Issue Date:2/8/2010
Q.E.P. Acquires Arborcraft Q.E.P. (Boca Raton, Fla.) has acquired assets and certain liabilities of ArborCraft LLC (Johnson City, Tenn.) for an undisclosed price, according to a release. ArborCraft employs approximately 190 people operating out of three facilities located in Johnson City, Tenn., and Montpelier, Ind. Q.E.P. is a worldwide manufacturer, marketer and distributor of flooring tools and home improvement accessories. Q.E.P. Senior Vice President and CFO Richard Brooke said "substantially all" of Arborcraft's employees will retain their jobs moving forward. "Q.E.P. is in the flooring business for the long term and is a profitable, growth-oriented company that will support and drive ArborCraft's growth plans," said Wendy McIlquham, vice president of marketing for Arborcraft.Reviews on Surfaces 2010 Mixed About 651 companies exhibited at Surfaces 2010, held Feb. 1-4, down from last year's 700 exhibitors. Attendance figures were not available at press time, and reactions from exhibitors were mixed as to how the numbers this year compared with last year. Anderson Hardwood Floors Inc. CEO and NWFA Chairman Don Finkell described the mood at the show as "cautiously optimistic." The 2009 show attracted 23,686 attendees, a large drop from the 34,540 who attended in 2008. Surfaces 2011 will move to a new location in Las Vegas — Mandalay Bay — and be held on Jan. 26-28.
Manufacturer News Armstrong World Industries Inc. (Lancaster, Pa.) will lay off 260 workers at its Oneida, Tenn., hardwood flooring plant and 60 at its Center, Texas, plant effective April 9, according to a report in Lancasteronline.com. Armstrong corporate spokesperson Beth A. Riley was quoted as calling the layoffs a "last resort" that is necessary due to the lack of demand in the residential market. A report in Knoxvillebiz.com said that at the Oneida location (formerly a Hartco plant) the strip mill, finish line and yard operations will cease operating, while the parquet, floor care, chemical plant and warehousing operations will continue.
Finium US (Erlanger, Ky.) has opened a branch in Erlanger, Ky., where it will produce its color match system for moldings and treads; the company is able to deliver to anywhere in the U.S. Ken Schumacher, a 35-year veteran of the hardwood flooring industry, will oversee the plant. For more information, contact Schumacher at 859/372-3000 or [email protected].
Green River-American Hardwood has relocated its headquarters to Oswego, N.Y. Also, the prefinished and solid hardwood flooring manufacturer recently opened the Green River-Delta Flooring mill in Lee Center, N.Y. The company is now vertically integrated and can do custom milling.
Warmboard Radiant Subfloor (Aptos, Calif.) has added complete heat loss and mechanical design services to its product line. The new services will provide customers with designs and specifications for building a complete radiant heating system that maximizes efficiency and comfort.
Smith & Fong Company (San Francisco) has received FloorScore Certification for its PlybooPure bamboo flooring products. Flooring products with the FloorScore seal have been independently tested and certified to comply with the VOC criteria of the California Section 01350 standard for sustainable buildings.
MAPEI Corporation (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) has supplied organizers of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics with products for concrete restoration, surface preparation, waterproofing and flooring installation at six Vancouver venues.
Distributor News Marlin Lumber Sales Corp. (Albertson, N.Y.) has received FSC Chain of Custody Certification.
Erickson's Flooring & Supply (Ferndale, Mi.) is now a distributor of Basic Coatings' (Toledo, Ohio) TyKote Dustfree Refinishing System, StreetShoe and Emulsion finish, and its Dirt Dragon cleaning and prep machine in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. For more information, contact Erickson's at 866/541-9663 or visit www.ericksonsfloors.com.
Dealer News Costen Floors Inc. (Richmond, Va.) was named Best Flooring Selection Center by Richmond Magazine; the company's showroom is located at 9840 Mayland Drive.
People News Chuck Hall has been named vice president of sales at DriTac Flooring Products LLC (Clifton, N.J.). Hall has been with DriTac for six years, first joining the company as national sales manager.
