s - Floor Covering Weekly
Transcription
s - Floor Covering Weekly
Vol. 62 No. 16 A Hearst Business Publication August 26, 2013 FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY $4 15 Stainmaster Flooring Centers Defined at retail The Industry’s Business News & Information Resource Gainesville CarpetsPlus diversifies for success By Janet Herlihy Business is great this summer at Gainesville CarpetsPlus Colortile, Gainesville, Fla., according to Steve Elder, owner and founder of the area’s largest floor covering store. “We did close to a half a million in sales last month,” Elder said in early August. “It’s a crazy time. Mostly for apartments and rental properties that managers have been sitting on and haven’t updated and now, with an unexpected increase in students (at the University of Florida), need to update quickly. There is much more flooring work here, mostly carpet.” Elder works with 14 property management companies as well as other market segments to be as diversified as possible. “I’ve been through seven recessions and every one was related to construction and over building. I have learned to see them coming and I know how to survive. I make sure I know how much building is going on and it has started again here. But this time, banking is smarter. They’re not loaning on ‘dirt.’ Now, you can’t borrow if you don’t own the property.” Elder was working his way through college as a carpet installer, when he started his own business. Getting around on motorcycle had its challenges. “I didn’t have a car, but I Continued on page 16 FCW presents 5th annual GreenStep Awards [Dalton] Floor Covering Weekly (FCW) hosted its 5th annual GreenStep Awards program, here in the heart of the flooring industry, July 23. Launched in 2009, the GreenStep Awards Program recognizes, honors and promotes environmental stewardship within the flooring industry. “We saw this industry making serious investments in environmental issues even in the downturn. The industry was doing a lot of things it should be proud of but all of these investments are happen- FCW publisher and editor in chief Santiago Montero flanked by company presidents Brian Carson of Mohawk and Randy Merritt of Shaw. Metrocon draws regional designers & national suppliers By Janet Herlihy [Dallas] Metrocon 2013, a southwest regional commercial interiors show held here, not only managed to attract more than 1,500 architects, designers and design students, but also more than 20 flooring suppliers. “Metrocon is for regional designers, mainly Texas and Oklahoma,” noted Dottie Greaney, western sales manager for Lonseal. As a lower-cost alternative to NeoCon, P e r i o d i c a l Josh Elder, left, and Steve Elder accept CarpetsPlus Colortile Retailer of the Year award in 2013. For breaking news updated each business day, visit us online at www.fcw1.com 82613pages.indd 1 ing behind the scenes at the plant or product development level so the consumer and retailer doesn’t often see it. We created GreenStep to do something about that,” said Santiago Montero, publisher and editor in chief, FCW, a division of Hearst Business Media. Mohawk Industries, which ranks among Newsweek’s top 500 greenest companies, was awarded the 2013 GreenStep Pinnacle Award for the totality of its far-reaching environmental achievements, which includes reducing its water use by 30 percent since 2008 and recycling 3 billion plastic bottles and 680 million pounds of wood to create new products such as its EverStrand carpet fiber as well as laminate flooring. Continued on page 4 “Metrocon is a good market for us,” noted Melissa Quick, Flexco’s marketing coordinator. “Overall, we are starting to see more attention at local shows. Here, we can take time to get to the heart of what specifiers need.” Shaw Contract views Metrocon as a mini NeoCon and exhibits with a focus on “what the local market needs,” said Jim Carew, regional vice president, Shaw Contract Group. “About half of the people we see are current clients and we take the opportunity to nurture the relationship. The rest are new to us. Good business is created here.” Held first in 2003, Metrocon is an alliance of the Texas /Oklahoma Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the Texas Chapter of American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). It is also a nonprofit entity where any income from the event goes back to the IIDA and ASID chapters to fund special educational and recognition programs, as well as scholarships and charities. Flooring exhibitors were upbeat, saying Alli Vaughan, left, Humanscale, and Stephanie McPeak, Texas Christian University, right, discuss color trends with David Grant, Mohawk. business is better this summer. Here’s what some were spotlighting at Metrocon. ▶ BOLYU reported lots of interest in its Svelte, a needle punch polyester surface backed with its Nexterra modular backing for a product that is 70 percent recycled materials, according to Bruce Campos, BOLYU vice Continued on page 16 8/21/13 3:02 PM STAINMASTER® carpet has earned the Women's Choice Award as the most preferred carpet brand among women. C M Y CM MY CY MY K Sell the brand women prefer The WOMEN’S CHOICE AWARD® is a registered trademark of WomenCertified, Inc. USA TODAY is a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. STAINMASTER® is a registered trademark of INVISTA. C04756 81213-pages.indd 26 Featured in 8/1/13 3:01 PM News Wood prices rise again By Amy Joyce Rush Armstrong announced that it will initiate a 3 percent to 10 percent increase in the U.S. and Canada on select solid hardwood products — mostly wider width and non-oak species — and on select engineered hardwood products effective with shipments on September 13, 2013. This comes after nearly 9 months of multiple increases being posted by all major suppliers. In some cases, product prices have been increased by more than 20 percent at this point. In May, FCW reported that companies then posted an approximate 6 percent increase on engineered products and 10 percent on solid products. Mohawk, Columbia, Mannington, Shaw and Anderson have not made announcements at this time, though all have posted increases since last November and continue to look closely at the continuing pressure on lumber costs. “We continue to see increases on both veneer and lumber costs, especially on certain species of lumber. We continue to do everything we can to compensate. We truly understand how difficult it is to pass along price,” said Kevin Biedermann, senior vice president, Armstrong Residential Floor Products. But Biedermann also said that while the increases will have an impact on business, it won’t be significant. “There is a value to solid hardwood for most folks; the value of real, solid wood and even with the increase in costs, hardwood still provides value to the 3 homeowner. Putting it in perspective, on a $5,000 project a homeowner may be taking an increase of $600. Significant yes; but probably not enough to stop a homeowner from putting beautiful wood into her home.” But engineered suppliers said that while retailers are facing challenges as these price increases take effect on their showroom floors, they are finding relief with engineered product, even in traditional solid markets. Indeed, while increases are being posted on both solid and engineered wood, the latter remains price competitive and reaping the benefits of a Continued on page 20 Mohawk rolls out NFA’s SmartSolutions expansion By Janet Herlihy Mohawk is rolling out its National Flooring Alliance (NFA) exclusive SmartSolutions hard surface program in time for the fall selling season. The SmartSolutions program began in 2012 with a selection of private label carpet and is now adding ceramic and porcelain tile as well as hardwood and engineered wood products, according to Jamie Byrne, Mohawk’s senior vice president of hard surfaces. NFA is made up of 42 of the best floorcovering specialty retailers from across the U.S. and Canada, most with multiple locations. The agreement to expand SmartSolutions was reached at NFA’s recent biannual con- IVC US partners with T&L Distributing [Dalton, Ga.] IVC US has