Issue Date:5/1/2006
NWFA Convention Hits a Home Run
The NWFA held its record-breaking 21st annual Convention in Baltimore April 26-29.
"This is the largest show the NWFA has seen yet," says Ed Korczak, NWFA executive director and CEO. "Almost all of the educational sessions were entirely packed. It's nice to see people here expanding their craft and their profits."
A record-breaking 4,500 wood flooring professionals attended the show, which is the largest convention in the world dedicated exclusively to hardwood flooring. The number of exhibiting companies also set a record, at 342 in 596 booths. "It's been a very good, very busy show," said exhibitor John Goss of Woodwise/Design Hardwood Products (Redmond, Wash.). "There was a lot of traffic and a lot of inquiries."
The keynote speaker of the convention was legendary baseball player Cal Ripken Jr., who kicked things off with his presentation "Keys to Success: The Ripken Way." In addition to the educational seminars and technical demonstrations now synonymous with the NWFA convention, the 2006 show also featured the Xtreme Makeover Competition. This competition gave four teams eight hours to transform an 8-by-8-foot panel into a work of art using only the on-site materials provided. The first place team, which included Sprigg Lynn and Shawn Gorman of Universal Floors (Washington, D.C.) and Bob Humphreys of Majestic Wood Floors (Frederick, Md.), donated its $1,500 in prize money back to the NWFA Technical School Scholarship Program. The Closing Theme Party took place on April 29 at Oriole Park in Camden Yards, where convention attendees saw the Baltimore Orioles take on the Seattle Mariners.
Denver, Colo., will be the host city for next year's NWFA Convention April 11-14.
Powernail Doubles Scholarship Fund
At the convention,
Tom Anstett of
Powernail Company (Lake Zurich, Ill.) announced an addition to the company's NWFA Scholarship fund. To honor his father and Powernail founder
Carl Anstett, who passed away in February Powernail has added $50,000 to the fund for the NWFA Technical Schools previously established in memory of Tom's uncle,
Edgar Anstett. The scholarship is now entitled the Edgar & Carl Anstett Powernail Scholarship.
New NWFA Leadership Announced in Baltimore
Three NWFA members were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Directors:
Jim Gray of
Floor Style Products Inc. (Hastings, Mich.) was elected to his first three-year term as a director;
Neil Poland of
Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.) was re-elected to a three-year term as Secretary; and
Ken Schumacher of
Schumacher and Company (Newport, Ky.) was re-elected to a three-year term as Vice Chairman. Executive Committee Board members who are mid-term include
Joe Audino of
Rode Brothers Floors (Las Vegas) as Chairman;
Rick Holden of
Derr Flooring Company (Willow Grove, Penn.) as Treasurer; and
Wayne Cotton of
Design Flooring Distributors (Pompano Beach, Fla.) as Immediate Past Chairman. Directors who are mid-term include
Tom Anstett of
Powernail Company (Lake Zurich, Ill.);
Bill Costello of
Dura Seal (Olive Branch, Miss.);
Don Finkell of
Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.);
Galen Fitzel of
3M (St. Paul, Minn.);
Leonard Hall of
Endurance Floor Company (Miami);
Donna Millard of
Columbia Flooring (Ellijay, Ga.);
Glen Miller of
Preverco (Etobicoke, Ontario);
Yvette Monroe of
R&R Hardwood (Boise, Idaho);
Barry Nelson, consultant (Maple Grove, Minn.); and
Terry O'Neill of
TRC Distribution (Calgary, Alberta).
John Blesing of
Blesing's Flooring (Clifton, N.J.) and
Kevin Mullany of
Benchmark Wood Floors (Cedar Crest, N.M.) were elected to an additional one-year term as Ex-Officio Directors.
Neil Moss of
Armstrong Floor Products (Lancaster, Pa.) is leaving the board as a director due to his planned retirement from Armstrong.
Contractors Honored with Wood Floor of the Year Awards
Winners of this year's Wood Floor of the Year Awards were announced in the last hour of the Wood Flooring Expo on April 28. There were 156 entries in this year's competition, which featured 10 categories. NWFA members selected the winners for each award by voting online prior to the show or during the Wood Flooring Expo in Baltimore. Winners included:
Best Kitchen/Dining Room: Nicholson Flooring Company (Greensboro, N.C.) Best Living Room/Family Room: The Sherwood Flooring (Toronto) Best Library/Office: Johnson Yarema Hardwood Floors (Troy, Mich.) Best Bedroom: Diamond Flooring (Elizabethtown, Ky.) Best Entry/Foyer: The Sherwood Flooring Best Commercial/Showroom: Johnson Yarema Hardwood Floors Best Restoration: Legendary Hardwood Floors (Terre Haute, Ind.) Best Factory-Finished: Scheller Hardwood Floors (Lemoyne, Pa.) Best Limited Species: New Detroit Design Studio (Ray, Mich.) Best Reclaimed: Birger Juell Ltd. (Chicago)
Degrees and Awards Presented at Convention
In 2005, 68 NWFA members earned degrees. At the show in Baltimore, those receiving Craftsman Degrees (for professional wood flooring education) included
Lisa Burton,
John Dailey,
Kathy Goering,
Tom Goering,
Vance Hough Jr.,
Bob Humphreys,
Robert Kilchenstein,
John Lessick,
Jamie Lupresto,
Reed Maddray,
Nick Motto,
Robert Morrow,
John Mullen,
Tommy Nicholson,
James Prentice,
Chris Pryjomski,
Daniel Racareanu,
Mark Scheller,
Frank Szubart and
Matt White.
