design Distributing has five locations: Norfolk, Va.; Richmond, Va.; Durham, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; and Roanoke, Va. Design also does business in a portion of north Georgia. Design's customers include an extensive dealer network of retail floor covering stores, commercial accounts and builder accounts. For more information, call Mike Brammer at 804/334-7166 or e-mail [email protected].
North Pacific Group Inc. (Portland, Ore.) has announced that as of April 1, 2005, almost all North Pacific companies are operating under the name North Pacific. Saxonville USA, Landmark Building Products, Delta Forest Products, Allen Timber and Schultz, Snyder & Steele are now known as North Pacific. By uniting these businesses under one name, the company leverages the strength of a larger, more diversified company, it says.Association News The NWFA recently received two awards from The Communicator Awards 2005 print media competition. An Award of Distinction was presented for the NWFA's "2005 Convention" brochure in the "Brochures/Special Events" category. The competition's highest award, the Crystal Award of Excellence, was presented for the NWFA's "Real Wood Floors: Real Beauty for Real Life" brochure in the "Brochure/Consumer Awareness" category.
People News Venteak Corporation (Miami) has named Daniel Yorke strategic partner for the central California region. Yorke managed his own hardwood retail store for the past four years in Danville, Calif. He will tend to customers in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and Alameda counties. Yorke can be reached at 925/858-WOOD or at [email protected].
Healthier Choice Flooring (Dalton, Ga.) has announced that Daniel Martin has joined the company as vice president of sales and strategic development. Martin previously served as national sales manager for MP Global Products. Also joining the staff is Jerri Sosebee as administrative assistant, sales support. CoverSports USA (Philadelphia) has named Mike Lanzano general manager of the Apex product line. Last August, CoverSports acquired Apex Athletic Equipment, which offers a full range of athletic equipment, such as floor and wall mats, field and track mats, safety wall cushions, mat covers and more. Olson Floor Supply Co. Inc. (Jamaica, N.Y.) has announced that Vincent Calabrese, formerly the distribution manager for Armstrong Wood Products, has accepted a position with the company. Calabrese will be responsible for managing field sales, product lines and marketing for Olson Floor Supply. Penn Wood Products Company (East Berlin, Pa.) has named Steve Cratch sales and marketing representative. He serves Penn Wood's major hardwood manufacturing accounts and is responsible for expanding the distribution of Pennwood products throughout the United States. Cratch most recently served as vice president of corporate marketing for J.J. Haines Co. He also held various sales and marketing positions with that company over the past 25 years. Wade Lewis has been promoted to restoration crew chief for Refined Hardwood Flooring (Wilmington, N.C.). Lewis has more than a decade of experience in the wood flooring industry. BonaKemi USA (Aurora, Colo.) has named Dave Darche and Gregg Bethune the winners of the 2004 Gary Reynolds Sales Achievement Award, an honor given each year for excellence in sales performance and territory management. Having served since 2003 as a BonaKemi regional contractor manager, Darche is based in the company's New England region. A seven-year veteran of BonaKemi, Bethune is a distributor business manager working with Bona distributors in the northeast and mid-Atlantic. The first two-time Bona Gary Reynolds Sales Achievement Award winner, Bethune has more than 11 years' experience in the flooring industry and is based in Pittsburgh. The BonaKemi Gary Reynolds Sales Award is named after Gary Reynolds, past president and founder of BonaKemi USA Inc.By the Numbers Strip shipments for March 2005 totaled 53,617,000 board feet, down 11 percent from the 60,083,000 board feet shipped during March 2004, according to NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association. Strip shipments for the first three months of 2005 totaled 156,192,000 board feet, down 6 percent from the 166,235,000 board feet shipped during the same period in 2004.