entered into an agreement with T&L Distributing for distribution of its newly launched luxury vinyl tile (LVT) program Moduleo. According to Paul Murfin, co-CEO at IVC US, the LVT category has continued to grow tremendously which has increased many distributors’ interest in expanding category selection. “We have been successful in establishing relationships with large distribution companies in most parts of the country with Moduleo LVT, but the Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana area was an open market for us,” Murfin said. “T&L is a very large and wellknown distributor in that territory, so adding them into the mix allows us to better penetrate that market.” T&L Distributing’s draw to Moduleo LVT in particular, Murfin said, was due to Moduleo’s stability, superior locking system, exclusive patents and larger pattern repeats. Produced in the IVC’s state-of-the-art LVT manufacturing facility in Belgium, Moduleo LVT is comprised of 70 SKUs of glued down and click LVT products that are available in both plank and tile form, according to the company. Moduleo is IVC’s new North American LVT program that was successfully launched in January at Surfaces. FCW FCW Correction Corrections FCW August 26, 2013 82613pages.indd 3 ference in Beaver Creek, Colo. “The NFA represents a significant customer base for us and we are incredibly excited about the opportunities this partnership has created for both parties,” said Byrne. “It was a logical transition to include hardwood and ceramic options in the SmartSolutions program this year and we look forward to making further enhancements in the future.” Along with products and merchandising materials, Mohawk is providing SmartSolutions display systems. Byrne added, “We envision SmartSolutions Flooring Centers as stores within stores. So far, we have placed the program in more than 160 store locations. The NFA member has complete exclusivity for all merchandising and lead generation that is tied to the dealer locator on the SmartSolutions Flooring Center page on the mohawkflooring.com website.” Phil Koufidakis, NFA president and owner of Baker Bros. in Arizona, is pleased with the program. “Last summer, we worked with Mohawk to launch the SmartSolutions carpet program and we have been astounded with its success,” Koufidakis said. “We are enthusiastic about expanding the program this summer and continuing to grow our relationship with Mohawk.” Ed Keller is happy to make space at Bob’s Carpet Mart for the Bob’s Carpet Mart, a NFA new SmartSolutions wood products. member with 15 stores in Florida, recently completed the training of Mohawk’s best hard surface products,” for the new SmartSolutions hard surface Keller said. “It’s a unique private label proprogram and is setting up the new products, gram that Mohawk has tied together with according to Ed Keller, general manager of great visuals. When I saw how the first phase Bob’s. “The new lineup is a great, all star cast Continued on page 20 IVC US hiring fourth shift for Dalton plant [Dalton] IVC US announced it is interview- process with a job fair on Friday, Aug. 23 in ing and hiring employees for a fourth shift at conjunction with the Georgia Department its corporate and manufacturing headquar- of Labor’s Dalton Career Center. Prospecters, based here. Selected candidates will begin tive applicants can also view opportunities working in mid- to late September, according online at www.ivcgroup.us. to Xavier Steyaert, co-CEO, IVC US. “We are looking for individuals with “With the addition of a fourth shift, IVC experience in specific areas, such as print US is exceeding its job creation commitment press experience, compounding experience to the local community made back in 2010 and ink/dye experience, but also in more when the manufacturing investment decision general capacities related to manufacturing was made,” he said. “The success we experience with our sheet vinyl product in the North American market is a testimony to the superior quality our North Georgia employees consistently produce in our state-of-the-art Dalton plant.” Currently, IVC US is running three shifts, 24 hours a day, five days a week, according Andrew Kearton, vice president of manufacturing, IVC US. Increased market demand and adding a fourth shift will allow IVC US’s facility to operate 24 hours a day, six days a week. IVC US is expanding its Dalton operations to four shifts. IVC US began the application and industrial operations,” said Kearton. “We also offer an excellent work environment, including a climate controlled manufacturing facility in a safe and automated work setting.” Since opening its manufacturing doors in 2011, IVC US has created nearly 200 jobs. “Ideal candidates for our expansion are those who can demonstrate that they are dependable, committed, pay attention to detail and are ready to contribute to our successes as a team,” said Micah Riggle, director of human resource, IVC US. FCW FCW Correction Corrections FCW FCW FCW WWW.FCW1.COM · FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · 8/21/13 1:16 PM 4 FCW GreenStep Continued from page 1 “We at Mohawk are thrilled to be recognized as the recipient of FCW’s GreenStep Pinnacle Award for 2013. Not only are our green initiatives smart for the environment and the planet, but they are also smart for business and the right thing to do,” said Brian Carson, president, Mohawk Flooring. FCW’s Montero said, “To win a Pinnacle Award, a company goes beyond a single product or production initiative, they have sustainability in their DNA. They set hard targets and go after them and knock them down in a very orderly fashion.” Shaw was awarded two 2013 GreenStep Awards for the Product and Promotion cate- carpet since 2006 and reclaimed vinyl composition tile (VCT) into new product since 2008. Mannington also incorporates recycled VCT into its popular BioSpec MD homogenous commercial sheet flooring. “We’re thrilled to win this award and have our efforts recognized,” said Jack Ganley, president, Mannington Commercial. “It’s also reas- FCW’s Brittany Walsh, Sherry Basdeo, Charlton Calhoun, suring to see the industry striving to Ray Pina and Tom Young prep for the GreenStep Awards. make the planet a better place.” The 2013 GreenStep Award judge panel rapidly renewable resources, closed-loop recyconsisted of Michael Martin, president and cling efforts and low levels of volatile organic CEO, National Wood Flooring Association compounds (VOC). Mohawk received an Honorable Mention (NWFA); Dr. Robert Peoples, director, Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE); Award in the Product category. Nearly its Bill Dearing, president, North American entire ceramic tile offering, 97 percent of its Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA); SKUs, contain recycled waste material. Beaulieu of America was presented a Process Bill Griese, standards development and green initiatives manager, Tile Council of North Honorable Mention Award for its Nexterra America (TCNA); Scott Humphrey, CEO, Carpet Tile backing — a PET-based hot melt and Cammie Weitzel, general manager, backing process that utilizes a minimum of 40 World Floor Covering Association (WFCA); percent postconsumer recycled content and a Dean Thompson, president, Resilient Floor natural gas mixing reactor that is 50 percent Covering Institute (RFCI); and Sara Gutter- more energy efficient than the industry average. Teragren received a Promotion Honorable man, CEO, Green Builder Media. Mention for earning and marketing the USDA 2013 GreenStep Award Honorable Mentions Certified Bio Based Product Label for its entire Tarkett received a Pinnacle GreenStep Hon- line of bamboo building products. Its PureFCW FCW orable Mention Award for its vast environmen- Form Traditional bamboo products tested for FCW FCW Industry executives gather for the awards ceremony. tal initiatives that include the widespread use of 99 percent bio-based content. gories. Shaw was recognized for the advanced extrusion technology that allows it to utilize its recyclable N6 fiber for the creation of Caress soft, luxury carpet as well as its