Issue Date:7/7/2008
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Issue Date:7/7/2008
Columbia Sells McMinnville Manufacturing McMinnville Manufacturing Co. (McMinnville, Tenn.), which was acquired by Columbia Forest Products (Danville, Va.) in March of 2004, has been bought by Preston Millet. Millet owned Millwood Specialty Flooring (Ellijay, Ga.) from 1990 to 2003, when Columbia acquired it. McMinnville will operate as an independent unfinished flooring manufacturer. This is one of the last facilities sold off by Columbia after the company was acquired by Mohawk Industries (Dalton, Ga.) in the third quarter of 2007.
Millet, now president and sole shareholder of McMinnville Manufacturing, says he plans to use simplicity and quality to keep McMinnville strong in the current economic atmosphere. He says most large manufacturers are preoccupied with their prefinished and engineered lines that have saturated the marketplace. "The unfinished flooring market is very viable. I think to have someone that's dedicated to it — that won't be flip-flopping in and out of it based upon how the prefinished sales are — is attractive to customers from a standpoint of reliability and supply," said Millet. "We want to get McMinnville back to where it was with its very significant volume and strong presence in the unfinished market."
The current staff at McMinnville will stay in place, including Mike Millard and Donna Millard as general manager and sales manager, respectively. In addition to its 2¼- and 3¼-inch unfinished flooring, the company will start offering plank flooring, as well.
Rise in Raw Material Costs Causes Price Increases At least three companies have cited the rising cost of raw materials, transportation and energy as reasons for moderate price increases for their hardwood flooring products. Mohawk Industries raised prices 3 to 5 percent on select hardwood products shipped after July 14. Mannington Mills' (Salem, N.J) hardwood flooring price increases take effect August 18, and Armstrong Floors (Lancaster, Pa.) implemented immediate price increases for select Armstrong and Bruce hardwood flooring products.
Manufacturer News Pacific Blue Hardwood Flooring (Gardena, Calif.) is a new manufacturer/importer of exotic wood flooring, with species from Australia and Southeast Asia. The company has already added Tom Duffy Company (Fairfield, Calif.) as a distributor to the Western U.S. and plans to add additional distributors across the U.S. and Canada in 2008 and 2009. Currently, Pacific Blue is selling direct to retailers in California, Arizona, Nevada and British Columbia. For more information, contact Roger Van House at 888/777-7150 or visit www.pacificblueflooring.com.
Mapei Corp. (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) is sponsoring the 2008 World Road Cycling Championship in Varese, Italy, including two riders: Andrea Dovizioso in the MotoGP class and Yuki Takahashi in the 250 cc class. The company is also sponsoring two MotoGP events held in the U.S.: one in Laguna Seca, Calif., July 18-20, and one in Indianapolis September 12-14.
Distributor News Waterlox Coatings Corp. (Cleveland, Ohio) has named Floor Style Products (Hastings Mich.) a distributor.
Floor Service Supply Co. (San Jose, Calif.) is now a distributor in California and Nevada for UFloor Systems Inc. (Greensboro, N.C.).
Gold Coast Flooring Supply (Hicksville, N.Y.) has added 4,000 square feet to its existing showroom to create an 8,000-square-foot state-of-the-art showroom facility.
MPS Enterprises (Eau Claire, Wis.) has opened. The company specializes in providing wood floor distributors nationwide with drum recovery, along with parts and supplies. Don Raether and Jeff Ojibway, both formerly of Revolution Inc., are owner/operators. Raether can be reached at 715/514-0451 or e-mailed at [email protected].
Samy Santa Flooring Depot (Atlanta) kicked off its distribution of Eukula's Strato water-based finish and Lagler Machines on June 24 at its Atlanta location and June 26 at its Charlotte location. This event included demonstrations, a BBQ and a raffle for Lagler sanders. Nikolay Yarmuratiy, owner of Contour Flooring (Dacula, Ga.) and Geraldo Bessa of Bessa Hardwood (Charlotte, N.C.) won Lagler machines. Representatives from Lagler, Eukula USA, Lenmar Inc. and Norton Abrasives attended both events.
Contractor News Everwood Floors Inc. (DeLand, Fla.) has changed its phone number to 386/624-6163 and its fax number to 386/624-6164.
People News Mercier Wood Flooring (Montmagny, Quebec) has appointed Wade Bondrowski sales director, United States. He has worked at Mercier for four years and has 22 years of experience in the hardwood flooring industry.
Clear Lake Living (Spartansburg, Pa.) has chosen Eric Gibson as South territory manager. Gibson will work with independent retailers in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas. He can be reached at [email protected]. The company has also selected Bruce Boulden as national distribution sales manager. He covers all of North America. Boulden can be reached at [email protected].
Dri-Eaz Products (Burlington, Wash.) has named Tom Rochenski national account manager and product specialist for instruments and air movers. He is responsible for distributors in the northeastern United States. Previously, Rochenski was a distribution manager for GE Sensing. He can be reached at 360/333-8507.
On the Web Solid Image Hardwood Floors LLC (Littleton, Colo.) has launched its site at www.solidimagehardwood.com.
Grizzly Forest Products (Joanna, S.C.) has redesigned its site at www.grizzlyforest.com.
Mark Your Calendar The NWFA will hold a Wood Flooring Inspection School at its training facility in St. Louis September 22-25. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.
The Hardwood Flooring Summit, an educational conference featuring 40 hardwood flooring experts as speakers and instructors, will be held August 14-17 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta. For more information, call 877/888-1013, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.woodconference.com.
By the Numbers After a gain in April, sales of new single-family houses fell 2.5 percent in May to 512,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is 40.3 percent below the May 2007 estimate of 857,000 units.
NWFA Member Services Booth selection for the NWFA’s 2009 convention in Long Beach, Calif., April 29-May 2, is now underway. Don't miss your chance to reach the industry's decision makers at the largest convention anywhere dedicated exclusively to wood flooring. Booth selection will be available based on seniority, and notices will be sent identifying the selection process. For more information, visit www.nwfa.org, and click on the NWFA 2009 "Convention" link, or contact the NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international), or by e-mail at [email protected].