Issue Date:9/6/2005
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Issue Date:9/6/2005
Hardwood Floors E-News Tuesday, September 6, 2005 Issue 271 Next issue published September 19, 2005 Deadline for items: September 14, 2005 Send news to [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------NWFA Holds Intermediate Installation Class in St. Louis
The NWFA held its Intermediate Installation, Sand & Finish School at its Training Center in St. Louis August 24-26. NWFA Technical Director Steve Seabaugh and Assistant Technical Director Rusty Swindoll led the instruction for the class of 46 students. Volunteer instructors for the school included Jim Schumacher and Chris Livingston, 3M; Daniel Racareanu, American Woodcraft Inc.; Leonard Chapman, Basic Coatings; Gene Jarka and Dee Lenston, BonaKemi USA Inc.; Wayne Lee and Bryan Fussell, Clarke American Sanders; William Costello, Dura Seal; Lon Vaughn, Glitsa American Inc.; Michael Dittmer, Michael Dittmer Wood Floors; David Mansfield, Norton Abrasives; Tom Peotter, Oshkosh Designs Inc.; Dayle Moore, Powernail Company Inc.; Tony Robison, Spectra Contract Flooring; Barry Gork, Timbermate USA Inc.; and Karl Stafflinger, Virginia Abrasives Corporation.
New Coalition to Gather Information on U.S. Wood Flooring Industry
A newly created coalition of industry representatives and research institutes, including the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association, the Northeastern Research Station, Hardwood Review, VT Center for Forest Products Marketing and Management, Forest Products Center, Penn State, the Northeastern Research Center, and Miami University, has been awarded $87,864 by the Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC). The award will partially fund an initiative to improve the timeliness, scope and frequency of statistical information about U.S. wood floor manufacturing. Participants in the Wood Flooring Information Initiative Coalition will fund the balance of the $176,200 project. The new coalition will strive to produce accurate, timely and inexpensive information about the industry.
The first objective of the Wood Flooring Information Initiative will be to send out a comprehensive survey of U.S. wood flooring manufacturers the first week of October 2005. The second objective will be to use the survey results to create a mathematical model of the wood floor manufacturing industry.
Manufacturer News
Armstrong (Lancaster, Pa.) has announced the launch of its Web site, www.armstrong.com, in Spanish. The Web site is accessible from a link on the homepage or directly from www.armstrong.com/espanol.
Cape Fear Riverwood (Wilmington, N.C.) has reorganized its sales structure and opened a sales office in Charleston, S.C., that will serve all of South Carolina. Charleston Riverwood Distributors LLC (Charleston, S.C.) has been selected to conduct Cape Fear’s South Carolina sales operations. All other sales are handled from the Wilmington headquarters.
WarmlyYours (Buffalo, N.Y.) now offers a free floor warming system installation training DVD to dealers and installers. The company created the DVD to meet the needs of both the first-time installer and the seasoned professional. WarmlyYours also offers an emergency installation and technical support hotline staffed by floor warming experts. For more information, call 800/875-5285 or visit www.warmlyyours.com/professional/resources/dvd.aspx.
Distributor News
W.D. Flooring (Laona, Wis.) has moved its product line to T & G Hardwood (Roseville, Minn.) to target the Minneapolis area. For more information, call Mary Ellen Kollmer at 651/633-3343 or Peter Connor at 877/674-2210.
LOBA Waterborne Finishes (Ditzengen, Germany) has established its first warehouse and order center in the U.S. with distributor ALDO Products Company (Kannapolis, N.C.). LOBA has also designated Goodwin Heart Pine Company (Micanopy, Fla.) as its dealer in Florida. For more information, e-mail Antonio Riccio at [email protected], or contact Carol Goodwin at 800/336-3118 or [email protected].