St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, the largest single-event fundraiser that generated roughly $25 million for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “I’ve been to every GreenStep Award since its inception; I’ve never missed a year,” said Randy Merritt, president, Shaw. “Our industry has been proactive in pursuing sustainability and helping the environment as much as we can, more than most. I appreciate FCW recognizing the progress our industry has made.” Mannington Commercial was honored with a 2013 GreenStep Award in the Process category for its LOOP reclamation and recycling program which has been transforming reclaimed postconsumer carpet tile into new Correction Corrections Mohawk’s Jenny Cross with Kimberley Gavin c 280 h PRODUCT CHOICES F O R LV T o i 7 c e 1 B U S I N E S S D AY SHIPPING GUARANTEED s POINT OF C O N TAC T C H O I C E S T H AT I N S P I R E . C H O I C E S T H AT WO R K . · 82613pages.indd 4 FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · WWW.FCW1.COM August 26, 2013 8/21/13 1:23 PM 82613pages.indd 24 8/15/13 2:44 PM 6 Pinnacle - Winner Mohawk Sustainability permeates all aspects of Mohawk’s operations and organization. Mohawk views sustainability as a strategic business imperative dedicated to providing customers and consumers with safe and environmentally-friendly flooring products. At Mohawk, we strongly seek to implement sustainable business initiatives that have a quantifiable return. Our sustainability strategy focuses on our processes, our products and our people. Mohawk’s process strategy continues to shrink our manufacturing footprint by significantly reducing the amount of natural resources we use, while also increasing our recycling efforts and reuse of waste. We’ve achieved substantial progress towards our 2020 goals of 25 percent intensity reductions in energy, greenhouse gases, water use and landfill waste. To date, our biggest improvements have been in water and waste-to-landfill intensities. We’ve achieved impressive decreases of almost 8 percent and 20 percent, respectively. We believe that sustainability should be built into every product Mohawk manufactures, and our product strategy reflects this principle. Mohawk continues to maximize the amount of recycled or renewable content in all of our products, and we address environmental issues at every stage of the product lifecycle. We always look for opportunities to incorporate postconsumer content and identify ways to make our products more easily recyclable. We are also committed to developing processes that will make it easier for customers to recycle products at the end of their useful lives. We hold our suppliers increasingly to the highest business and ethical standards in an effort to ensure that all imported and domestically sourced products are manufactured using fair labor standards, as well as packaged with reuse and recycling in mind. Mohawk’s people strategy promises to employ fair labor practices and encourages involvement between our employees and the communities in which they live and work. Mohawk actively supports and participates in the organizations that positively impact its employees, customers and consumers. Mohawk’s recent achievements in sustainability include: Ranks No. 3 among Georgia-based companies for sustainable practices in the Southeast. Newsweek ranked Mohawk among the top 500 greenest companies. Mohawk has achieved energy reduction through conservation, utilizing alternative energy sources (i.e. biofuels) and adjusting plant operating hours to use off-peak power. Since 2008, our Mohawk Flooring and Mohawk Home divisions have reduced their overall water use by nearly 30 percent, or more than 1.13 billion gallons. Five of the company’s eight tile manufacturing plants recover and reuse 100 percent of their process wastewater. Five Mohawk manufacturing facilities are certified ISO-14001. Mohawk’s SmartStrand is made with DuPont Sorona carpet fiber, which contains 37 percent rapidly renewable plant-based material. It takes considerably less energy to manufacture SmartStrand. Mohawk recycles up to three billion plastic Certified Silver from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. Cradle to Cradle assures customers that these products are designed with ingredients that are safe and responsible for human health and the environment and are manufactured using energy and water efficiently. Nylon 6 is a closed-loop fiber that can be recycled into new nylon fiber repeatedly. Postconsumer carpets of Type 6 nylon can be collected and sent to Evergreen Nylon Recycling, Shaw’s nylon recycling operation in Augusta, Georgia. Evergreen employs patented technology that converts postconFCW FCW sumer Type 6 nylon into caprolactam, the building block of thisFCW fiber. FCW Mohawk’s Brian Carson, Bill Kilbride and Jenny Cross beverage bottles each year into EverStrand carpet fiber. Mohawk recycles more than 680 million pounds of wood annually in the U.S. alone to make core boards for laminate flooring. Mohawk laminate floors contain an average of 74 percent pre-consumer recycled content. Mohawk created a process that utilizes carpet backing filler from recycled carpet waste. By using PureBond Technology for engineered hardwood floors, Mohawk was among the first to achieve FloorScore certification. Mohawk Laminate and Strand Bamboo have also received the prestigious certification. FCW FCW Mohawk successfully reclaims wood from FCW FCW old buildings to make new flooring. Correction Corrections Product - Winner Shaw Industries Group Caress Advanced extrusion technology has led to the development of an innovative, recyclable N6 fiber Shaw is using to create a collection of extraordinarily soft and luxurious carpets. Although the fiber is ultra-soft, Shaw’s team of fiber engineers and product development personnel designed this new generation of soft nylon with performance in mind. Another goal was to fashion a color palette that was as soft visually as is the touch of Caress by Shaw Floors. Our designers and colorists turned to the natural habitats of the animals they had studied to find the organic shades. Utilizing a unique fiber cross-section and modification ratio (fiber shape) and advanced tufting technology, Caress by Shaw Floors nylon achieves an ideal balance of softness, resiliency and durability. Caress carpets made from the company’s Nylon 6 fiber are designated Cradle to Cradle Process - Winner Mannington LOOP Cross-Platform Innovation in Reclamation and Recycling Mannington Commercial’s portfolio includes nine product categories, available from a single point of contact. Mannington products are designed with coordination in mind, but there are also inherent sustainability synergies that come with manufacturing multiple product types at domestic locations. For example, Mannington continues to develop its LOOP program, finding opportunities to incorporate reclaimed and recycled content into new products, and across product platforms. Correction Corrections Promotion - Winner In 2012, Shaw Floors became a national sponsor and exclusive flooring provider of the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. As the largest single-event fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the home-giveaway campaign provided Shaw an opportunity to share its green story and product with customers while generating roughly $25 million for the hospital’s sustainable lifesaving treatment and research. Shaw outfitted each dream home in the nearly 30 markets using its most eco-friendly products, including the premier Anso nylon carpet and Epic hardwood. Both are Cradle to Cradle Certified and were publicized at Floor Signing events at each home location and within marketing materials, such as an “About Shaw” brochure which helped to educate consumers regarding the 100 percent recyclability of Anso nylon and Epic hardwood, which contains 50 percent less newly harvested wood than conventional engineered floors. Carpet into carpet: Since 2006 and as an active member of CARE, Mannington has been reclaiming postconsumer carpet tile and recycling it into new carpet. VCT