Itochu Buys Galleher
The
Itochu Group (Tokyo) has purchased floor covering distributor
Galleher Inc. (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) for an undisclosed amount. Itochu is a "general trading company" that had more than $18 billion in revenue in 2006. The acquisition gives Itochu a platform for U.S.-based hard surface flooring distribution. Galleher will operate as a subsidiary within Itochu, and its fundamental business model will remain the same, the company says. All management members, including
Jeff Hamar - who will continue to serve as president of the company -
Todd Hamar,
Vicki Dryden and
Raymond Iodice, will remain with the business in their current capacities. "We’ll just be stronger and better and faster at responding to opportunities that take place in the market," Hamer says, adding, "[Itochu] is a great group of people. They’re just exceptionally good at distribution and trading activities. So we will not only gain from their expertise in those areas, but we now have an enormous financial platform from which we can really grow in the future." Galleher had sales in excess of $115 million in 2006.
Exhibitors Find Success at Surfaces 2007
Although preliminary figures weren’t available at press time, most exhibitors at Surfaces 2007, held Feb 7-9 in Las Vegas, felt the show was another success. There were more than 1,000 exhibiting companies, including 220 NWFA members. "We were very busy ... I found that it was probably the best show I’ve been to," said
Mike Gagne, vice president of flooring for Delson, Quebec-based
Goodfellow Inc. Andreaz Renz, operations manager of Greensboro, N.C.-based flooring installation system manufacturer
UFloor Systems Inc., concurred. "It was a successful show for us, especially since this was the first time UFloor attended Surfaces," Renz said. "I’ve heard some people say the traffic was slower, but that didn’t affect us at all," said
Luc Robitaille of St-Georges, Quebec-based
Mirage/Boa-Franc, adding, "We were busier this year than any other." Surfaces 2008 will be held January 30-February 1.
Manufacturer News
3M (St. Paul, Minn.), in conjunction with
Clarke American Sanders (Springdale, Ark.) and
Dura Seal ( Upper Saddle River, N.J. ), held a Sand & Finish seminar in Dallas January 16-18. Twenty-six students attended the school.
Columbia Flooring (Danville, Va.) has received Laura Ashley Inc.’s (Fort Mills, S.C.) Best Marketing Award for the work it has done marketing its line of Laura Ashley brand hardwood flooring through merchandising, print and online venues.
Oshkosh Designs Inc. (Winneconne, Wis.) has received three awards from the Awards for Design Excellence (ADEX), which is sponsored by Design Journal. Oshkosh was rewarded the Platinum Award for its Compassion medallion, the Gold Award for its Sophistication medallion and the Silver Award for its Compassion border.
Luxscan Technologies Inc. (Troutman, N.C.), manufacturer of scanners for ripping, cross-cutting and color sorting, will hold its third annual open house April 19-21. For more information, call 704/528-7313 or e-mail [email protected].
Murphy Oil Soap (East Rutherford, N.J.) is giving away free roundtrip airfare for two to the NWFA Convention in Denver April 10-13, along with hotel accommodations and $1,000 in cash. To enter, visit www.murphyoilsoap.com or send a 3-by-5-inch plain note card with name, complete address, e-mail address and date of birth to Murphy Oil Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 7640, East Rutherford, NJ 07073-7640. The entry deadline is March 12.
Dri-Eaz Products Inc. (Burlington, Wash.) is offering new classes on restorative drying. For more information, visit www.dri-eaz.com/education/completeschedule.html.
Distributor News
Teragren Bamboo Flooring, Panels & Veneer (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) has selected
Elias Wilf Corp. (Owings Mills, Md.),
Lamwood Products Ltd. ( Rexdale, Ontario ) and
Floor to Ceiling (Burnsville, Minn.) as distributors.
Delmhorst Instrument Co. (Towaco, N.J.) has named Taylor Tools (Denver) distributor of all its products.
Garco Clear Finishes (North Brunswick, N.J.) has added the following distributors: Baltimore Floor Works (Westminster, Md.); Accent Floor Supply (Middle Island, N.Y.); Hylan Supply (Staten Island, N.Y.); and Schule Paint Supply (Buffalo, N.Y.).
Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring (Papineauville, Quebec) has named Coast to Coast Flooring Distributors (Oldsmar, Fla.) its 2006 U.S. Distributor of the Year, and TRC Distribution (Calgary, Alberta) its 2006 North American Distributor of the Year.
Mirage/Boa-Franc (Saint-Georges, Quebec) recognized two distributors with its annual Spirit Awards at a ceremony in Las Vegas February 7. The Bahr Co. (Romeoville, Ill.) won the company’s President’s Award for Sales Growth and Alberta Hardwood Flooring (Calgary, Alberta) won its Golden Growth Award.
The Roane Company Inc. (Cerritos, Calif.) is celebrating its 60th anniversary with various promotions and travel incentives. For more information, visit www.roanefloors.com or call 800/273-6499.
