Hardwood Floors E-News - 7/24/2006

 

Wood flooring manufacturer Barlinek SA (Kielce, Poland) has announced plans to open two plants in Eastern Europe-one in Russia and one in Ukraine. They are slated to open in the fall of 2007.

Prestige Enterprise International Inc. (Cincinnati) has received the Governor's Excellence in Exporting Award from Ohio Governor Bob Taft.

The Carlyle Group (Washington, D.C.), a global private equity firm, will invest $27.5 million U.S. dollars in Shanghai Anxin Flooring Co. Ltd. (Shanghai, China), which is launching its new engineered flooring brand, "Weiguang."

John Stern, founder of Kentucky Hardwood Floors (Louisville, Ky.) has left the company after having seen it through its transition following the company's sale to Koetter Woodworking Inc. (Borden, Ind.). Stern led the company for 29 years.

Preverco Inc. (St-Augustin-de-desmaures, Quebec) has hired Mark Stecky as Midwest sales representative. He will develop Preverco's market in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. Stecky most recently worked for Herregan Distributors.

Husky Flooring, div. of CPCL Inc. (Lachute, Quebec) has added Dan Caron to its sales team, covering the eastern United States. Caron, formerly of Canadian Classic Hardwood, brings more than 30 years' flooring experience to the company.

Sherry Yaeger of The Bahr Company (Romeoville, Ill.) is retiring after more than 30 years in the hardwood flooring industry.

The overall National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) declined three points from 42 in June to 39 in July. The other three indices also declined. The index gauging sales expectations for the next six months fell five points to 46, the index measuring current sales of new single-family homes fell four points to 43, and the index measuring traffic of prospective buyers fell two points to 27.

Total housing starts for June 2006 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,486,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is 6.5 percent below the May 2006 figure of 1,590,000 units.

Waterlox Coatings Corp. (Cleveland) has launched its Web site at www.waterlox.com.

NordStar Hardwood Flooring (Portland, Maine) has updated its Web site at www.nordstar.net.

The NWFA, in conjunction with NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association and the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association, will hold a Wood Flooring Basics School September 19-22 at the NWFA training facility in St. Louis. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.

The 2006 China Wood Flooring Export and Import Conference will be held November 8-11 in Shanghai, China. The event addresses issues such as global wood flooring supply, trends, China's impact on global trade, exports and imports, and doing business in China. NWFA Chairman Joe Audino will be a featured speaker at the event, as well as Timm Locke, executive vice president of NOFMA. Together, the two will lead two buyer groups to participate in the conference. For more information, visit www.chinawood.org/english/conference/2006flooring.htm.

The Source Expo, which focuses on stone, tools, machinery and flooring, will exhibit in New York September 8-10, Las Vegas October 19-21 and Miami March 23-25, 2007. The forum includes product showcases and educational seminars. For more information, visit www.sourceexpo.com.

Ecotek Inc. (Chicago) is looking for a sales manager. The person must be a self-starter, have an outgoing personality and be self-motivated. Excellent written, verbal and organizational skills and experience with hardwood flooring are required. Ecotek offers benefits and salary with commission. Résumés should be faxed to 773/745-7700.

Wood Pro Inc. (Orlando, Fla.) is seeking an outside sales representative for its Orlando territory. This position includes salary plus commission, car allowance and benefits. Résumés should be sent by e-mail to Tony Benvenuti at [email protected].

Clarke American Sanders (Springdale, Ark.) is seeking a sander manager for Southern California and the surrounding area. The ideal candidate will have direct sales experience calling on professional sanding contractors and craftsmen dealers, excellent presentation skills to lead sanding schools and product training, floor care knowledge to assist and support customers and the ability to travel 65 percent of the time. Résumés should be mailed to: Clarke, Attn.: Human Resources-SM-WR, 2100 Hwy. 265 S., Springdale, AR 72764; faxed to 479/750-8236; or e-mailed to [email protected].

Powernail Co. (Lake Zurich, Ill.) is seeking a regional sales manager for the Denver area. This territory includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. The qualified candidate will be a self-starter with experience in and knowledge of the wood flooring industry and its distribution system. The job entails increasing sales; building relationships; participating in distributor open houses, shows and seminars; and efficiently managing a large territory. Travel is required 40 to 60 percent of the time. Résumés should be sent to Tom Coates, national sales manager, Powernail Co., 1300 Rose Road, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 or e-mailed to [email protected].

Torlys Inc. (Mississauga, Ontario) is looking for a territory sales representative. The qualified individual will have three to five years' sales experience, some experience in floor coverings, the desire to succeed in a constantly changing industry, excellent communication skills, the willingness to travel, ability to work independently and accountability for performance. Résumés should be sent to Sylvia Mauti, human resources manager, by mail at 1900 Derry Road E., Mississauga, Ontario L5S 1Y6, by e-mail at [email protected], by fax at 905/696-2454 or online at www.torlys.com/careers.

Allwood Import (Portland, Ore.) is looking for a sales assistant. Applicants must be detail-oriented, be able to multi-task, have good personal skills and have two or more years of experience or education in hardwood flooring or another wood products industry. Allwood offers health benefits, paid vacation/time off and simple IRA. Résumés should be sent to [email protected].

In the previous issue of Hardwood Floors E-News, the date for the NWFA Engineered Installation School in Miami should have been listed as September 8. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.

Does your company need to improve its sales? Consider sending your sales crew and managers to the NWFA's Sales Training School September 11-12 at the NWFA's headquarters in St. Louis. Your sales representatives will learn effective strategies to improve their selling processes, increase their prospects, generate more referrals, polish their communication skills and manage their sales more effectively. For more information, visit www.nwfa.org and click on the "Education & Schools" link 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].