into sheet: Mannington again broke new ground by incorporating the VCT waste stream into BioSpec MD, highly durable commercial homogeneous sheet flooring. Shaw Floors St. Jude became a core component of who Shaw is as a company. No child or family ever pays St. Jude for treatment or care. St. Jude has been part of increasing the childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent today. Shaw Floors quickly decided to extend its support by introducing a 100 percent-recycled carpet cushion collection, Shaw Carpet Cushion for St. Jude, with 2.5 FCW FCW percent to 3 percent of the retail price directly benefiting the hospital’s FCW work. FCW Correction Corrections Pre-consumer plant synergies: Mannington takes advantage of waste generated during its own manufacturing — resulting in wiser use of valued raw materials and increasing the amount of total recycled content in finished products. Mannington recycles post-industrial VCT into VCT: In 2008, through smart prod- homogeneous sheet into cove base and also uct design and investment in technologies, post-industrial heterogeneous sheet into VCT. Mannington enabled postconsumer VCT to be More to come: With the acquisition of Amtico recycled into new VCT. Carpet into hard surface: In 2006, Mannington became the first company to recycle postconsumer carpet into commercial resilient sheet products with Relay RE — beautiful 6-foot wide sheet that is 35 percent recycled content. Alex Jauregui, Natalie Jones and Jack Ganley Correction of Mannington Commercial and domestically produced LVT, Mannington is again developing methods to share plant Corrections · 82613pages.indd 6 Shaw’s Randy Merritt, Susan Rich and David Wilkerson FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · FCW FCW waste streams and to put together viable takeFCW FCW back options in other categories. WWW.FCW1.COM August 26, 2013 8/21/13 3:04 PM 82613pages.indd 24 8/15/13 3:03 PM 8 Pinnacle - Honorable Mention Tarkett For Tarkett, sustainability is more than just an environmentally friendly product. We believe it’s not about doing things better but doing the right things from the very beginning. We look for ways to re-use materials indefinitely without compromising on quality or value. Our first step was the Balanced Choice approach, with the introduction of the four major elements of the product life cycle: Good materials: The choice of good materials in the design of our products. Resource stewardship: Responsible use of resources in our operations. People friendly spaces: The well-being and health of people during product use, manufacture and maintenance. Reuse and recycle: Recycling at end of life to eliminate waste. Then we went one step further. In 2011, we embraced the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) challenge in a partnership with the German Scientific Institute EPEA. Its role is to support us in becoming a “Circular Company” by assessing the quality of the materials we use and helping us identify the best reuse options. Our aim is to close the loop by designing products with good materials only, allowing us to either reuse our products at the end of use into new products of similar or higher quality (technical cycle) or to return it to the biosphere as safe nutrients (biological cycle). End of life becomes end of use. We have obtained C2C certification for our Linoleum Harmonium xf products (C2C Silver), rubber (C2C Basic) and our wood products (C2C Silver). We continue to work to certify additional products. Also in 2011, Tarkett received the BFM Green Business Award by ADEME (French Agency for environment and energy management, Ernst & Young and BFM — a French television business news channel) recognizing Tarkett’s major achievement in its environmental strategic development. Most recently, Tarkett became one of the first companies to join the Circular Economy 100 program launched on February 8, 2013, by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. This program aims at creating a network of one hundred companies whose ambition is to promote the development of the circular economy, a model for economic growth based on circular re-use of materials and preservation of the world’s resources. On becoming one of the founders of this organization, Michel Giannuzzi, chief executive officer of the Tarkett Group, said, “Our objective is to develop products that can be ANNUAL U.S. FLOOR COVERINGS INDUSTRY REPORT from CATALINA RESEARCH • Floor Coverings Industry Sales and forecasts • Floor Coverings Industry Shipments, • Exports and Imports • Cost Structure of Floor Covering Manufacturers • Competitive Environment • End-Use Markets • Leading Manufacturer Profiles and Developments • Household Purchaser Demographics • Distribution Channels • Installation Contractor Business • Factors Affecting Demand Floor Covering Weekly subscribers receive a 10% discount off the Catalina floor coverings report prices by using the order codes below. Visit the Catalina Research web site to see the full table of contents, and contact Catalina to receive your copy. Also see the contents of the related Catalina reports on Floor Coverings Distribution Channel Analysis, Area Rugs, Wood Flooring, Resilient Flooring, Laminate Flooring, Stone Products, and Ceramic Tile, and ask about our multi-title discounts. Remember to mention the order code to receive the 10% report discount. In addition, Catalina Research publishes a Quarterly Floor Coverings Update newsletter. The newsletter is published September, December, March, and June of each year. Catalina report on: Floor Coverings Industry Trends Floor Coverings Distribution Wood Flooring Resilient Flooring Laminate Flooring Stone Products Ceramic Tile Area Rugs Date: July 2013 October 2013 November 2013 September 2013 May 2012 May 2013 December 2012 December 2012 Code: FC084FCW FC087FCW FC088FCW FC086FCW FC077FCW FC083FCW FC080FCW MP072FCW Discount Price: $3,145.00 $3,145.00 $3,145.00 $3,145.00 $3,145.00 $3,145.00 $3,145.00 $2,025.00 Quarterly Floor Covering Update $1,795.00 annual subscription price or $1,195.00 with the purchase of one of the above reports. Use code FCQUFCW Catalina Research Inc. 3221 South Ocean Blvd, Ste.1009 Highland Beach, FL 33487 (561) 988-0853 fax: (240) 358-4757 www.catalinareports.com catalina.indd 1 82613pages.indd 8 5/23/13 12:20 PM re-used at the end of their usage life, in our own production cycle, or by other industries. Our involvement in this program will allow us to exchange best practices and continue our development towards a sustainable and responsible economic model.” Lastly, in an effort to openly communicate our sustainable initiatives, Tarkett offers EcoScorecard, an online tool that allows specifiers to review products and evaluate how they can contribute to a LEED project. The tool instantly calculates products’ LEED contributions and environmental attributes. Yes, at Tarkett, sustainability is more than just an environmentally friendly product. We have defined sustainability by Correction FCW’s Amy Rush and Tarkett’s Cynthia Mansfield putting people and the environment at the heart of our strategy and our daily life. FCW FCW That’s how we will create the future FCW FCW together. Corrections Product - Honorable Mention Mohawk Ceramic & Porcelain Tile Mohawk’s ceramic and porcelain tile collections have processes that utilize the 5 R’s — Reduce, Recycle, Recover, Reuse and Renew. Almost all (97 percent) of Mohawk’s tile SKUs contain some sort of recycled waste materials. Non-recycled tile materials are extracted from abundant and naturally occurring clay, shale and other rock-like minerals. Mohawk’s recycled material makeup for tile is: 38 percent to 63 percent in floor tile; 34 percent to 37 percent in wall tile; and, 7 percent to 24 percent in mosaics. Mohawk’s tile manufacturing process diverts 200 million pounds of solid waste every year. All Mohawk tile manufacturing plants recover and recycle wastewater to the maximum extent possible. Three facilities do not discharge even one drop of process wastewater. Over the last five years, we have recovered and reused more Mohawk’s Tammy Perez and