Issue Date:7/11/2005
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Issue Date:7/11/2005
Hardwood Floors E-News Monday, July 11, 2005 Issue 267 Next issue published July 25, 2005 Deadline for items: July 20, 2005 Send news to [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------NWFA Adds Kroupa; Holds Bilingual School in Las Vegas
Frank Kroupa has joined the NWFA staff as a technical advisor. In his new role, Kroupa will be responsible for providing technical assistance to NWFA members using the NWFA’s toll-free technical hotline and online services. In addition, he will serve as an instructor at the NWFA’s Installation, Sand & Finish schools. “Frank brings a wealth of experience to the NWFA that will be of tremendous benefit to our members,†says Executive Director/CEO Ed Korczak. With more than 25 years of experience in both wholesale and installation, Kroupa is an NWFACP Certified Installer, Sand & Finisher. Kroupa also holds NWFA Craftsman, Master Craftsman, Vanguard and Advanced Master degrees.
Kroupa assisted NWFA Technical Director Steve Seabaugh in teaching the association’s Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish School June 28-30 at the Carpenters International Training Center in Las Vegas. Forty-five students attended the school, which was conducted in both Spanish and English. Ricardo Pairazaman of Finishing Touch Hardwood Floors was the lead instructor for the Spanish class, and there were eight Spanish-speaking students in attendance. Volunteer instructors for the school included Glenn Werneke, 3M; Tony Pantoja, Basic Coatings; Kevin Mullany, Benchmark Wood Floors Inc.; Jason Elquest, Blackhawk Floors Inc.; Scott Greenwood and Dee Lenston, BonaKemi USA; Kjell Nymark, Tommie R. Roy, Michael Peterson and Donald Nelson, Carpenters International Training Fund; Don Smithson, Clarke American Sanders; Terry Green, Dura Seal; David Pregartner, Hardwoods Northwest; Manuel E. Serrano; Ismael Ibarra, New England Custom Floors LLC; Mike DeFriese, Norton Abrasives; Tom Peotter, Oshkosh Floor Designs; Yvette Monroe, R & R Hardwood Inc.; Tony Robison, Spectra Contract Flooring; and Dave Stark, Virginia Abrasives.
Manufacturer News
Chinafloors Timber Co. Ltd. (Shanghai, China) is expanding its facilities with an additional 300,000-square-foot, vertically integrated wood flooring mill. The mill will integrate the entire flooring production process, from cutting logs and kiln-drying to packaging of the finished flooring. The mill also will feature a new UV line that, in combination with other existing lines, will allow the company to provide its customers with a wide range of solid and engineered flooring products, the company says. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call 86-21-6913-2230.
The sales department for Century Flooring (Danville, Va.) has been moved from the Melbourne, Ark., facility to the Danville facility. In order to make a smooth transition, some changes have been made. The mailing address for claims and correspondence with sales is Century Flooring, 100 Maxine Drive, Danville, VA 24542. The new phone and fax numbers are 866/820-2417 and 866/820-2348, respectively. Sales contact Don Settle’s e-mail address of [email protected] remains the same.
Q.E.P. Co Inc. (Boca Raton, Fla.), a manufacturer of flooring tools and accessories that recently purchased adhesive manufacturer Capitol USA (Dalton, Ga.), has been ranked No. 66 on the fifth annual Fortune Small Business “100 List†of the 100 fastest-growing small companies in America. The list, which is comprised of public companies, appeared in the July/August issue of Fortune Small Business.
Distributor News
Scandian Wood Floors (Virginia Beach, Va.) has named Herregan Distributors (Eagan, Minn.) as the representative for the company’s complete line of prefinished exotic hardwood flooring. In addition to its headquarters in Minnesota, Herregan has eight branches servicing Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. “Herregan is the first major distributor appointment for Scandian Wood Floors product lines in the USA,†says Fabio Scandian, vice president of Scandian Wood Floors. Scandian is in the initial stages of contacting potential distributors to service the growing need for exotic wood floors in North America, the company notes. Scandian Wood Floors is headquartered in Brazil with 12 manufacturing facilities spread throughout Brazil and a U.S. office and warehouse in Virginia Beach, Va.
Lon Musolf Distributing (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) held a fishing tournament on White Bear Lake June 22. Forty anglers were in attendance, and the winner of the tournament took home a $500 gift certificate to Gander Mountain. The company’s final event for the summer is its annual golf tournament, which will be held July 20 at StoneRidge Golf Course in Stillwater, Minn. For more information or to register, call 651/484-3020.
Glitsa American (Seattle) has named A to Z Wood Flooring Inc. (Burnsville, Minn.) to its list of distributors. As a wholesaler distributor for Glitsa, A to Z will sell the full line of finishes to professional contractors in its region.
Mirage (Saint-Georges, Quebec) recognized three distributors with its annual Spirit of Mirage awards. Golden State Flooring (South San Francisco, Calif.) received the Most Effective Results in Training Award; Hoboken Floors’ (Wayne, N.J.), Northeast Division received the Most Effective Results in Merchandising Award; and Superior Products (Elkridge, Md.) earned the Sales Growth Award.
Contractor News
Refined Hardwood Flooring (Wilmington, N.C.) has announced the opening of its new showroom and office in Wilmington. The company also has expanded its service area into Virginia to better serve its customers. For more information, visit www.refinedhardwood.com.
