Issue Date:6/9/2008
Now, every shipment of imported wood flooring must have a basic declaration stating, among other facts, the species and country of origin. How exactly the law will be enforced beyond that has yet to be determined — the government has 180 days to develop those details. Regardless, it is expected the law will give vital legal backing to organizations already monitoring illegal logging activities abroad. Those organizations can now bring their concerns to the attention of the U.S. government, said Jason Grant, an independent environmental consultant who has worked extensively in the wood flooring industry. "It gives a set of regulatory and enforcement tools to the authorities at the port to seize containers of product and penalize the importers," he said.
The law is expected to push more wood flooring suppliers to ask their foreign manufacturers or lumber suppliers about where the logs are coming from. Industry experts hope that as attention shifts away from solely price, the pressure to cut corners by buying illegal timber will decrease. As a result, prices for imported wood should rise.
"Hopefully, by deterring some of the 'bottom feeders' that are dragging prices down with illegal material, we'll see prices for exotic woods begin to more accurately reflect how precious they really are," said Dan Harrington, director of product development at EcoTimber Inc. (San Rafael, Calif.).
Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.) CEO Don Finkell expects the law to influence the choices manufacturers make about the products they offer. "I think it will change people's long-term plans about what they're doing, and I think it will move people back toward domestic products," he said.
For more on this topic, look for the environmental feature story in the upcoming August/September 2008 issue of Hardwood Floors.
Manufacturer News Armstrong World Industries' (Lancaster, Pa.) won seven Design Journal sponsored ADEX awards for its flooring products. Armstrong's winning designs included Platinum for Bruce's Westchester Engineered Hardwood and silver for Armstrong Hardwood's Global Exotics Collection.
In other company news, the Armstrong Foundation awarded four-year college scholarships to 20 graduating high school seniors in six states. These scholarship winners — all daughters and sons of Armstrong employees — will receive $2,000 annually for four years.
Mohawk Industries (Dalton, Ga.) has named HGTV personality Chip Wade as spokesperson for Mohawk flooring brands. Wade is a carpenter and home remodeling contractor who appears on "Designed to Sell."
Distributor News Derr Flooring Co. (Willow Grove, Pa.) held a Spring Sale & Show in Whippany, N.J., April 15. More than 300 customers attended the show, where 40 manufacturers displayed their newest products.
Importer/Exporter News Mike Gagne, formerly of Goodfellow, has started a new venture, Gagne Global Sourcing Inc. (Kirkland, Quebec), that assists manufacturers entering global markets and helps foreign manufacturers source raw materials. Gagne can be reached at 514/502-7185 or [email protected].
Association News NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association held a Mill Tour May 18-20. Twenty-eight industry professionals took part in the tour, which stopped at Hassell & Hughes Lumber Company (Collinwood, Tenn.); Hasko Machinery (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.); and Cumberland Lumber and Manufacturing (McMinnville, Tenn.). NOFMA is tentatively planning another tour for 2009.
People News Bostik Flooring Group (Middleton, Mass.) has appointed Briggs Sanders territory manager for Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and the Florida panhandle. Sanders formerly worked as Southwest sales manager for Howell Hardwood Flooring.
Basic Coatings (Toledo, Ohio) has named Brad Betz product manager. Betz was previously a Basic Coatings regional manager.
Synteko Floor Finishes (Pontiac, Mich.) has added three manufacturer representatives to its sales force. George Michaud covers eastern Canada and can be reached at 514/568-8847; Jerry Terral of Terral & Associates covers eastern Tennessee and Georgia, and can be reached at [email protected] or 501/868-7999; and Dennis Patria of D-Pat Solutions covers North Carolina and South Carolina, and can be contacted at [email protected] or 910/755-7933.
Mark Your Calendar The NWFA will host an Advanced Intermediate Installation, Sand & Finish School at its training facility in St. Louis Sept. 16-19. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.
Lon Musolf Distributing Inc. (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) is a Product Specialty Sponsor for the Twin Cities Luxury Home Tour. The tour runs on the weekends from June 6-22. For information, visit www.twincitieshometour.net or call Lon Musolf Distributing at 651/484-3020.
By the Numbers Sales of new single-family houses rose 3.3 percent in April to 526,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This follows the downward revision of March's sales from 526,000 to 509,000 units — 11 percent below the revised February reading. The April figure is 42 percent below the April 2007 estimate of 907,000 units.
Job Watch A well-established prefinished solid hardwood flooring manufacturer is looking for an experienced sales manager to cover its U.S. hardwood flooring market. The ideal person will have excellent product and market knowledge and a proven track record. Resumes should be e-mailed to [email protected]. All resumes will be treated confidentially.
Resource Book Reminder for NWFA Members Forms to update your listing in the 2009 Hardwood Floors' Resource Book and NWFA Networking Guide have been mailed. If you don't receive a form by June 13, please contact Pam Walker at [email protected] or 800/722-8764, ext. 117.
NWFA Member Services The NWFA has received two Hermes Awards. The Hermes Awards are an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. The competition is sponsored by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals. There were 4,000 entries from the U.S. and several other countries. The NWFA received an Honorable Mention for its NWFA 2008 school brochure and a Gold Award for its NWFA 2008 convention campaign. Gold Awards are presented to entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry norm. For more information, 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 nwfa.org.
