Issue Date:5/31/2005
Hardwood Floors E-News Tuesday, May 31, 2005 Issue 264 Next issue published June 13, 2005 Deadline for items: June 8, 2005 Send news to [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------NWFA Hosts First Subfloor Solutions and Inspector Certification Schools
The NWFA drew 24 students for its first Subfloor Solutions School in St. Louis, May 18-20, then held its first Inspector Certification School, with 17 students, May 23-27. NWFA Director of Technical Training and Education Steve Seabaugh led the Subfloor Solutions School, and volunteer instructors were Dave King, Aerosmith Fastening Systems; Larry Lyons, Amorim Industrial Solutions; Bruce Newbrough, Ardex Inc. and W.W. Henry Co., Steve Lima and John Burgoyne, Bostik Inc.; Brent Stoller, Interstate Supply Co.; Sam Elliott, Network Agency Sales; and Steven Tolli of S/L Inspection Service. The Inspector Certification School was a prototype event, and students attended by invitation only. Evan Lauridsen of Armstrong Wood Products was the lead instructor. Volunteer instructors were Len Daubler, Anderson Hardwood Floors; Ray Thompson, Armstrong Industries; Todd Schutte, BonaKemi USA; Don Conner, Mullican Flooring; and William Klein, University of Missouri-St. Louis; as well as Seabaugh and Tolli.
Manufacturer News
Mirage (Saint-Georges, Quebec) has donated hardwood flooring for The Compassion Center (Washington, D.C.), a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting children and adults who are suffering from the sudden death of a loved one. Mirage’s donation included 900 square feet of red oak flooring. Jon Namba, training director for the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) was on hand to direct local D.C. and Maryland WFCA members in the day-long installation effort.
Armstrong (Lancaster, Pa.) and Bruce Hardwood Floors were voted brand leaders in multiple categories, winning Builder magazine’s 2005 Brand Use Study in Wood Flooring, Laminate Flooring and Vinyl Flooring, earning top honors in Brand Familiarity; Brand Used in Past Two Years; Brand Used Most; and Quality categories. The brand-use study, which was conducted by Readex and published by Hanley-Wood LLC, surveyed a statistical sample from Builder readers to rank flooring brands, and full results were published in the April issue of that magazine. In other Armstrong news, the company won five ADEX (Awards for Design Excellence) awards, including a Platinum award for Bruce American Originals Engineered Hardwood. The ADEX awards are sponsored by the trade publication Design Journal.
Distributor News
WarmlyYours (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) is now a vendor of electric floor warming for Shaw Flooring Alliance, the nationwide network of floor covering retailers whose stores are authorized Shaw Flooring Centers. Alliance members are select U.S. and Canadian flooring retailers who have aligned themselves with Shaw Industries (Dalton, Ga.), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.
J.J. McGlothlin Dist. Inc. (Dallas) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. John Joseph “J.J.” McGlothlin started the business in 1955 and operated it until 1977. In that same year, Betty Phelps, who had worked for McGlothlin for years, bought the business with her husband, Jack, and they ran it until 1987. In 1987, Jack and Betty’s daughter, Angie, and son-in-law Nick Nichols bought the business and have been running it ever since. The company sells hardwood supplies and floor machines to contractors throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas. It also supplies edger and sander bags, leather operator belts and machine cable to distributors across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The company also is a certified repair center for floor sanding machines and floor nailers. To mark its anniversary, J.J. McGlothlin Dist. Inc. announced it now is carrying strip flooring.
Merle B. Smith Co. Inc. (MBS) (Burr Ridge, Ill.) held its annual Customer Appreciation Day event May 15. More than 30 vendors showed their products, and 350 customers attended. Customers won prizes including an ATV, a 50-inch projection television, a Galaxy sanding machine and more. More than $55,000 in prizes was given away to MBS customers. At the event, the company announced the retirement of Walter Krause. Krause was employed by MBS for 10 years.
Southeast Hardwood Flooring Distributors (Mandeville, La.) held a Bona Day School April 21. BonaKemi USA’s J.J. Derman, Dee Lenston and Chris Scott and the Southeast crew taught 27 Southeast customers from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida about Bona floor finishing products. Those who attended received a Bona Certificate, a T-shirt and a coupon good for Bona purchases.
Knight Hardwood Flooring Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.) is now stocking finish from Basic Coatings, Dura Seal and Glitsa, as well as abrasives from Virginia Abrasives. Knight Hardwood Flooring Inc. serves North Carolina and South Carolina and can be reached at 704/821-1189 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Contractor News
Ralph’s Hardwood Floor Co. (Black Creek, Wis.) has completed a new addition, bringing the total size of its facility to 20,000 square feet. The space includes a 2,000-square-foot customer showroom featuring five sections dedicated to different species and grains of wood. The 2,000 square feet of office space utilizes a variety of woods, showcasing them in different settings. There are 25 wood species displayed, with multiple cuts, grades, sizes and stain colors, the company says.