Those receiving the Master Craftsman Degrees at the show (for advanced knowledge and demonstrated wood flooring skills) included Joe Boone Jr., Michael Dittmer, Shawn Gorman, Ron Hendricks, Ricardo Pairazaman and Brent Sorbet.
Wood flooring professionals at the show who earned the Advanced Master Degree (for further advanced knowledge and demonstrated wood flooring skills) included Chuck Crispin, Rob Johnson and Todd Schutte.
Honored with the Vanguard Degree at the convention (for leadership and service to the industry) were Joe Audino, Alan Blake, Leonard Chapman, Carol Goodwin, Jim Gray, Rick Holden, Rick Jones, Stan Lawson, Steve Marley, Jon Namba, Terry O'Neill, Charles Peterson, Dave Posey, Jim Schumacher and Karl Stafflinger.
And, wood flooring professionals who received the Ambassador Degree at the show (for those who have earned the Vanguard Degree and continue to serve the industry) included John Blesing, Woody Hilscher, Sprigg Lynn, Donna Millard and Kevin Mullany.
NWFA Membership Sets Record
As of the time of the show, the NWFA membership exceeded 3,800 member companies for the first time. These companies can be found in all 50 of the United States, as well as 53 companies throughout the world.
Manufacturer News
Oshkosh Designs (Winneconne, Wis.) has won the Award for Design Excellence (ADEX) for three of its inlay products. The Ashanti stone and metal inlay won the platinum award, the Del Sol exotic wood inlay won the gold award, and Devotion, an inlay made of stone and colored glass, won the silver award. All three pieces, created in conjunction with designer
Eli Olivarez, are part of Oshkosh Designs' signature collections.
Distributor News
Award Hardwood Floors LLP (Wausau, Wis.) has recognized six elite distributors. These companies either performed at or exceeded 2005 goals and objectives. These distributors included
Butler Johnson Corporation (San Jose, Calif.);
G.E. Shnier Co. Ltd. (Brampton, Ontario);
Golden State Flooring (South San Francisco, Calif.);
J.J. Haines & Co. (Glen Burnie, Md.);
The Roane Company (Cerritos, Calif.); and
Wood Floor Distributors (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.).
People News
Heart of the South Wood Products (Sapphire, N.C.), which specializes in heart pine flooring, has appointed
Tina Boone sales manager. Boone has 30 years' experience in the flooring industry.
Association News
The International Wood Products Association (IWPA) held its record-breaking 50th Annual World of Wood Convention April 5-7. More than 350 attendees representing 20 countries convened in Tucson, Ariz., to discuss the global and economic forecast for wood products.
Wayne Cotton, president of
Design Flooring Distributors Inc. and past president of the NWFA, lectured on the market conditions for solid, engineered, exotic and domestic wood flooring. The 2007 convention will be held March 28-30 in San Diego, Calif. For more information, contact
Mike Burita at
[email protected].
By the Numbers
Housing starts in March for single-family homes were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 1,591,000, according to the
U.S. Department of Commerce. This is 12 percent below the February rate of 1,807,000 units.
The overall April 2006 National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) declined four points from 54 to 50. The three other components also declined. The component measuring current single-family sales dropped the most, from 59 in March to 54 in April. The component for sales expectations for the next six months declined four points to 58, and the component gauging traffic of prospective buyers dropped one point to 39.
Mark Your Calendar
The NWFA will hold an Intermediate Installation, Sand & Finish School in Cincinnati at the Sharonville Convention Center June 7-9. For more information, e-mail
[email protected] or visit
https://nwfa.org/.
4th Generation Systems (Chicago), which provides sales enhancement systems to distributors, will introduce a nine-month training program called "Driving Sales Beyond" June 7-8 in Chicago. This system focuses sales efforts on helping customers reduce costs, boost productivity and improve profitability. For more information, visit http://www.4thgenerationsystems.com.
Job Watch
Wood Pro Inc. (Auburn, Mass.) is seeking two candidates to fill outside sales positions for its Orlando, Fla., and Macon, Ga., facilities. Applicants must have experience calling on floor covering dealers. Resumes should be sent to
Tony Benvenuti at
[email protected].
New Beginnings Authentic Floors (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) is seeking a sales associate. The candidate must have knowledge of the wood flooring industry, as well as sales experience, proficient PC skills and the ability to perform detailed administrative duties and provide excellent customer service. This position'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 sent to [email protected]. For more information, contact Jim Eckes at 877/844-4448.
NWFA Member Services
Do you have a job opening? Do you need a job? Check out the NWFA's classified ad section at
https://nwfa.org/. Wood flooring professionals from all over the world can see all the postings available, while NWFA members can post a job opening or a job wanted. The service is free. For more information, visit
https://nwfa.org/ and click on the "Classified Ads" link under "Member Networking," or contact the NWFA by phone at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international) or by e-mail at
[email protected].