At Satin Finish Hardwood Flooring Ltd. (Toronto), Shawn Mirsky, a 17-year industry veteran, has been named architectural and design specialist; he most recently worked with Stevens Omni Inc. Melis Unsal, who has previously worked with Red Bull and Procter & Gamble, has been named marketing coordinator. Kelly Williamson, a 13-year building industry veteran, has been named builder specialist. And Jason Todd, with 12 years' experience and having previously worked with Torlys, has been named territory manager of areas east of Ontario's Highway 12, including Ottawa.
By the Numbers
On the Web Kellogg Hardwoods Inc. (Bethel, Conn.) has added a blog to its Web site; the blog can be found at www.kellogghardwoods.com/blog.Tradeshow News About 40,000 flooring professionals — 12 percent more than last year — from 70 nations attended Domotex Hannover 2010, held Jan. 16-19 in Hannover, Germany. Approximately 1,395 companies displayed products during the event-higher than last year's approximate total of 1,350. The NWFA again had its own pavilion, along with member companies Wagner Electronic Products Inc. (Rogue River, Ore.), Graf Brothers Flooring Inc. (South Shore, Ky.), Great Lakes Veneer Inc. (Marion, Wis.), Diversified Foam Products (Pennsauken, N.J.), Powernail Company Inc. (Lake Zurich, Ill.), Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.), Shamrock Plank Flooring (Memphis, Tenn.), Teak & Woods of Distinction (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.), Robinson Lumber & Flooring (New Orleans) and W.D. Flooring (Laona, Wis.).
In Memoriam Claude Taylor, a longtime fixture in the hardwood flooring industry, passed away on Jan. 24 after a short illness. Taylor started in the wood flooring industry in 1949 working for E.L. Bruce Company and later was a longtime director of sales for Memphis Hardwood Flooring Company. He was a member of the NWFA's first Board of Directors and was very involved in writing and editing many of the early materials NWFA produced. "He was a staunch supporter of NWFA from the very beginning and a good friend to the association," said Bonnie Holmes, who was the NWFA executive director in those early years. "Claude possessed tremendous knowledge in all aspects of hardwood flooring ... he was very generous in sharing his knowledge in publications and with the NWFA and NOFMA. His contributions have benefited all of us," said Jim Duke, who worked with Taylor at Memphis Hardwood. Taylor retired from Memphis Hardwood in 1995 and was inducted into the NWFA Hall of Fame in 2003. The family requests that memorials be sent to the charity of your choice.
Job Watch Fred Schaarschmidt is seeking a sales or management position in the hardwood flooring industry. Schaarschmidt has more than 20 years' experience as an account and branch manager in the wholesale distribution of prefinished and unfinished flooring and supplies. He is currently based in Sacramento, Calif., and is willing to travel. Schaarschmidt can be reached at 916/315-8971 or [email protected].
Correction The Jan. 25 E-news should have said that Sound Seal (Agawam, Mass.) and Regupol America (Lebanon, Pa.) have agreed to partner in the development of a co-branded acoustical underlayment called Impacta-Regupol ProBase. Sound Seal is a manufacturer of commercial and architectural acoustic noise control products, while Regupol produces recycled rubber-based floor underlayment products. Contrary to what was published, Sound Seal is not now a part of the Regupol America brand.
Hardwood Floors ad deadline The deadline to reserve ad space in Hardwood Floors' April/May 2010 Convention Issue is Feb. 15 — earlier than usual due to the NWFA convention being held in March this year. For more information, contact Publisher Kris Thimmesch at [email protected] or 800/722-8764, ext. 107.
NWFA Member Services Online voting is now underway for the NWFA Wood Floor of the Year contest. To vote, visit www.nwfa.org, click on the Floor of the Year link and cast votes in each of the nine categories; a NWFA member number is required to vote. Voting will be open until 5 p.m. (CST) on Sunday, Feb. 28.
