Hardwood Floors E-News - 1/21/2008

After 60 years of distributing floor coverings to the Southwest, The Roane Company (Cerritos, Calif.) will close its doors. In a statement posted on its Web site, the company said it "has decided to exit flooring distribution and will cease normal operations" sometime in late January. The company had five branches located in Arizona, California and Nevada. The Cerritos branch will remain open to sell closeout inventory for the next 60 to 90 days. The Tom Duffy Company (Fairfield, Calif.) will become the California, Arizona and Nevada distributor for select Roane product lines effective January 28. Representatives from Roane would not comment beyond what was stated on the company Web site, www.roanefloors.com.

Tough market conditions probably forced the mid-sized distributor out of business, according to Jeff Hamar, president of Roane competitor Galleher Hardwood Co. (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.). "The market has slowed so considerably that smaller and mid-sized players are having a difficult time driving top-line revenue," Hamar said. "I certainly don’t think this will be the last distributor, manufacturer or significant long-term player that’s going to run into difficulty with the hard business conditions today."

More than 40,000 attendees are expected at Surfaces 2008, which will be held in Las Vegas. Seminars start January 29, while the trade show runs January 30-February 1. More than 200 NWFA-member companies will be exhibiting. There will be several hardwood flooring-relevant seminars and installation showcases. Seminars cost $80, while installation showcases are free on the trade show floor. Some presentations include:

Seminars January 29, 9 a.m-noon Understanding, Avoiding and Correcting Moisture-Related Flooring Problems Speaker: Peter Craig, Concrete Constructives

January 30, 8-9:30 a.m. A Practical Approach to the Law for Floor Covering Professionals Speaker: Martin Silver, Martin Silver P.C.

January 30, 4-5:30 p.m. Pre-Installation Forum Speakers: John Wabeke, Arizona Flooring Florensics LLC; Valley Flooring Inspectors; Mickey Moore, NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association; Peter Craig; David M. Gobis.

January 30, 4-5:30 p.m. What Lies Beneath-Selecting, Specifying and Installing Reclaimed Wood Flooring Speakers: Iain Harrison, Pioneer Millworks; Walter Lourie, Thinking Out Loud Designs

January 31, 8-9:30 p.m. Risky Business-Installation Failures with Hardwood Flooring Speaker: Steve Seabaugh, National Wood Flooring Association

January 31, 8-9:30 a.m. How to Survive and Thrive During a Slowing Economy Speakers: TBD

January 31, 4-5:30 p.m. Some Like it Hot!-Radiant Heating for All Types of Flooring Speaker: Joe Kennard

January 31, 8-9:30 a.m. Remodeling ... Nightmare or Slam Dunk Opportunity? Speaker: Deborah Burnett, ASID

February 1, 8-9:30 a.m. Common Causes of Post-Installation Failures Speakers: Jon Namba, WFCA; Karen Mason; and John Moore

Installation Showcases Thursday, January 31, 10-11 a.m. Walking on Art-Faux Painting on Hardwood Floors Presented by: Joe Boone, Wood Floors Online.com Inc.

Friday, February 1, 10-11a.m. Watch Your Step-Custom Transitioning Presented by: Steve Marley, Johnson Premium Hardwood Flooring

Friday, February 1, 1-2 p.m. Name That Tool Presented by: Jon Namba, WFCA

For a complete list of seminars and classes, visit http://www.surfaces.com

NWFA members can stop by the NWFA booth 115 to receive a free lapel pin, while nonmembers can drop in to learn of the benefits of joining the NWFA and receive a free copy of "Ornamental Floors" Technical Manual chapter.

Smith & Fong Company (San Francisco) is counter-suing Teragren LLC (Bainbridge, Wash.) after Teragren filed a patent infringement suit against Smith & Fong November 5 stating Teragren owns exclusive rights to strand bamboo products in the U.S. and Mexico. Smith & Fong filed countersuit on January 3.