Derr Flooring Co. (Willow Grove, Pa.) presented its fourth consecutive annual Scholastic Excellence Award on August 4. The recipients this year were Amanda Mellon, daughter of Kevin Mellon, who was awarded a $2,000 check to be used toward tuition at Penn State University, and Stephanie Bivona, daughter of Mike Bivona, who received a $1,000 check applied to tuition at Shippensburg University. The scholarships are made possible through the generosity of Gayle Holden and Chester Derr Jr.
Selta Hardwood Flooring (Columbus, Ohio), a manufacturer of prefinished and unfinished hardwood flooring including the Olde World Collection of wide plank Brazilian Lyptus, is seeking new distributors and dealers. For more information, call Scott Veatch at 614/850-5376 or e-mail [email protected].
Blake Stevens Wood Flooring Inc. (Pewaukee, Wis.) held its seventh Annual Golf Outing at Ironwood Golf Course in early August in Sussex, Wis. More than 130 contractors and vendors were treated to lunch and dinner. On August 16-19, Blake Stevens also held “Tool Days,†a tour of all four Blake Stevens locations attended by representatives from BonaKemi, Bostitch, Clarke, Festool and Powernail. The event offered free service on machines and tools.
Contractor News
Sunshine Flooring Inc. (Deerfield, Fla.) celebrated the opening of its first design showroom, located at 900 Southeast Ave. in Deerfield Beach, with a grand opening on August 24. It began with a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Guests had the chance to win prizes including gift certificates, an iPod and a three-day, two-night trip for two to Orlando in a raffle drawing.
People News
Cape Fear Riverwood has named a new management team. Steve Hendricks was named president, Fred Mitchell has been named a vice president and will manage its manufacturing operations, while Dan Weber, also a vice president, will oversee retrieval operations. Pete Devita will head the company’s sales efforts.
Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.) has added four sales managers. Anthony Tompkins has been hired as the southern district sales manager. He will be based in Charlotte, N.C. and will work primarily with R.A. Siegel Co. (Atlanta) and CMH Flooring (Wadesboro, N.C.). Tomkins has five years of experience in the flooring industry, most recently as a strategic accounts sales representative. Jackie Risely is Anderson’s Southern California district sales manager, working out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Most recently, she was a district sales manager covering North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Ryan Riley has been hired as Southwest district sales manager. As a six-year veteran with both retail and sales experience, he will be based in Phoenix and represent Anderson in Arizona, Las Vegas, Colorado and Utah. Chris Wilson has been hired to represent Anderson in Canada and key Midwestern states. A 20-year veteran of the industry, Wilson has worked for a number of major Canadian flooring and lumber distributors and manufacturers and has also owned a specialty woods retail store.
Buchanan Hardwood Flooring Co. LLC (Aliceville, Ala.) has added Linda Gentleman to its sales staff. Gentleman has been with Buchanan since 1999. Prior to moving into sales she was a production manager and in charge of quality control.
Kentucky Wood Floors (Louisville, Ky.) has added Michael Litchkowski to inside sales and customer service. He joins the company with more than 15 years of sales and marketing experience and is the recipient of numerous sales achievement awards. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cleveland State University.
Finium (Frampton, Quebec) has named Dave Arntson as a sales agent. Arntson has more than 25 years in the flooring industry working for manufacturers and as vice president for two distributors selling installation supplies. Arntson will assist vendors and spend time promoting Finium products to distributors and their sales force. He will cover California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.
Lenmar Inc. (Baltimore, Md.) has hired Craig Dupra to its Wood Flooring Division. Dupra will be calling on existing customers and will help penetrate new geographic markets. He previously owned his own floor contracting business for 20 years.
Keith Waldrop, sales manager, flooring division, for Oak Crest Flooring Inc. (Buena Vista, Ga.) can now be reached by phone at 229/649-9328, fax 229/649-9585 or by e-mail at [email protected].
By the Numbers
Remodeling activity continued to grow in the second quarter of 2005, according to The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index. The current market conditions dropped a half point from the first quarter from 52.9 to 52.4. The future expectations index also moved down from 53.6 to 52.8. Owner-occupied units saw a slight increase in current market activity moving from 55.8 to 63.3. In the future expectations index, owner-occupied units dropped from 56.7 to 55.8.