Nancy Ruppert Correction Corrections than 266 million gallons of wastewater. We save local utility providers an average of more than 90 million gallons of fresh water each year. Mohawk conserves energy and raw materials during the tile manufacturing process. Over the last two years, our efforts have netted energy savings that equal enough natural gas to fuel more than 6,000 homes and FCW FCW enough electricity to service more than 1,700 homes for an entireFCW year. FCW Promotion - Honorable Mention Teragren Bamboo: USDA BioPreferred In October 2012, Teragren earned the USDA Certified Bio Based Product Label for its complete line of bamboo building products. The label verifies that the products’ amount of renewable bio based ingredients meets or exceeds prescribed levels. Teragren’s PureForm Traditional bamboo products tested 99 percent biobased content and our Xcora strand bamboo products tested 94 percent bio-based content. The increased purchase of bio-based products is expected to reduce petroleum consumption; increase the use of renewable resources; better manage the carbon cycle; and, may contribute to reducing adverse environmental and health impacts. Teragren has been working for years to educate homeowners, the design community, retailers and their distribution partners about the environmental benefits of bamboo. Rapidly Correction Corrections · FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · renewable Optimum 5.5 moso bamboo as used by Teragren pulls carbon out of circulation and contributes significantly to global oxygen replenishment. This message was highlighted in Teragren’s new Bamboo Essentials online training for retailers. Now, having the bio-based content of Teragren products verified by independent labs and monitored by the USDA allows Teragren to FCW FCW communicate this message more effectively FCW FCW and to a wider audience. WWW.FCW1.COM August 26, 2013 8/21/13 1:20 PM 9 Process- Honorable Mention Nexterra is the only carpet tile backing where lems fiberglass stabilizers can create. filler performs a crucial step in the backing chemistry by locking in properties that make 30 percent lighter: Nexterra is precision cut Nexterra Carpet Tile Backing Process into 24 inch squares and boxed for shipping. 40 percent postconsumer recycled content: it stable and flexible at the same time. Because it is 30 percent lighter in weight than Nexterra is the only PET-based hot melt backing process in the carpet industry. It provides Excellent stability without fiberglass: After traditional PVC backings, it’s less expensive a first-generation finished carpet tile with a a controlled weight and thickness of Nexterra to ship. Nexterra carpet tiles are easy to install minimum of 40 percent postconsumer recycled is applied, another PET nonwoven layer is with releasable adhesives; will lay flat without content and uses a natural gas mixing reactor mated to the backing compound before it curling at the edges or doming in the middle; that delivers 50 percent more energy efficiency cools. This PET layer provides dimensional and, cannot be shifted laterally by foot traffic, FCW FCW than the industry-average PVC carpet tile stability, equal to the most stable carpet tiles, but can be easily uplifted and reinstalled by FCW’s Santiago Montero and staff. FCW process. Natural gas used in Nexterra gives a without the installation and recycling prob- cleaning or maintenanceFCW Beaulieu’s David Vida cleaner air emissions profile than electricity. Beaulieu of America Correction Corrections Nontoxic postconsumer polyester: The Nexterra reactor is where postconsumer PET (polyester) is injected, along with a tested (nontoxic) modifying agent, then heated to melt-point to allow the modifying agent to create molecular changes that give it the correct characteristics for excellent carpet tile performance. Not just filler: Other carpet tile manufacturers refer to fine-grind inorganic materials as “fillers” because their sole function is to help lower cost and create a smooth backing appearance. @Floor TekEx po Will you win this year? Time to start reving it up. Things are on track to get very competitive this coming year. If you’re in product design, R&D, operations, manufacturing, logistics, human resources or management, your starting line is at FloorTek Expo. Don’t miss our daily drawings for a 2014 Daytona 500 Race Package for two, including hotel accommodations, track transportation, frontstretch seats and more. Win big at FloorTek Expo. Kronotex joins NALFA ection ctions [WASHINGTON, D.C.] Kronotex USA has joined the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) as a Regular Member. NALFA Regular Members are manufacturers, importers or marketers that offer laminate flooring for sale within North America. “It’s with great excitement that we announce Kronotex USA as our newest Regular Member,” says Bill Dearing, president of NALFA. “Kronotex USA is one of the largest domestic laminate flooring manufacturers and their membership along with our other regular members is validation of the impact NALFA continues to have with our flooring industry in North America as well as abroad.” NALFA is dedicated to a synergistic, industry-wide approach to maintaining voluntary product performance standards for laminate flooring throughout the United States and Canada. Membership in NALFA provides companies with an opportunity to actively advance the causes of our industry. “Kronotex USA has been a leading manufacturer of laminate flooring in North America since 2005. As we navigate through the many commercial and technical issues that the laminate category faces in the years ahead, we believe that NALFA is the best vehicle to help protect and promote the category as a whole,” says George Kelley, president and CEO, Kronotex USA. “On behalf of Kronotex USA, we look forward to being an active and positive contributor to the NALFA organization.” Headquartered in Barnwell, S.C., Kronotex manufactures laminate wood and tile flooring under the Kronotex and Formica Flooring brands, as well as a variety of private label brands sold in many of America's leading retailers. FCW FCW FCW August 26, 2013 82613pages.indd 9 TO E XH IB IT O R ATTE N D , V ISIT U S TODAY AT F LOOR-TE K.COM SE PTE M B E R 10 – 12, 2013 N O R TH W E ST G E O R G IA TR ADE & CON VE N TION CE N TE R DALTON , GE ORGIA FCW WWW.FCW1.COM · FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · 8/21/13 1:20 PM 10 Installation Low VOC levels: The key to green installations By Brittany Walsh For flooring installations, it is increasingly important to meet stringent environmental standards. Nobody, said insiders, feels the pressure of confronting this task more than adhesive companies. But adhesive manufacturers said that making products that are safe for the environment is simply the responsible thing to do. David Clarkson, director of marketing, Dritac, said the responsibility lies in minimizing the overall carbon footprint of the adhesive without forfeiting the value of a premium product. “Environmentally friendly, green flooring adhesives that do not sacrifice quality have become the predominant option for many flooring installers,” he said. “The most ecofriendly options available in the flooring industry are zero VOC, zero solvent adhesives that offer third party certification for indoor air quality.” Keeping extremely low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is critical for most environmental certifications. This standard must be met by all forms of installation, from adhesive installations to loose-lay installations. According to Gary Liddington, business manager, WF Taylor, although glueless installation techniques can be seen as a more environmental option, this is not always the case. “Glueless installations are not necessarily greener. A floor covering installation can consist of several components, each of which must be scrutinized for their contribution to the overall greenness of the installation,” Liddington said. “A glueless installation of flooring that is not itself low VOC will not result in a green installation.” Loose lay installations