Craftco Hardwood Flooring (West Portsmouth, Ohio) has changed its name to US Plank Flooring. The new name is a result of changes in management and financing, the company says. The new phone number is 877/297-5265 and the new fax number is 740/858-6376.

Dura Seal (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) has added the following distributors: National Lumber (Lancaster, N.Y.); Apache Wood Floor Distributors (Homes, N.Y.); Eastside Floor Supplies (New York); Metro Flooring Supplies (Long Branch, N.J.); and Greenwood Floor Service (Junction, Vt.).

Teragren LLC has expanded its distribution domestically and internationally. The R.A. Siegel Company (Atlanta) will cover Georgia and northern Florida. Longust Distributing (Mesa, Ariz.) will cover Arizona, New Mexico, southwestern Colorado, southern Nevada and Southern California. HFF Architectural Finishes (South Africa) will distribute to architects and designers in the Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. Additionally, BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (Atlanta), MacBeath Hardwoods (Berkeley, Calif.), Timber Mountain Hardwoods (Garden Grove, Calif.) and McFadden’s Hardwood and Hardware Inc. (Oakville, Ontario) will distribute to the U.S. or Canada.

Mercier Wood Flooring (Montmagny, Quebec) has selected All State Flooring Distributors Ltd. (Clifton, N.J.) as a distributor for New York and New Jersey.

SeaPort Hardwoods and Flooring (Tualatin, Ore.) has moved to a 30,000-square-foot facility located at 9001 S.E. Lawnfield Road, Clackamas, OR 97015. For more information, contact Dale Bull at 503/885-9039.

Vicki Dryden, vice president of sales and marketing at Galleher Hardwood Co., retired on December 31, 2007, after 30 years in the floor covering industry. Dryden spent 13 years at Galleher, before which she worked at Tarkett and Harris-Tarkett. She also served as secretary of the NWFA. At Galleher, Chris Chilcott is now vice president of sales and Brian Boek is now vice president of marketing.

Mohawk Industries Inc. (Dalton, Ga.) has named Bob Nichols vice president of northeastern sales for the hard surfaces division. He is responsible for managing Mohawk’s Northeast and mid-central regions. He was most recently president of Superior Products Inc. Also, the company has expanded the territory of Rik Born, the vice president of hard surfaces, to include the south central region, in addition to the southeast and north central regions.

Premier Flooring (Anaheim, Calif.) has named Ryan Haltom territory sales representative. He covers Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and southern Los Angeles counties.

ProTeam the Vacuum Company (Boise) has promoted Jacalyn High from marketing project coordinator to marketing manager. The company has also hired Rob Green as director of engineering. He most recently worked for Skil Tools.

UFloor Systems Inc. (Greensboro, N.C.) has appointed Woody Hilscher eastern sales manager. Hilscher has more than 30 years of experience in wood flooring sales and most recently worked at Preverco Inc.

Glitsa American Inc. (Seattle) has added Nace Hentschell as product development and technical services director. Hentschell previously worked for Hardwood Flooring Distributors, a division of Goodfellow, and has almost 30 years of flooring experience. He can be reached at 206/763-2855.

Basic Coatings LLC (Toledo, Ohio) has hired two regional managers. Sharon Smith serves the mid-Atlantic territory from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. She brings six years of wood flooring experience. Arnold Fancher covers the Northeastern region. He has been in the wood flooring industry for almost 11 years.

The NWFA has become a partner with the International Standards and Training Alliance (INSTALL) for a joint wood flooring installation certification. This program allows members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) to award UBC/NWFA Wood Flooring Installation Certification to INSTALL flooring professionals who successfully complete 48 hours of hands-on and classroom training, and a 118-question test. The 20^th Domotex Hannover show posted record-breaking attendance, with 47,000 trade visitors from more than 60 countries, compared with 2007’s 43,538. There were also 1,442 exhibiting companies occupying more than 1 million square feet of display space. NWFA, in alliance with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), had a 150-square-meter pavilion that included NWFA-member exhibitors ArborCraft, Bamboo Flooring Hawaii LLC,  DriTac Adhesive Group, Graf Bros. Flooring, Great Lakes Veneer Inc., Mullican Flooring, Porta Nails Inc., Powernail Company Inc. and RFMS Inc. NWFA plans to have a larger pavilion in 2009 at the Domotex Hannover Show. For more information on next year’s show, visit www.domotex.de.

