Issue Date:10/31/2005
The NWFA also held its Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish School October 19-21 in Miami. Floor Style Products was the lead distributor of this bilingual school. NWFA Director of Technical Training Steve Seabaugh led the instruction of 51 students with Ricardo Pairazaman of Finishing Touch Hardwood Floors LLC, who led the Spanish instruction. Volunteer instructors included James Heeg, 3M; Rob Johnson and Shields Jarrett, Basic Coatings; Darin Nesline and Dee Lenston, BonaKemi USA Inc.; Bryan Fussell, Clarke American Sanders; Steve Crawford, Dura Seal; Leonard Hall, Endurance Floor Co. Inc.; Mauro Anza, Ezequiel Flooring Inc.; James Gray, Floor Style Products Inc. Dist.; Bob Goldstein, Hunter Hardwoods LLC; Craig Dupra, Lenmar Inc.; Ismael Ibarra, New England Custom Floors LLC; David Mansfield, Norton Abrasives; Tom Peotter, Oshkosh Designs; Stan Lawson, Powernail Company Inc.; A.J. Winstead, Virginia Abrasives Corporation; and Todd McDonald, W.D. Flooring.
Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.) was recently featured in a segment of "Comfort Zones," which showcases vacation homes from around the country on the Fine Living Network. Anderson's Virginia Vintage in Autumn Hickory was installed in the 2,000-square-foot second floor living room in what viewers called the "Dune House."
Mannington Mills (Salem, N.J.) has announced the winners of its inaugural "Stand On a Better World Awards." This program recognizes social, economic and environmental contributions women make to the community. Competition judges included Dr. Sally Ride, former Attorney General Janet Reno and Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm. The winners were Deborah Bell, Kip Tiernan and Sharen Trembath. One of these women will be named the grand-prize winner November 17 in Philadelphia. She will receive $25,000 to donate to her favorite charity, while all three winners and the people who nominated them will receive Mannington flooring in their homes.
Pollmeier (Rietberg, Germany), a German manufacturer of strip and plank flooring, has developed a new information package of its products. To receive a complimentary copy, visit www.pollmeier-flooring.com.
Design Flooring Distributors (Pompano Beach, Fla.) had a "Grand Opening Event" at its Pompano Beach location October 24. Attending manufacturers included Anderson Hardwood Floors, Mirage Wood Floors, Kährs International, Bamboo of Hawaii, Artistic Finishes, Sunfloor and W.F. Taylor. Design Flooring launched the Anderson line, which will be distributed in Florida and the Caribbean, at the opening. The new address is 2810 Center Port Circle, Pompano Beach, FL 33064. For more information, call 954/481-1900, ext. 14.
Rappgo AB (Braås, Sweden), the manufacturer of Mörkaskog wide plank flooring, has appointed SwedishFlooring.com, a Bellingham, Wash.-based DLD International Company, as its new importer and distributor for the U.S. market.
Aacer Flooring LLC (Peshtigo, Wis.) has announced the completion of its second flooring plant. With larger capacity, the company is looking for more long-term distributors. For more information, contact Gary Zander by phone at 877/582-1181 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Silkroad Bamboo Flooring (Toronto) opened a new branch office in Manhattan's historic Helmsley Building on October 5. The branch is managed by the St. Louis-based eco-marketing firm MWANZI Company.
Earlex Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.) has named Frank Petersen national sales manager. He will be responsible for sales and marketing in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Petersen also will manage and expand the regional floor care distributor network.
Design Flooring Distributors has added two territory managers: Matthew DeSart and Daniel Puertas. DeSart is the new territory manager in Central Florida, including Orlando, Melbourne and Daytona Beach. Puertas will cover the South Florida market that includes Miami and Fort Lauderdale. In addition, Randy Childress' territory has been extended to Naples and Ft. Myers.
Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.) has appointed Tressa Samdal marketing coordinator. She has more than three years of marketing experience and will assist with product sampling, purchasing, event planning, trade shows and rebate programs.
Finium (Frampton, Quebec) has named Steve Sharko as a sales agent. Sharko has an extensive background in sales, training and technical issues related to the flooring industry. He will service the Midwest and Ontario. Sharko can be reached by phone at 705/687-7324 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Glitsa American Inc. (Seattle, Wash.) has named Cameron DeMar technical representative for its nationwide technical support number.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has predicted the housing market will peak in 2006. The rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are above 6 percent and will likely increase to 6.6 percent in the third quarter of 2006, NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders says. The NAHB has forecasted a decline in housing starts from 2.032 million this year to 1.94 million in 2006 and a further drop to 1.883 million in 2007. The annual production of new housing units is predicted to settle at around 2 million units. Single-family construction is projected to decline from 1.683 million starts this year to 1.590 million in 2006 and 1.533 million in 2007.
Total housing starts increased 3.4 percent for the month of September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.108 million units, according to the Commerce Department. The September construction pace has remained above 2 million units for the sixth month in a row. Single-family home construction rose 2.6 percent to a near-record pace of 1.747 million units for the month, while issuance of total building permits increased 2.4 percent to a seasonably adjusted rate of 2.189 million units. Single-family permits were up 4.4 percent to a record pace of 1.749 million units.
New single-family home sales rose 2.1 percent to a seasonably adjusted annual rate of 1.222 million units in September, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The September 2005 sales pace was .1 percent below the 2004 pace.
According to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), the HMI rose two points in October to 67, returning to the same level it hit in August. The gain marks an end to a three-month trend of downward movement. The indices for current single-family sales and traffic of prospective buyers both edged up a single point, to 73 and 50, respectively, and the index gauging sales expectations in the next six months rose two points to 72.
