Hardwood Floors E-News: October 4, 2010

Birger Juell Dies at 93

Wood flooring legend Birger Juell has died at the age of 93. The bodies of Juell and his wife, Anne, 77, were found floating in Whitewater Lake in southern Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon; an investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. A Norwegian immigrant, Juell learned the wood flooring trade and built a business, Chicago-based Birger Juell Ltd., that became a fixture in the wood flooring industry known for its high-end, custom hand-scraped floors and high-profile clientele. "I don't do all this laser cutting and crazy things like that. I do 'simple classic'-that's what I call it. It's just a way of making the whole room come together. You don't want to see just wood floors. If your floor sticks out, it's not a good job," Juell told Hardwood Floors in 2001 after winning one of the company's 10 Wood Floor of the Year awards. Juell's signature floor was hand-scraped following the grain in the way that Juell likened to the way water flows over rocks. "It's amazing how the industry has fallen in line with his aesthetic ... Birger has certainly been a leader in promoting that old-world, hand-hewn look," Birger Juell Ltd. President Chuck Crispin told Hardwood Floors in 2005. Juell was also known for his gregarious enthusiasm. "It's a fun business, it really is," he told the magazine in 2000. "We find some wonderful people who like what they see and are willing to pay for it. You have to find out what you're worth and not be afraid to ask for money."

To see a PDF of Birger Juell Ltd.'s Wood Floor of the Year winners, click here.

U.S. Wood Flooring Imports Down

End-matched, non-coniferous wood flooring imports to the U.S. are down about 1.9 percent, according to a free report from Zepol Corporation, a Minnesota-based market research firm. Imports from August 2009 to July 2010 totaled $34.7 million, slightly down from imports totaling $35.3 million during August 2008 to July 2009. (These figures do not include bamboo flooring.) Specifically, end-matched Brazilian cherry (jatoba) imports dropped 15.1 percent; during August 2008 to July 2009, roughly $32.8 million worth of Brazilian cherry was imported to the U.S., while from August 2009 to July 2010, $27.9 million was imported. The report contains similar figures on ipé, santos mahogany and cumaru, among others.

President Signs Small Business Lending Bill

President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act on Sept. 27, which the Hardwood Federation says will lend $30 billion to community banks with the goal of lending money to small businesses. The new law includes $12 billion in tax breaks aimed at small businesses. "It would exclude from taxes all capital gains on sales of small-business stock, and accelerate tax write-offs for purchases of equipment and other property. Specifically, to motivate companies to spend money on equipment, the provision of the 2009 Recovery Act which allowed businesses to write off up to $250,000 of equipment is extended through 2011 and increased to a maximum of $500,000," the Hardwood Federation said. The group also points out that hardwood suppliers might target restaurant owners and retailers, who could receive tax breaks for remodeling their stores or building new ones.

NWFA Announces 2011 School Schedule

The NWFA has finalized its 2011 technical school schedule. For the first time, the schools will be based at two locations: at its St. Louis training facility and in Las Vegas at a facility located at 6165 Annie Oakley Drive. For more information, visit www.nwfa.org, e-mail [email protected], or call 800/422-4556 (U.S. and Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international).

Feb. 2-4: Advanced Installation (Las Vegas)
Feb. 16-18: Installation, Sand & Finish (St. Louis)
March 2-4: Factory Finish Installation (St. Louis)
March 15-18: Wood Flooring Basics (Las Vegas)
March 23-25: Advanced Installation (St. Louis)
April 6-8: Subfloor Preparation and Solid Glue Down (Las Vegas)
May 11-13: Subfloor Preparation and Solid Glue Down (St. Louis)
May 25-27: Factory Finish Installation (Las Vegas)
June 7-10: Jigs, Treads and Risers (St. Louis)
June 22-24: Installation, Sand & Finish (Las Vegas)
July 13-15: Factory Finish Installation (St. Louis)
July 27-29: Subfloor Preparation and Solid Glue Down (Las Vegas)
Aug. 2-4: Factory Finish Installation (Las Vegas)
Aug. 3-5: Installation, Sand & Finish (St. Louis)
Aug. 23-26: Jigs, Treads and Risers (Las Vegas)
Sept. 13-16: Wood Flooring Basics School (St. Louis)
Sept. 20-24: Expert Installation (Las Vegas)
Sept. 26-28: Expert Sand & Finish (Las Vegas)
Oct. 4-8: Expert Installation (St. Louis)
Oct. 10-12: Expert Sand & Finish (St. Louis)
Oct. 26-28: Subfloor Preparation and Solid Glue Down (Las Vegas)
Nov. 2-4: Factory Finish Installation (Las Vegas)
Nov. 9-11: Subfloor Preparation and Solid Glue Down (St. Louis)

Manufacturer News

Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.) is offering retail sales personnel 5 cents to 25 cents per square foot of flooring sold from its St. Andrews, Muirfield, Chatelaine, MeadowView, RidgeCrest, Castillian and Chalmette collections; solid and engineered products are eligible. "The Urban Awakening" sales incentive campaign is happening now and will end Nov. 30; it coincides with Mullican's co-sponsorship of HGTV's Urban Oasis Giveaway!, a home giveaway sweepstakes. For more information, contact Mullican's Brian Greenwell at 800/844-6356.

By the Numbers

Mark Your Calendar

Lon Musolf Distributing Inc. will hold its annual Lontoberfest on Oct. 20 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at its Vadnais Heights, Minn., warehouse. This customer appreciation/vendor open house will feature sales, food and prizes. Former NWFA President Chris Coates will give a seminar on high-end selling at 5 p.m. Also, Basic Coatings will give away two tickets to the Nov. 21 Vikings vs. Packers game in Minnesota. Other prizes will include a Powernail 445 Flex Power Roller, two 46-inch flat screen TVs, two GPS units and other prizes. Attendees are encouraged to call 651/484-3020 to register for the event in advance.

The NWFA will hold an Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish School Nov. 3-5 in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more information, visit www.nwfa.org, e-mail [email protected], or call 800/422-4556 (U.S. and Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international).

For the first time, Surfaces attendees will be able to attend the educational programs free of charge. The Surfaces educational program is registered with AIA/CES, ASID, AIBD, IDEC, IICRC, IIDA, and NKBA; this means attendees are eligible to receive continuing education credits. "We hope that by offering our education program to registered attendees at no additional expense provides an added value and makes the trip out to Las Vegas more worthwhile," said Surfaces Director Dana Teague. Surfaces will take place Jan. 25-27 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

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NWFA Member Services

Offering comprehensive yet affordable insurance programs for employees is often one of the most challenging benefits NWFA members face. The Fishman Agency offers NWFA member companies a full range of business insurance services, including general liability, property, commercial auto, umbrella, and Workers' Compensation policies. For more information about these and other insurance programs, call Del Fishman with at 248/926-1300 or [email protected].