Burruss Executives Sentenced to Prison
Two former executives of now-defunct wood flooring manufacturer
The Burruss Company (Lynchburg, Va.), convicted in March 2006 of fraud and embezzlement for defrauding company employees of more than $700,000 in benefits, have been sentenced to prison, according to published media reports.
John Alvis Jackson Jr., the company’s president and CEO from 1989 to 2000, was sentenced to nine years, while
Larry Carey, vice president from 1980 to 2000, received seven years in prison. The Burruss Company declared bankruptcy and shut down unexpectedly in November 2000, displacing more than 700 workers and leaving them with frozen pension plans, unpaid medical bills and no health benefits. A later investigation revealed Jackson and Carey filed inflated lumber inventory reports and falsified invoices to obtain cash advances from Fleet Capital Corp., now part of Bank of America, ultimately causing the bank to lose $17 million. Attorneys said both men plan to appeal their sentences.
NWFA Well Represented at Domotex
NWFA-member companies contributed to the record-breaking success of the Domotex Hannover 2007 tradeshow January 13-16. This conference in Hannover, Germany, attracted 44,000 visitors from more than 100 countries, up slightly from the 2005 numbers of 43,855. There were 1,360 exhibitors in 90,142 square meters of exhibition space. The NWFA had its own pavilion to house
Aacer Flooring LLC,
Porta-Nails Inc.,
Anderson Hardwood Floors,
DriTac Adhesive Group,
Bamboo Flooring Hawaii LLC,
Powernail Company Inc. and
Mullican Flooring.
Surfaces to Feature Hardwood Education
More than 40,000 attendees are expected at Surfaces 2007, which will be held in Las Vegas. Seminars start February 6, while the actual trade show runs February 7-9. More than 200 NWFA members will be exhibiting. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear hardwood flooring professionals speak in several seminars and demonstrations, including:
Seminars February 6, 9 a.m. to noon ($85) Moisture Mitigation Speaker: Peter Craig, Concrete Constructives February 6, 2-5 p.m. ($85) Selling Hardwood Flooring Speakers: Richard Poirier, Dimension International; Steve Seabaugh, NWFA February 7, 4-5:30 p.m. ($80) Specifying Reclaimed Wood Flooring Speaker: Deborah Berry, Mountain Lumber Company February 9, 2007 8-9:30 a.m. ($80) Common Causes of Post-Installation Failures Speakers: Claudia Lezell, Inspections Too Inc.; Jon Namba, Certified Floorcovering Installer Association Inc.; Steve Seabaugh, NWFA. Installation Showcases (Free) February 8, 10-11 a.m. Stone and Hardwood Medallions Speaker: Steve Marley, Johnson Premium Hardwood Flooring February 9, 10-11 a.m. Fabricating Steps with Hardwood Speaker: Steve Marley, Johnson Premium Hardwood Flooring February 9, 1-2 p.m. Moisture Testing in Concrete Speaker: Jon Namba, Certified Floorcovering Installer Association Inc.
A complete list of seminars and other educational opportunities can be found at
www.surfaces.com.
Manufacturer News
Grizzly Forest Products (Joanna, S.C.) has acquired
Curtis Heart Pine (Beaufort, S.C.). All inquiries, orders and invoices will be handled from Grizzly’s main office in Joanna. For more information, call Dave or Tom at 864/697-4316 or e-mail
[email protected].
Augusta Lumber Co. (Waynesboro, Va.) and its affiliates have been recapitalized by private-equity firm H.I.G. Capital (Miami). H.I.G. will serve as Augusta’s partner and invest in the company in order to grow it, according to Mitch Carr, CEO of Augusta.
Distributor News
Finmac Lumber Limited (Winnipeg, Manitoba) has obtained the western Canada distributorship for Ready Step, which is made by
Defehr Furniture (Winnipeg). Ready Step is a premanufactured prefinished or unfinished stair-tread system.
Retailer News
DeSitter Flooring Inc. (Bolingbrook, Ill.) has received the Chicago Floorcovering Association’s Retailer of the Year Award for 2006.
People News
Johnson Premium Hardwood Flooring (City of Industry, Calif.) has appointed
Bill Schollmeyer vice president and
Steve Marley technical director. Schollmeyer is responsible for establishing and growing distributor relations. He comes to the company from Hoboken Floors, where he served as vice president. Marley is responsible for quality control and overseeing technical issues. Marley formerly was owner of wood flooring contracting company
Cal Coast Hardwood Flooring (Simi Valley, Calif.).