require a very smooth subfloor, so for the installation to be environmentally friendly, leveling techniques and products must also adhere to green standards. “Schönox provides a full range of environmentally responsible products from our leveling compounds made from the by-product power plant emissions to a series of products that dramatically cut subfloor demolition material going to landfills,” said Karen Bellinger, business development, Schönox. According to Bellinger, for any green installation, the whole picture from subfloor to the finished flooring product being used must be measured. “Some factors to consider are: Can I renovate instead of demolish to create less landfill waste? Can I eliminate the need for bead blasting which creates dust? And, do the products that you use to prepare the floor create a negative effect on the environment,” she said. Using recycled content in producing adhesives, according to industry insiders, is another technique used to make the process greener. Sean Boyle, director of marketing and product management, Laticrete, reports using a high percentage of both post and pre-consumer recycled content. “We use such a high percentage of recycled content in our products and we also have formulated our materials to meet the stringent GreenGuard criteria,” Boyle said. “GreenGuard Environmental Institute’s indoor air quality certification is based upon criteria used by the U.S. EPA, OSHA, and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system.” Third party testings are more rigorous and stringent than ever before, according to Clarkson at Dritac. “Various agencies now offer compliance-testing programs to certify adhesives as meeting strict requirements for VOC emissions,” he said. “Several examples include, but are not limited to, the CRI’s GreenLabel Plus, the GreenGuard Environmental Institute, Scientific Certification Sys- Correction Corrections tems’ Indoor Advantage Gold, and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute’s FloorScore.” Mapei, Bostik and Schönox all reported adhering to U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED criteria and working towards gaining LEED points with more environmentally sustainable processes and products. Erik Kurtz, marketing manager of hardwood installation systems, Bostik, said he believes that the environmental advantages of an adhesive installation over a floating installation also lie in the uncertainty of the customer’s satisfaction with such a product. “Some advantages of glues are superior noise reduction and a much more durable, long-lasting installation that will reduce the environmental impact of changing floors because of either flooring failure or dislike of the noise of glueless installations,” Kurtz said. Duane Reimer, technical director at MP Global, noted that adhesives formulated to be free of VOCs, free of solvents and impart very little odor are not just greener for the environment, but safer and healthier. “These characteristics contribute to helping maintain good indoor air quality during and after installation of new flooring,” Reimer said. FCW FCW FCW FCW MP Global’s VersaStick VersaStick by MP Global Products is a VOCfree, solvent free fast drying adhesive for use on subfloors and against the floor being laid, the company announced. Duane Reimer, technical director, MP Global Products touted VersaStick as a premium “green” pressure sensitive flooring adhesive that can be used with luxury vinyl tile/ plank and multi-ply engineered plank hardwood flooring over approved substrates. It is formulated to be fast drying and engineered to be an extremely versatile adhesive. FCW Demolition vs Renovation Correction Corrections FCW Spotlight: WF Taylor’s MS Plus Resilient Acous-Tec WF Taylor announced a new adhesive, MS Plus Resilient Acous-Tec. According to the company, the multifunctional adhesive for resilient flooring offers third party certified sound deadening ratings and is GreenGuard certified for low VOC emissions. “These 100 percent solids single component adhesives not only offer superior bonding, but also moisture barrier, sound deadening barrier, crack isolation and thermal enhancement properties,” said Gary Liddington, business manager, WF Taylor. According to WF Taylor, this product can be used for installations of all types of vinyl, VCT, rubber, fiberglass, polyolefin and felt backed resilient flooring. MS Plus Resilient Acous-Tec replaces urethanes and epoxies, contains no isocyanates, solvents, water or hazardous ingredients and is bisphenol A (BPA) free. FCW Flooring renovation projects that turn into subfloor demolition projects are costly and time consuming. Schönox has the products that can take your subfloors from rough and uneven to smooth, sound, and ready for flooring installation. Let’s talk soon about the Schönox solutions that can get you from here to there. HPS North America,Inc. The Schönox Provider Corrections Schönox, a division of AkzoNobel, develops high performing, environmentally friendly products. 82613pages.indd 10 FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY FCW Correction Toll Free: 855.391.2649 www.hpsubfloors.com · FCW · FCW WWW.FCW1.COM FCW FCW August 26, 2013 8/21/13 12:39 PM ® Advanced Solutions for Precision Performance.™ MS-PLUS ™ ® WITH oducing a New Standard of Floor Installation Excellence... ® utions for Precision Performance.™ MBA® MOI STURE B ARRIE R S OUND R E D U CT I O N ™ MUL TI- FUN C TION AL AD HE S I V E PLUS ® Maximum Moisture Levels: CaCl2Max. 10 lbs RH Max. 90% S T U RE B A R RIER S OUND REDUC T IO N U LTI - F U NCT IO NAL ADHE S IVE oisture Levels: CaCl2Max. 10 lbs High Performance Benefits: RH Max. 90% + 100% Solids, Self-Leveling + One Component Product, No Mixing No Discarding of Unused Mixed Two Component Adhesives + wftaylor.com + Replaces Urethanes & Epoxies Contains no isocyanates, solvents or water +D I ST RIBUTED BY + Features lowest permeability ratings of any resilient flooring adhesive + Withstands maximum moisture levels of 10 lbs & 90%RH + Provides sound deadening ratings performance up to IIC 59 & STC 61 + Imparts crack isolation protection up to 1/8 ” + Enhances thermal insulating properties Sq. Ft. + Very Low Odor, Easy Surface300 Cleanup MADE IN USA MSPR6B.0513 Meta-Tec® and Meta-Sept® are registered trademarks. © Copyright. W.F. Taylor Co., Inc. All rights reserved. All TAYLOR Adhesives are Made in USA NET CONTENTS: 2 U.S. GALLONS Spread Rate up to Per Gallon (7.36 m2/gal) Sound Deadening Flooring Adhesive LOW VOC + + + + + + + + + + Wet Lay for Time Saving Installation Rapid Cure to High Strength Water Proof Bond Use Over Broad Variety of Non-Porous & Porous Substrates Non Hazardous per OSHA Reg. 29CFR 1910.1200 Bis-Phenol A (BPA) Free Plasticizer Migration Resistant GREENGUARD certified for low VOC Emissions Qualifies for LEED credits, meeting California CHPS 01350 & SCAQMD Rule 1168 Requirements Anti-Microbial Protected Saves Money, Time, and Material Waste + Saves You Time & Money + Is Safe For You & The Environment + Exceeds Major Building Code Sound Requirements WFTaylor.com | 1-800-397-GLUE 12 Wood Construction, visuals spark engineered sales Solid hardwood floors have traditionally been viewed as the aspirational cornerstone of the flooring industry. But today, advancements in production and design techniques are fueling rapid growth of engineered woods — at a pace of 5 percent to 7 percent increase this year over last year, industry executives said. Engineered floors, with its dense core board, is ideal for popular character and textured design visuals. Driving engineered sales While solid hardwood sales are growing, engineered sales are growing faster, according to Harry Bogner, senior vice president of hardwood at Unilin. “The reason is because of the diversity of the product provided by engineered. Combine diversity with cost position as it compares to solid hardwood and lumber pricing pressures and engineered is growing. Also, the texture, scraped, character floor market is a strong market and you tend to find those visuals more on an engineered platform than a solid platform,” he said. At