Job Watch
Preverco (St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec) is seeking four sales representatives to be located in the following states: New Jersey/Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois and California. The sales representatives will be responsible for covering six to 11 surrounding states. Candidates must have at least three years of experience in sales in the floor covering industry. Résumés should be sent via e-mail to Maria-Claude Perreault at [email protected] or faxed to 418/878-8931.
Manuflow Inc. (Ville Saint Lauren, Quebec) is looking for a manufacturer’s agent to cover the northeastern U.S. For more information, call 514/338-1616.
Edelweiss Wood Flooring (Telluride, Colo.) is seeking a sales associate. This position requires knowledge about the wood flooring industry. The candidate must have sales experience, proficient PC skills, be able to perform detailed administrative duties and provide excellent customer service. The candidate’s time will be split between administrative office work, service and sales with existing accounts, and generating new sales in the local and national market. Résumés should be e-mailed to [email protected].
Finium (Framton, Quebec) is looking for a sales agent with a working knowledge and understanding of the wood floor industry. The successful candidate will have experience in all facets of sales, distribution channels, business and related areas. Preference will be given to candidates with at least five years of direct industry sales experience. The territory currently open is the southern U.S. Résumés should be e-mailed to [email protected].
Lumber Liquidators Inc. (Colonial Heights, Va.) is seeking a store manager to run its West Roxbury, Mass., location. The successful applicant will be organized, have sales experience and the ability to perform all functions in a busy warehouse and store. The benefits include 100 percent company-paid health and dental insurance and a 401(k) plan. The salary and commission range from $50 to 75K per year with the opportunity for advancement. Résumés may be sent via e-mail to [email protected] or by fax to 757/259-7268.
Mark Your Calendar
Want to learn the skills you need to become a wood flooring inspector? Attend the NWFA Wood Flooring Inspector School. At this four-day school, you’ll learn how to identify, analyze and resolve wood flooring problems with confidence. The school will be held November 7â€"11, 2005, at the NWFA Headquarters in St. Louis. The cost is $1,495 for NWFA members and $1,700 for nonmembers. To sign up, or for more information, contact the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (international). You also can visit the NWFA online at www.nwfa.org.
The Remodeling Show 2005 will take place October 12-15 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore. Sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, the NAHB Remodelors Council and Remodeling Magazine, the show features networking and social events, as well as specialized learning opportunities. For more information, visit the Web site at www.theremodelingshow.com.
The NAHB will hold its International Builders’ Show January 11-17 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The convention features more than 200 educational sessions and special events and draws more than 100,000 industry professionals every year. In addition, the convention offers the latest in products, equipment, services and supplies. For more information, visit www.buildersshow.com/builder.
The National Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) will host the NAFCD Distributor Marketplace October 2006 in conjunction with its 35th Annual Meeting in Indian Wells, Calif. The new function will offer a chance for manufacturers and distributors to meet face-to-face for selling opportunities and share ideas about industry issues. For more information, contact the NAFCD Headquarters by mail at 401 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4267; by phone at 312/321-6836, e-mail at [email protected] or visit the NAFCD Web site at www.nafcd.org.
Tool Time
Do you have a clever tool that you made yourself, or a tool you modified or adapted to help make your life easier? Hardwood Floors would like to show such tools in future issues of the magazine. Send us prints or high-resolution digital images (300 dpi or higher) of the tool, along with a few sentences describing what it is, how you did it and/or what you use it for. We’ll send you a Hardwood Floors T-shirt if we publish it in the magazine. Send photos and descriptions to Editor Kim Wahlgren at [email protected] or 4130 Lien Road, Madison WI 53704.
NWFA Member Services
Have you ordered your customized copy of the NWFA’s 30-second television ad yet? There is still time. For just $75, you can receive a copy of this professionally produced ad, featuring your company contact information. To view the ad, visit www.nwfa.org and click on the “NWFA TV Ad†link. For more information, contact the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (international).