Issue Date:3/9/2009
FSC-Certified Demand to More Than Triple by 2013 As FSC-certified flooring becomes more affordable, demand for the product is expected to more than triple by 2013, according to a report from the Freedonia Group. Overall, demand for green floor coverings (including bamboo, cork and FSC-certified flooring, along with low-VOC carpeting) is expected to increase 5.6 percent by 2013, according to the report. The report, Green Building Materials, is available for $4,700. For more information, call 440/684-9600, fax 440/646-0484, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.fredoniagroup.com.
NWFA Holds Advanced Installation School The NWFA hosted an Advanced Installation School Feb. 25-27 at its St. Louis headquarters. NWFA Technical Training Director Steve Seabaugh led the instruction, along with volunteer instructors including: Chris Livingston, 3M; Frank Szubart, Bona US; Mike Kearns, Primatech Inc.; Douglas Dreis, Solum Inc.; Mike Summers, UFloor Systems Inc.; and Tony Robison, Washington Wood Floors.
Pollmeier Back to Full Production After a fire destroyed major portions of its manufacturing plant last year, Pollmeier Leimholz GmbH (Rietberg, Germany) is almost back to full production. The company installed a new finishing line and is now installing its flooring production equipment. The company has warehouses in Virginia and Oregon, and it sells directly to some retailers. For more information, call 503/452-5800 or visit www.pollmeier-flooring.com. Canadian inquiries should be directed to Goodfellow Inc. at www.goodfellowinc.com.
Manufacturer News Mohawk Industries announced a fourth quarter loss of $127.6 million, losing $1.87 per share. The company's quarterly sales fell about 18 percent to $1.49 billion from $1.81 billion in the same 2007 period. For the entire year, Mohawk lost $1.46 billion, or $21.32 per share, while its sales fell 10 percent to $6.83 million.
Armstrong World Industries (Lancaster, Pa.), the parent company of Armstrong Hardwood Flooring, announced a fourth quarter loss of $25.5 million, or 46 cents per share. Overall, the company's fourth quarter sales fell about 17 percent to $708 million from $852.4 million in the same 2007 period. Net sales of wood flooring for the quarter topped $124.5 million, down 34 percent from the $188.8 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2007. In all of 2008 the company had $624.6 million in wood floor sales, down from 2007's mark of $791.6 million. In 2008 Armstrong earned about $81 million, or $1.43 per share, while its overall sales decreased by 6 percent.
Joen Ti Industrial International Co. Ltd. (New York City) recently opened a Manhattan office at 363 Seventh Ave., Suite 2100. For more information on the company's Bonito solid flooring, contact Vice President of International Sales Michael Menashi at 914/661-2459, 212/736-1567 (fax) or [email protected]. The company's factory is in Pitou Township, Taiwan.
Superfici America Inc. has moved its operations to Concord, N.C., from Huntersville, N.C. Its new 15,000-square-foot facility is located at 4715 Corporate Drive, Suite 100. The new location has a larger laboratory and service center. For more information, call 704/817-1460.
Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring (Papineauville, Quebec) named Zauss-Godwin Hardwood Flooring Inc. (San Diego) its 2008 U.S. Retailer of the Year for remarkable sales performance of Lauzon products, while Gryphon Hardwood (Calgary, Alberta) was named 2008 Canadian retailer of the year. Also, NRF Distributors Inc. (Augusta, Maine), which serves New England, was named U.S. Distributor of the Year, while TRC Distribution (Calgary, Alberta) was named Canadian Distributor of the Year.
Distributor News Horizon Forest Products (Raleigh, N.C.) held Contractors Breakfasts on Feb. 16-19 presented by Josh Frink, Basic Coatings; and Mark Mukosiej, Powernail Company. More than 80 contractors attended.
BBOSS Global (Buford, Ga.), a supplier of domestic and exotic species from around the world, is seeking strategically positioned distribution partners throughout North America. For more information, contact Jim Fiore, president of U.S. operations, at 770/945.8125 or [email protected], or visit the company's Web site at www.bbossglobal.com.
Dealer/Contractor News Endurance Floor Co. Inc. has moved from Miami to West Park, Fla. Its new mailing address is: 5838 S.W. 25th St., West Park, FL 33023. Its phone and fax numbers have been changed to 954/966-5188 and 954/966-9188, respectively. The company's toll-free number, 800/783-4566, remains the same.