Basic Coatings Inc. (Toledo, Ohio) has promoted Rob Johnson to national training manager. Johnson has more than 32 years of experience in the wood flooring industry and has trained wood flooring professionals for more than 25 years.
Chemque Inc. (Rexdale, Ontario) has appointed Mark Long to work in sales and technical support of the company’s Fortane adhesives and moisture vapor membrane. Long has 30 years of wood flooring experience and is based in Memphis, Tenn. He can be contacted by phone at 901/581-5944 or 888/268-6111, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Erickson’s Flooring & Supply (Ferndale, Mich.) has promoted Jeff Snodgrass to account manager for central and southern Indiana. Snodgrass previously worked as branch specialist out of the company’s Indianapolis branch. He can be reached at 800/225-9663 or [email protected].
Floor & Décor Outlets of America (Kennesaw, Ga.) has named Clif Denney senior vice president and chief merchandise officer.
By the Numbers
Total housing starts for December 2006 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,230,000 units, according to the
U.S. Commerce Department. This is 4.1 percent below the November 2006 figure of 1,282,000 units.
Mark Your Calendar
The NWFA will hold an Intermediate Installation, Sand and Finish School March 6-8 in San Francisco. For more information, e-mail
[email protected] or visit
www.nwfa.org.
BonaKemi USA (Aurora, Colo.) will offer its 2007 training classes for hardwood flooring professionals at its training facility in Monroe, N.C. The dates are February 27-March 2, July 10-13, August 7-10, October 16-19 and November 13-16. A beginners-only class will be held June 4-8. For more information, contact Betty Jo Hargrave at 800/872-5515 or [email protected].
Basic Coatings Inc. will offer Basic Pro Schools at its 7,500-square-foot training facility in Toledo March 12-15, June 4-7, July 30-August 2 and October 15-18. For more information, contact Kellie Smithson at 800/441-1934, ext. 3798.
The International Wood Products Association will hold its 51st Annual Convention March 28-30 at Loew’s Coronado Bay in San Diego, Calif. For more information, visit www.iwpawood.org/convention.asp.
Job Watch
An industry veteran is looking for a hardwood flooring manufacturer management position in the Midwest/Central U.S. This person has established knowledge of distribution and hardwood flooring markets and has references available upon request. For more information, e-mail
[email protected].
Appalachian Flooring Ltd. (Cowansville, Quebec) is looking for an independent manufacturer sales representative to promote and sell its line of prefinished hardwood floors for the West Coast and Midwest. Résumés can be e-mailed to [email protected] or faxed to 450/266-5343.
Beijing Rich Minmetals Co. Ltd. (Beijing) is looking for an experienced U.S. sales manager. The ideal candidate will be energetic and honest with good organizational and communication skills. This position requires three to five years of experience in the wood flooring industry. The company offers salary plus commission. For more information, contact Chen Kangmin at [email protected].
Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc. (Troy, Mich.), manufacturer of Synteko Floor Finishes, has an opening for senior sales and marketing manager at its Troy location. The qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in sales, marketing or related field with a minimum of five years of management and sales experience. Travel is required.
Akzo Nobel Coatings is also seeking a new account manager for the Southwest from California to Texas. The qualifications include a high school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of five years sales experience, with three years related to after-market floor finishes preferred. Travel is required. Résumés should be faxed to 248/649-6529 or mailed to Akzo Nobel Decorative Coatings, Attn.: HR, 1845 Maxwell St., Troy, MI 48084.
NWFA Member Services
February 1 is the deadline to enter the NWFA Wood Floor of the Year Contest. Awards will be presented during the NWFA Annual Convention in Denver on Wednesday, April 11. The Wood Floor of the Year Contest recognizes the best wood flooring installations in 10 categories, including Best Kitchen/Dining Room, Best Living Room/Family Room, Best Library/Office, Best Bedroom, Best Entry/Foyer, Best Commercial/Showroom, Best Restoration, Best Factory-Finished, Best Limited Species and Best Reclaimed. Entries will be limited to three per entrant, with individual floors eligible for one category only. Specific criteria for each category are available online at
www.nwfa.org; click on the "Wood Floor of the Year Contest" link under "Convention and Expo." Each entry must include three items: a completed entry form, one 8-by-10-inch color photo and one color CD (minimum 300 dpi) of the photograph submitted. NWFA members will judge the contest online during March. There will be no on-site voting at the convention. No extensions will be granted. For more information, 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].