Mullican, Brian Greenwell, vice president of sales and marketing, said it is a combination of diversity and cost efficiency. “Engineered products offer great, unique stylings such as wire brushing and different staining techniques. Hardwood cost has gone up tremendously recently and that has opened up the market to American ENGINEERED HARDWOOD HILLSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE PONTE VEDRA SAN MARCO Since 1985, Mullican Flooring has taken great pride in offering the highest quality Hardwood Flooring in the world. As a privately held American company, we are big enough to handle all your Hardwood Flooring needs, with no committees, no focus groups, and no corporate red tape to hinder our decision making process; we are quick and nimble enough to provide Real-Time Service in your Real-Time World. And now we are proud to offer this New Collection of four American-made 3/8-inch Engineered Hardwood Floors. look at more engineered products,” he said. Lukasz Piatek, regional vice president of sales at Elegance, said engineered woods are gaining popularity in a younger demographic because the technology used to create engineered woods produces the same as solids at a lower cost. “A younger crowd prefers engineered for stability and flexibility with different applications,” he said, adding, “That being said, I believe the biggest reason is the price.” Jeanette Lam, president of Struxtur, agreed. “In solid you have much more limitation when it comes to making a visual statement. We can play with a lot more in engineered wood, from hand scraping to staining techniques. We can create beautiful long boards with much wider planks than with solids,” she said. The rise in demand for handscrapes is also affecting imports, acording to Milton Goodwin, vice president of product management, wood, at Armstrong. “A lot of those engineered handscraped floors are coming in from China, which is why we saw growth in imports in 2012,” he said. At Anderson, the company’s history of leading in design and quality has set the stage for its growth, according to Rick Knowles, vice president of sales and marketing for Anderson Hardwood Floors. “Dealers, builders, and consumers are looking more than ever for value, meaning the best combination of styling, quality, price and service. Anderson has undergone a major transformation as we have consolidated brands, completed a facelift to our in-store merchandising, initiated capacity upgrades, added value-oriented introductions, and implemented a re-pricing of the line in order to prepare for the upturn,” he said. Geographic preferences at play Regional preferences also come into play. Goodwin said that the Midwest is one region in particular where the volume of engineered wood flooring sales is growing rapidly. “Typically, California sets trends and handscrapes offer rustic visuals that were quickly adopted in the southwest. The mid-Atlantic and northeast are traditionally smooth, solid markets,” he said. Veronica Ventimiglia, marketing manager at Johnson Hardwood, added, “Those that live in the east and upper mid-west are still insistent that solid is the only option for hardwood flooring. Our dealer customers in those regions are trying to educate consumers that Hillshire provides a versatile array of colors to suit any taste, while Lincolnshire offers a beautiful selection of Hand Sculpted colors. Ponte Vedra is America’s first domestically-produced Engineered Hardwood Floor to feature 6-inch widths, and San Marco offers 6-foot lengths in a wide variety of Hand-Sculpted selections. With four state-of-the-art U.S. Manufacturing Facilities, Mullican Flooring is committed to the production of the finest American-made Hardwood Floors that are perfect for any setting, any climate and any dream. ® MADE IN THE USA www.mullicanflooring.com 1-800-844-6356 · 82613pages.indd 12 FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY Engineered construction provides a suitable platform for textured, character floors such as this from Columbia’s Ashlynn collection. · WWW.FCW1.COM August 26, 2013 8/21/13 12:41 PM Wood product sourcing, Mercier, also said that the company distributes more products in areas with a higher volume of multi-unit housing. “The expectation for Mercier is seeing a larger volume opportunity, geographically, in different regions,” he said. Still, Dan Natkin, director of wood and laminate business at Mannington, said the market share for engineered and solid wood remains close to 50/50. But, he added, “Depending on the region of the country, those percentages can swing widely. Engineered is once again experiencing growth as the traditional concrete slab markets recover and as the gap in pricing engineered flooring is a viable option due to the stability, affordability, and less chance for problems over time. We would estimate that it's an overall 30 percent solid and 70 percent engineered demand overall.” The southern half of the U.S. is also experiencing strong engineered growth, according to Unilin’s Bogner. “Many homes in the southern region of the U.S. are built on a slab foundation which means you have to have an engineered product because the floor is going on top of concrete. We’ve had good business going into the multi-family segment,” he said. Mike McReavy, director of training and 13 between solid and engineered grows.” Defining factors Bogner said that signs of recovery in 2012 helped to boost engineered wood flooring sales. “Textured, engineered products, and even textured surfaces on solid products, are becoming such a big part of the industry. Multi-width, solid scraped, wire-brushed and engineered are big trends,” said Bogner. The dimensional stability of engineered woods, in conjunction with the rising cost of premium hardwoods, is increasing the success of engineered products, according to Ron Shaw’s Epic collection is durable and environmentally friendly. Oliver, vice president of sales and marketing, Hallmark Hardwoods. “What helps us is the trend toward a wider width plank. The advancements of 7 inch oak and dimensional Continued on page 14 Armstrong’s wood: Engineered to perform [LANCASTER, PA.] Drawing on molecular technology and more than a decade of experience with laminate-related high density fiberboard (HDF), Armstrong’s Performance Plus and Midtown engineered wood planks have gained a reputation for durable beauty. “When you look at wood under a microscope, it looks porous. With Performance Plus we fill those pores in with an acrylic-infused veneer for better indent resistance. We also add a nano-coating to make it more scratch resistant,” said Milton Goodwin, vice president of wood and laminate, Armstrong. The technology allows Armstrong to deliver cherry and walnut, typically softer species, to heavy traffic locations, according to Goodwin. “It’s a great value when you consider cherry and walnut are soft and expensive. Now there is a very durable version of both of those species.” The product’s performance has been well documented online, predisposing and educating consumers before they reach the store, said Joe Addalia, sales associate at Edison, N.J.based Worldwide Wholesale Floor Covering. “Customers are coming in and they’re asking about acrylic impregnation,” said Addalia. “They now also expect a lifetime, or at least a real long residential warranty. They like to see a commercial warranty, too.” Meanwhile, Armstrong’s engineered Midtown collection utilizes half-inch HDF coreboard and micro veneer technology to achieve similar indent and scratch resistance while delivering random-length product in affordable locking, glue down or staple down format. “We’re using HDF to get the specific attributes we’re looking for on high indentation resistance while proving multiple installation options,” said Goodwin. “HDF combined with our micro-veneer technology allows you to drop something and not get an indent.” FCW Amalfi Coast, San Pietro Walnut 4/6/8 inch variable width. Sold to the Trade. The Amalfi Coast/Reserve Collections. Correction You simply can’t find this degree of artisan hand-craftsmanship at such an affordable price