Retailer News
Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring has named
International Wood Floors Inc. (Sarasota, Fla.) U.S. Retailer of the Year and
Gryphon Hardwood Floors (Calgary, Alberta) Retailer of the Year for Canada.
People News
Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring has inducted five salespeople into its Million Dollar Club, including
Jeffrey Hogg,
Coast to Coast Flooring Distributors;
Richard Cady,
NRF Distributors;
Brandon Spearman,
TRC Distribution;
Marc Linde,
TRC Distribution; and
Scott Boese,
TRC Distribution. The company has also named
D.C. Mangimelli its Top Achiever for 2006.
Richard Marshall Fine Flooring Inc. (Los Angeles) has added two account executives: Sian Thompson and Adam Gross.
BonaKemi USA’s (Aurora, Colo.) Quality Assurance Manager Dan Snipes has received recognition as certified manager of quality/organizational excellence by the American Society for Quality.
Munters Moisture Control Services (Glendale Heights, Ill.) has appointed Russ Brown national sales manager-construction services, and Russell Spotten national sales manager-surface preparation and coating applications.
North Pacific (Okemos, Mich.) has named Chantell Fiscus territory sales manager for its Indiana market.
By the Numbers
Total housing starts for January 2007 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,408,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is 14.3 percent below the December 2006 figure of 1,643,000 units. Total housing starts for 2006 were at an estimated 1.801 million units, 12.9 percent less than the 2.068 million housing starts reported in 2005.
New residential sales of single-family houses were down 16.4 percent in 2006, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. "The downward movements in sales and starts were even deeper in 2006 than expected," said NAHB Chief Economist
David Seiders, speaking at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando February 7-10. Seiders said that the downturn was inevitable following the unsustainable boom years in 2004 and 2005.
NAHB projects that housing sales in 2007 will decline 1.3 percent, while 2007 single-family housing starts are projected to decline 15 percent to 1,256 million.
On the Web
Mirage/Boa-Franc has updated its Web site at
www.boa-franc.com.
Mark Your Calendar
The NWFA will hold a Wood Flooring Inspection School at its expanded training facility in St. Louis March 26-30. For more information, e-mail
[email protected] or visit
www.nwfa.org.
Secure your place in the Golf and Ski Outings for the NWFA Convention in Denver by making your reservations now. The golf tournament will take place Tuesday, April 10, at the Arrowhead Golf Club. The entry fee is $150 per person and includes transportation, greens fees, golf cart, lunch and a gift bag. The ski outing will be held Tuesday, April 10, at Loveland Ski Area. The registration fee is $150 per person and includes transportation, discount lift tickets and either ski, boot and pole rentals, or snowboard and boot rentals. For more information, visit www.nwfa.org and click on the "Convention and Expo" link.
DomotexAsia - which will be held March 28-30 in Shanghai, China - will host a three-party flooring industry summit March 30. The China National Forest Products Industry Association, National Wood Flooring Association and European Federation of Parquet Importers will discuss Chinese and international flooring markets, as well as trends to enhance communication in the industry. NWFA former Chairman of the Board Wayne Cotton of Design Flooring Distributors Inc. (Pompano Beach, Fla.) will represent the NWFA.
Job Watch
Birch Creek Millwork Inc. (Terreton, Idaho) is seeking a regional sales representative to cover Colorado and Utah. The job requires a positive outlook and outgoing personality, plus five years’ experience in sales, with at least two of those years in the wood flooring industry. A résumé with cover letter should be sent to
[email protected].
In Memoriam
Joyce Wilkins, NWFA receptionist, died suddenly on February 6. She had been with the NWFA for eight years and was the "voice" of the association. "Joyce was the first person to greet anyone who called or visited the NWFA, and she did it with a smile. Her warm, outgoing personality won her many friends in the industry, and she will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved her," said NWFA Executive Director/CEO
Ed Korczak.
Keep on Trucking!
Hardwood Floors is looking for photos of your company vans, trucks or trailers for its June/July 2007 dealer/contractor marketing contest. A professional branding expert will pick the best one, the winner will receive a
Hardwood Floors T-shirt, and a photo of the winning vehicle will appear in the magazine. The deadline for submitting a photo of your company vehicle is Friday, March 9. If you are a hardwood flooring dealer or contractor and think you have a great company van, truck or trailer, mail a photo of your vehicle (printed copies only, please - no digital files) to: Company Vehicles, Hardwood Floors, 4130 Lien Road, Madison, WI 53704.
NWFA Member Services
The NWFA’s latest Contractor Profit Report, "Slow but Steady Wins the Race," demonstrates how establishing a five-year plan toward increasing profits can have a big impact on a company’s bottom line. In one example, author Al Bates shows how even slight reductions in the cost of goods sold and expenses could result in a $67,500 additional profit per year. A copy of the report is available online at
www.nwfa.org. 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].