Privately owned housing starts in March 2005 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,837,000 units. This is 17.6 percent below the revised February estimate of 2,229,000 and is 8.2 percent below the March 2004 rate of 2,000,000, according to the Commerce Department. Single-family housing starts in March 2005 were at a rate of 1,539,000, which is 14.4 percent below the February figure of 1,798,000. Also, sales of new single-family homes in March 2005 were at an all-time-high seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,431,000, according to the Commerce Department. This is 12.2 percent above the revised February rate of 1,275,000 and 12.7 percent above the March 2004 estimate of 1,270,000. April 2005's National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped three points to 67, according to NAHB. The component index gauging current single-family sales remained at 73, while the component index gauging sales expectations for the next six months and the component gauging traffic of prospective buyers were 76 and 50, respectively.On the Web Armstrong (Lancaster, Pa.) has relaunched its Web site at www.armstrong.com. The site creates leads for retailers with a SKU-specific store locator-once consumers select a retail location, they can browse through products carried by that individual store. This month, stores will be able to feature Armstrong Web tools on their own store Web sites by including a link. They can offer the Floor Selector, an Armstrong floor product catalog and selection center, or Design a Room, a tool that lets customers see Armstrong floors in a variety of rooms. The site also allows consumers to browse by room type with its Shop by Room section or by informational tabs at the top of the page. Also offered is the Design My Room capability, which allows visitors to virtually redesign their own room.
Job Watch Stauf USA (Memphis) is seeking an aggressive eastern regional sales manager to mange its eastern distribution network. Duties include promotion of Stauf Adhesive products through retailer/contractor networking and distribution channels. Overnight travel is required. Knowledge of the hardwood flooring industry a must, and a thorough understanding of the two-step distribution process is preferred. Compensation includes insurance and bonuses. Candidates should send résumés to [email protected] or fax to 901/362-5019.
Venteak Corporation is seeking independent sales agents for the Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, Texas territories. Applicants should have experience in the hardwood flooring industry, an existing client portfolio and the capability to present all of the company's products to high-end dealers, contractors and architects. The company says it offers limitless compensation through its profit sharing structure. Interested parties should contact Edward Halvorssen at 800/678-TEAK or [email protected].Mark Your Calendar R & R Hardwood Inc. (Boise, Idaho) will hold its Customer Appreciation Day 2005 on May 13 from noon to 5 p.m. The company will host a BBQ and raffle with vendors from all over the country. For more information, call 208/377-0335.
The NWFA 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. Improve your sales teams' performance with the NWFA's new Sales Management Training Workshop. This session will be offered June 15-16 at the NWFA's International Training Center in St. Louis. Intended for distributor and manufacturer audiences, the workshop is designed to provide sales managers with new tools, skills, strategies and tactics to improve sales and impact bottom lines. The cost is $795 for NWFA members and $895 for nonmembers. For more information, call 636/530-0682 (local and international), 800/422-4556 (United States) or 800/848-8824 (Canada) or visit www.nwfa.org and click on the "Education and Schools" link. NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association will offer its next NOFMA Certified Wood Flooring Inspector School August 20-24 at the Holiday Inn Select in east Memphis. The course will be limited to 20 participants and is intended for floor covering inspectors, home inspectors and those in wood flooring-related businesses interested in expanding the depth of their expertise. Tuition is $2,500. Since its inception in 2002, 47 candidates have attended a NOFMA CWFI school, and eight have earned NOFMA Certified Wood Flooring Inspector Status. In addition, six candidates are on their way to certification, with 13 other candidates actively seeking certification by completing their on-site inspection requirement and report review. For more information, call 901/526-5016 or visit www.nofma.org. BonaKemi USA will offer the BonaKemi Sand & Finish School June 14-17 in Aurora, Colo.; Sept. 27-30 in St. Louis; and Nov. 1-4 in Aurora. The school provides instruction on BonaKemi's complete line of products and hands-on training in sanding and floor preparation, staining, sealing and finishing, troubleshooting, regulations, sales and customer relations and the use of BonaKemi's Environmental Choice waterborne system. Todd Schutte, director of training and contractor sales for BonaKemi USA, leads training courses.NWFA Member Services One of the biggest obstacles small businesses face these days is providing cost-effective health insurance for their employees. NWFA members have an opportunity to receive a free health insurance check-up as a member benefit from Mass Marketing Insurance Consultants. MMIC provides a wide range of healthcare policies and plans for individuals and small- to medium-sized companies. To get a free quote, visit www.mmicinsurance.com and select "How to Receive a Quote." For more information, contact Mass Marketing Insurance Consultants at 800/349-1039.