People News
Paul Murfin has been named vice president of sales for Armstrong Floor Products. He is responsible for all independent-channel residential and commercial sales in North America. He previously served as a division vice president for Beaulieu of America and, prior to that, was president of Misco Shawnee Inc.
Tembec Industries Inc. (Huntsville, Ontario) has named Kenneth Reilly account manager, USA East, for the Muskoka Flooring Division. He comes to the company from his role as sales and marketing manager, Wood and Commercial Division, for a well-known flooring firm. Reilly is responsible for supporting the Muskoka brand’s high growth, including a new, exclusive exotic line and premium wide-plank engineered line. He is located in New Jersey.
Pam MacDonald, a former sales representative in the Floor Style Products (Hastings, Mich.) North/East location, has moved to the Floor Style South location in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. She has been with Floor Style for nearly three years. Eddie Westfall has been hired into the Floor Style North/East location to fill the vacancy left by MacDonald’s move. Westfall has experience in sales, hardwood flooring equipment and supplies and shipping. MacDonald can be reached at 888/767-8953 and Westfall can be reached at 800/767-8953, ext. 226.
Parvenu Distributing LLC (Rowlett, Texas) has hired Fred Montalvo as a sales rep for Dallas, Fort Worth and surrounding areas. Montalvo has years of experience with Trinity Hardwood Dist. Inc. Parvenu also has hired David Futrail as the company’s purchasing agent. Futrail was most recently with BPI.
Cornerstone Flooring Inc. (O’Fallon, Miss.) has announced that Rich Difeo, formerly an installer of hardwood and laminate flooring products, has accepted the position of foreman over the installation and sand-and-finish crews at Cornerstone. His duties now include overseeing jobs, job estimates and sales.
By the Numbers
Wood flooring shipments increased 1 percent in April 2005 compared with the shipments from the same month a year ago, according to figures from NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association (Memphis, Tenn.). Shipments in April totaled 56,604,000 board feet, bringing the year’s total to 212,796,000 board feet, a four percent decrease compared with the first four months of 2004.
Housing starts in April rose 11 percent over the March rate to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.038 million units, according to the Commerce Department. Single-family starts increased 6.3 percent to 1.635 million units, roughly equal to the April 2004 pace.
Sales of new single-family homes hit an all-time record pace for the second month in a row in April, with a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.316 million units, according to the Commerce Department. The rate is 13.3 percent higher than the April 2004 rate.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for May was up three points to 70 on a seasonally adjusted annual basis. The component index gauging current single-family sales rose three points to 76. Meanwhile, the NAHB’s Remodeling Market Index for the first quarter of 2005 was two points ahead of the seasonally adjusted level for the fourth quarter of 2004. Regionally, there was strong growth except in the West.
Job Watch
Palmer Hall Floors Inc. (Jacksonville, Fla.) is seeking an experienced sand-and-finish technician. For more information, call Chris Purdy at 904/448-6820.
Floor Style Products (Hastings, Mich.) is seeking well-motivated individuals for inside and outside sales. Those considered will have a minimum of three years’ hardwood flooring, contracting or wood sales experience and work from either the Michigan or Florida location. Salary is commensurate with experience, and benefits include health, dental and 401(k). For more information, contact Jim Gray at 269/945-4100 or send a résumé to [email protected].
Best Value Flooring Inc. (St-Stanislas, Quebec), a manufacturer of prefinished hardwood flooring, is looking for sales agents in many territories. Those with experience should send résumés to [email protected] or 627 Industrial Blvd., St-Stanislas, QC, Canada, G0X 3E0, or fax them to 418/328-4677.
Mark Your Calendars
The NWFA will hold its next Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish School June 8-10 in Baltimore, Md. For more information, e-mail [email protected], visit www.nwfa.org, or call the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international).
Watch Your Mail
Watch your mailbox in the near future for the form you need to update your listing in the 2006 Hardwood Floors Resource Book and NWFA Networking Guide. Once you receive the form, please fill it out and return it as soon as possible. If you do not receive a form by June 13, contact Kimberly Wise at 608/249-0186.
We Need Your Stories
Do you have a true-but-printable funny job-site story you’d like to share? If we publish it in the magazine (in our “Tales From the Front” section), we’ll send you a free Hardwood Floors T-shirt. Just send your stories to Editor Kim Wahlgren at [email protected], call her at 800/722-8764 x 125, or fax to 608/249-1153.
NWFA Member Services
The NWFA offers a wide range of business insurance programs to its members. Fishman Agency offers a full range of business insurance services, including general liability, property, commercial auto, umbrella and workers’ compensation. For more information, call 800/882-1362. Mass Marketing Insurance Consultants provide a wide range of healthcare policies and plans for individuals and small and medium-sized companies. To customize a plan based on your budget and needs, call 800/349-1039. North American Insurance Agency offers comprehensive business insurance services to NWFA’s California members. For more information, call 800/477-7401.