People News
In addition to the recent acquisition of Capitol USA, the adhesives division of Halex Corporation (Pomona, Calif.), Q.E.P Co. Inc. has announced some organizational changes for the company. Eric Demaree joins the company as executive vice president of sales to Q.E.P/Roberts/Capitol. He has been involved in the flooring industry for more than 30 years. Wayne Harley, vice president of commercial sales, and Jeff Johnson, vice president of marketing, come to Q.E.P. from Capitol USA. They have extensive backgrounds in the floor covering industry. Finally, Jamie Clingan is now responsible for the Q.E.P. international sales division. She previously served as vice president of marketing and commercial sales.
Capella Wood Floors (Vicksburg, Miss.) has named Mike L. Hollingsworth its corporate controller. Hollingsworth first became involved with the hardwood flooring industry in 1993, working as plant accountant in Bruce Hardwood Floors’ Nashville operations. In 1995, he was promoted to accounting manager and corporate production planner in Dallas. He served as distribution center controller for Bruce’s from 1999 to 2001 and was director of planning and forecasting for Bruce and Armstrong Wood Products from 2001 to 2003. Most recently, Hollingsworth served as lumber management specialist at Armstrong’s location in Dickson,Tenn.
By the Numbers
Sales of new single-family houses in May 2005 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,298,000, according to the Commerce Department. This is 2.1 percent above the revised April rate of 1,271,000 and 4.4 percent above the May 2004 estimate of 1,243,000. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), this is less than 1 percent behind the all-time record pace of October 2004.
Job Watch
Glitsa American, a market leader of Swedish floor finishes, is seeking a chemist to assist in product development. Duties include, but are not limited to, new product research and development, process development, and product support. The applicant should have a four-year degree in chemistry or a related science, plus three to five years’ experience in formulating industrial coatings, including water-based wood coatings. Good written and verbal communication skills are essential. Glitsa offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. Résumés and salary requirements should be mailed to Glitsa American, 327 S. Kenyon St., Seattle, WA 98108, Attn: Ken Winterstein, or e-mailed to [email protected].
Wood flooring contracting company Applegate Wood Floors Inc. (Langhorne, Pa.) has a position available for a sales/project supervisor. Duties include, but are not limited to, generating leads by phone or site visits; scheduling appointments for estimates on jobs; closing and scheduling work; daily travel to customer’s houses and occasional overnight jobs; submitting bids for commercial projects; starting crews on the job; taking care of occasional trim work or miscellaneous requests made by customers; some delivery and/or pick-up of materials; spending time in Washington Crossing, Pa., showroom; and generating new accounts with builders/developers/remodelers. Salary and benefits are negotiable. Résumés should be sent to P.O. Box 799, Langhorne, PA 19047, e-mailed to [email protected] or faxed to 215/598-8703.
Mark Your Calendar
Inspector Training Services for Floor Coverings will hold a Wood Inspection Course in Baltimore, Md., Aug. 8-12. The course, taught by Howard Brickman of Brickman Consulting (Norwell, Mass.), is designed to give professionals working with hardwood flooring a new understanding of the material. The instruction covers wood anatomy, wood science, moisture and wood, relative humidity, defects of wood flooring, critical techniques, problem solving, how to evaluate crawl spaces, basements and concrete substrates, calculating shrinkage, basic building construction technology, installation, sanding, finishing, inspection techniques, the ethics of inspecting, report writing and more. The NWFA Inspector Exam will be offered. For more information, call Will Stoner at 256/828-5337 or e-mail [email protected].
The NWFA will hold an Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish School Aug. 10-12 in Quebec, Canada. The school will be conducted in both French and English. For more information, call the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international), e-mail installationschools@ nwfa.org or visit www.nwfa.org.
A to Z Wood Flooring Inc. will hold its Annual Product Showcase Days at its Rochester, Minn., location on August 10, and at its Burnsville, Minn., location August 11. This year, the featured products will be Clarke American Sanders and Synteko Floor Finishes. Others in the spotlight will be Green River Lumber, Owens Plankfloor, Vintage Hardwood Flooring and a representative from the NWFA. Fun, food, prizes and product information will be available to area contractors. For more information, call Dan at 612/202-0608.
NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association, along with the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA), is offering a comprehensive Wood Flooring Basics School Sept. 20-23. The school will be held at the NWFA International Training Center in Chesterfield, Mo. Tuition is $450 for members of the sponsoring associations and $550 for non-members. The course curriculum covers all aspects of proper wood flooring installation. For more information, visit www.nofma.org or call 901/526-5016.
CCA Global Partners has announced the third annual Charity Golf Tournament to benefit the Floor Covering Industry Foundation, which provides assistance to those in the flooring industry who have suffered a catastrophic event in their lives. The event will be held Sept. 22 at the Marriott Evergreen Resort in Stone Mountain, Ga. For more information, call 800/466-6984 or visit www.ccaglobal.com.
The Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA) will hold its 2006 Conference March 16-18 at the Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Fort Myers, Fla. The event offers industry programs, problem and solution exchange forums, peer networking events and product and service exhibits. For more information, visit www.maplefloor.org or call 847/480-9138.
NWFA Member Services
Footlik & Associates offers showroom and warehousing consulting services to help determine if your facilities need to be expanded, replaced or simply reorganized. One hour of free consultation is available to all NWFA members. Telephone consulting also is available. For more information, call 847/328-5644.
Correction
The last issue of Hardwood Floors’ E-News reported on a stair tread display contest held by Finium (Frampton, Quebec). The contest was for all Hoboken Floors branches, and the winner should have been listed as Barry Katz from Hoboken Floors New England (Stoughton, Mass.).