The NWFA will have a 132-square-meter pavilion at the 2008 Domotex Middle East Dubai show to be held May 25-27. Interested exhibitors should contact Ed Korczak at [email protected] for more information.

The NWFA will hold an Advanced Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish School May 6-9 in Hartford, Conn. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org. Total housing starts for December 2007 were at a seasonally adjusted 1,006,000 units, the lowest rate in 27 years, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is 14.2 percent below the November 2007 figure of 1,173,000 units and 38.2 percent below the December 2006 rate of 1,629,000 units.

The overall National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) rose one point to 19 from a downwardly revised December reading of 18, the lowest rate in more than 12 years. The index gauging current sales conditions remained unchanged at 19, while the index gauging sales expectations for the next six months rose two points to 28. The index gauging traffic of prospective buyers rose one point to 14.

Chickasaw Brand Hardwood Flooring (Memphis, Tenn.) has launched its Web site at www.chickasawbrand.com. A high-end, 27-year-old custom hardwood flooring installation and refinishing business in Northern California is for sale. Its regular customers include city agencies and world-class golf resorts. The customer list and contractor referral base provides much repeat business. For the last several years, gross revenues have exceeded the $1 million mark. The asking price is $175,000. For more information, contact Andy Borges at 408/385-0516. BonaKemi USA (Aurora, Colo.) is seeking a regional contractor consultant in the Chicago area. This position will demonstrate and train contractors using Bona’s products. Ideal candidates will be enthusiastic, self-motivated, organized, goal-oriented and willing to travel 70 percent of the time. Candidates must posses at least two years of sand and finish experience and demonstrate good communication and presentation skills. Interviews will be held in Chicago January 22-23. Résumés should be sent to [email protected].

Bostik Inc. (Middleton, Mass.) is looking for a territory manager. This position is responsible for increasing Bostik sales, as well as representing the company in industry associations, committees, trade shows, group presentations and hands-on product demonstrations. Territories include Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. The position requires 35 to 45 percent travel. The ideal candidate will have five years of proven sales experience, and strong written, verbal and personal communication skills. Résumés should be sent to [email protected] and [email protected].

A general manager is needed for a hardwood flooring manufacturer in the Memphis, Tenn., area. The position requires a proven record of success in flooring management and an entrepreneurial approach to business. A competitive salary including profit sharing and a full benefits package is available to candidates with a college degree and the ability to direct a team. Résumés should be sent to [email protected].

Koetter Woodworking (Borden, Ind.) is looking for two flooring sales representatives and a product manager. One representative will live and work in the eastern U.S. and the other in the western states. The product manager will be responsible for supporting sales and marketing on all flooring product offers and will work out of the Borden facility. For more information, contact Missy Huff, director of human resources, at [email protected].

Steve Sinclair, most recently with Select Flooring Distributors (Overland Park, Kansas) is seeking employment. He has more than 15 years of sales and territory management experience. For more information, e-mail [email protected].

The NWFA will send a group of attendees to the 10th annual Domotex Asia/Chinafloor tradeshow, the largest international floor covering trade show in Asia, to be held in Shanghai, China, March 11-13, 2008. The cost to attend the show is $395 per person, with optional tours offered for an extra fee. In addition to the show, attendees can take part in seminars specifically targeted toward the North American flooring market. These seminars will address concerns about doing business in China; some of the featured topics include quality control, banking and logistics. All meals during the show will be provided, as well as transportation to and from the show. Rooms at the five-star JJ Sofitel Hotel are offered at a rate of less than $200 per night; the deadline for this rate is January 21. Drier Hospitality Group is handling all travel arrangements for the show. For more information, visit www.floordiscovering.com, or contact the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international), by e-mail at [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.