Mohawk Industries named Taylor Flooring (Halifax, Nova Scotia) its 2008 Mohawk ColorCenter North American Dealer of the Year. Taylor Flooring Owner Robert Taylor and General Manager John Wells accepted the award at Mohawk's ColorCenter Convention in Washington, D.C., last month.
People News Mannington Wood Floors (Salem, N.J.) has named Dennis Hrusa strategic accounts manager for wood and porcelain. Hrusa, a 25-year veteran of the floor covering industry, recently worked at Muskoka Hardwood Flooring, a division of Tembec Industries.
Smith & Fong Company (San Francisco) has named Stephen Sandor general manager of Asian operations. Sandor previously held senior management positions with Transfar International, Boyden Global Executive Search, Katy International and was director of commerce for the Indiana State trade offices in Taiwan. Sandor resides in Shanghai.
Bozovich Timber Products (Evergreen, Ala.) has named Doug Montgomery director of its imported hardwood flooring division. Montgomery, formerly of Kentucky Wood Floors, will work out of Louisville, Ky., and can be reached at [email protected] or 251/227-1897. Also, the company has named Jerry Bobo executive of floor sales. Bobo is based in Greensboro, N.C., and can be reached at [email protected] or 336/202-8078.
By the Numbers New single-family home sales fell to a new record low: 309,000 annual units in January, or 10.2 percent below the December rate of 344,000, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The January figure shows a 48.2 percent decline from the January 2008 annual rate of 597,000. The median price of these homes was $201,100, while the average price was $234,600.
Existing single-family home sales fell 4.7 percent to an annual rate of 4.05 million in January from a rate of 4.25 million in December, according to the National Association of Realtors. January's figure is 7.1 percent below the 4.36 million-unit rate of January 2008. The median sales price of these homes was $169,000, down 13.8 percent from a year ago. Overall January home sales were down 5.3 percent, the lowest level in nearly 12 years, falling to 4.49 million from 4.74 million units in December.
Private spending on residential construction was at an annual rate of $292 billion in January, down 2.9 percent from the revised December figure of $300 billion, according to the Commerce Department.
The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which track residential real estate markets in the country's largest major metropolitan areas, declined again in January. The 10- and 20-city composites reached new lows, 19.2 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively. The 20-city composite saw its steepest decline in the index's 20 years.
On the Web Bamboo Flooring Hawaii (Honolulu) has launched a new Web site, www.bambooflooringhawaii.com, with more photos and information about its Tropical Green Flooring collection.
Mark Your Calendar The NWFA will hold a Subfloor Prep & Solid Glue-Down on Concrete school May 13-15 at its headquarters in St. Louis, and an Engineered Glue Down school May 29 in Madeira Beach, Fla. NWFA scholarships are available for all technical schools. For more information, e-mail [email protected], visit www.nwfa.org, or call 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international).
Decorative Flooring (Port Saint Joe, Fla.) is hosting a Custom Installation Class on May 14-16. The cost is $1,495, which includes three nights of lodging and seven meals. Attendees will earn two NWFA credits upon completion of the school. Topics will include wood and brass bending, inlay installation and application, exotics and inlay marketing, Internet sales, and customer relations, among others. Instructors will include Daniel Boone, Joe Boone, Jon Cross, Jim Garth, Bob Goldstein and others.
Job Watch Horizon Forest Products and Long Floor (Richmond, Va.) are seeking candidates to join the companies' sales teams. Resumes highlighting applicable sales experience should be sent to [email protected] (no phone calls, please).
Correction In Hardwood Floors' Feb. 23 E-news, the address of Knight Hardwood Flooring's (Indian Trail, N.C.) new branch should have been: 1220-115 Corporation Parkway, Raleigh, NC 27610.
NWFA Member Services NWFA Certified Professionals (NWFACP) will hold a Wood Flooring Inspection School March 23-26, 2009, at the NWFA's headquarters in St. Louis. The curriculum covers substrates; maintenance; identifying problems and causes; installation, sand and finish methods; and report information gathering and writing. Attendance at the school earns five NWFACP Continuing Certification Units (CCUs). The cost of the school for NWFA members, including lunch each day, is $1,495. Nonmembers can attend for $1,700. The NWFACP's Inspector Certification test will be offered following the school on March 27. The cost for the test is $250 for NWFA members, and $350 for nonmembers. It is not necessary to attend the school to take the test. For more information, contact NWFACP at 866/418-5408 (U.S.) or 636/728-1922 (local and international).