anywhere else. Corrections Offering the best craft, for less cash, is never a bad business strategy. And it’s never been easier to craft your advantage now that you can add the Amalfi Coast/Reserve Dual Hand-Stain Collection* to your store. Here is hardwood perfected with fine furniture making craft—featuring two-stage hand staining that heightens natural grain and sets undertones aglow. Floors are also scraped by hand and are further customized with a 4”/6”/8” random-width composition. The beauty will catch your customer’s eye. The affordability will close the sale. So carry your customer’s next must-have! Call toll free 866-599-7999 or visit the websites below now. FCW FCW FCW Armstrong’s Performance Plus hardwood flooring is a durable, stylish hardwood floor. *Bella Cera, California Classics, or Palmetto Road depending on region. bellacerafloors.com californiaclassicsfloors.com Struxtur_Amalfi_FCW Ad_June 2013_Rev2.indd 1 August 26, 2013 82613pages.indd 13 WWW.FCW1.COM · FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · palmettoroadfloors.com 6/12/13 5:15 PM 8/21/13 12:42 PM 14 Wood Philosophy, product build Mannington’s strength [Salem, N.J.] Mannington Mills is known as a design leader in each of the product categories it produces and hardwood is no exception. With deeply rooted relationships and its creative acumen, Mannington keeps ahead of the curve with its domestically produced wood products. Dan Natkin, director of wood and laminate business at Mannington, noted, “We tend to lead with style and design.” The company, he added, is driven by three things: “We stay true to our focus on engineered hardwood floors; take risks from a style and design perspective that help us stay at the forefront of style; stay ahead of the trends in species, color and format to give our customers products that are ‘uniquely Mannington’. ” From early on, the company has been a steward of the environment. Natkin said, for example, that the company uses responsibly harvested wood and, in fact, was one of the earliest members of NWFA’s RPP program. “On the environmental side, we’ve been very cognizant of producing products in a better way, so that they’re better for the environment and better for the consumer’s family and home,” he said. Mannington hardwood is also FloorScore certified. The company has been successful with products like Earthly Elements, a wood modular tile format, that Natkin said, “is starting 25 stories. 45,000 sq.ft. of hardwood flooring. The same outstanding quality in every box. That’s Mirage. to bring in some dividends. We’ve been heading down the path of being much more regionalized. We’ve gone to a much more customized product offering regionally, and we’re starting to see the benefits of that.” Mannington is now wrapping up product development for the year ahead. “We’ve continued in the last couple of years to make investments in our plant and to make more product domestically. Today, over 80 percent of our hardwood is made in the U.S.A., and we’re looking to increase that. We have recently invested in new equipment to make new products that will be some of the most stunning visuals in the industry.” Julie Crook of East Coast Flooring noted that she has confidence in Mannington’s quality, one characteristic that draws her to its product. “Their selection is diverse, a good selection.” Natkin said that being unique is indeed the cornerstone of the company’s wood program. “Mannington has a broader hardwood offering that gives the customer a wide range of choices to suit whatever her tastes are; and we provide distinctive visuals that don’t have a cookie-cutter look.” Natkin noted that the category does face challenges. “People choose real wood because it’s a product they aspire to have in their homes and will continue to be that ‘aspirational’ product choice. Imports continue to be a challenge. The first annual review of the ITC case will be completed this fall and we anticipate the rates will rise,” he offered. And the rising wood prices will also have an impact on the flooring segment. “[That’s] probably the single biggest challenge facing our industry right now. The only counterpoint to the rising raw material costs is continued efforts to reduce our own internal costs, combined with product price increases,” he said. FCW FCW Correction Handcrafted Red Oak, Carousel Corrections FCW FCW Construction Continued from page 13 “With over 45,000 sq. ft. of flooring to install, we needed a flawless product and a partner we could count on — from the lobby to the 25th floor. With Mirage we went straight to the top.” Made in North America Chad Durbin, LEED GA, Total Flooring LLC - Northern Virginia. stability are driving the sales of our [engineered woods] in the more traditionally ‘solid markets’ in the northern markets,” he added. Tony Em Mergreh, vice president of marketing at Urban Floors, added, “Engineered flooring has stronger tolerance to temperature and moisture changes. The structural stability makes the engineered flooring a versatile item. You can install this kind of flooring in almost in area of the home.” Kevin Thompson, product category manager at Shaw, also noted that engineered wood flooring is not being challenged by rising raw material pricing to the same degree that solid wood is. “Rising raw materials are having a greater impact on solid than on engineered which makes engineered a more economical option. Also, engineered hardwood floors offer increased performance and structural stability,” he said. FCW FCW Correction Corrections · 82613pages.indd 14 FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · FCW WWW.FCW1.COM FCW August 26, 2013 8/21/13 12:43 PM Carpet & Area Rugs 15 Invista bullish on Stainmaster Flooring Centers new styles are being added carefully. There is a perception, especially following the closure The Stainmaster Flooring Centers (SFCs) of Gulistan (a mill that manufactured a lot network, launched in 1996, is evolving to of Stainmaster product) that there are fewer new Stainmaster styles being meet changes in the post-recesintroduced. Rice commented, sion market. “Gulistan announcing it would There are now approximately leave the business in December 300 Stainmaster Flooring Centers did not leave a lot of time to (SFCs) nationwide. Considered address product gaps. But, we by Invista to be its premiere are continuing to work with each aligned retail format, the SFC SFC individually to find replacenetwork grew steadily until the ment products.” recession, when there was some There are 1,500 individual attrition, but has started expandStainmaster styles currently active ing again with several new loca- Gary Johnston in the market, according to Johntions already this year and more in the process, according to Michelle Rice, ston. “Almost all major carpet mills are making Stainmaster carpet,” stressed Johnston. vice president of retail, Invista Surfaces. Added Rice, “Stainmaster expects a solid The Stainmaster Platinum Carpet Collection is being added to the SFC selling system introduction year in 2014.” that was introduced last fall. The Platinum Collection will be the “best of the best” carpet UltraLife lives on The UltraLife brand, once an exclusive SFC styles only available through SFCs. Each dealer will choose the best of Stainmaster styles from line of carpet styles, has become the Ultra Life the Premiere Collection to spotlight within Advantage Program, a package of benefits the brand architecture that presents carpet only available at SFCs, according to Johnston. according to consumer needs, explained Rice. “That includes the best warranties and the “The Platinum Carpet Collection name, 90-day ‘Love It or Replace It’ guarantee. If the logo and products are only available through consumer decides she doesn’t like her new SFCs,” added Gary Johnston, marketing Stainmaster carpet within 90 days of installacommunications manager, Invista Surfaces. tion, she can replace it with another Stainmaster carpet of comparable value,” Johnston said. “It also includes the Stainmaster concierge Availability of Stainmaster products When demand dropped during the reces- service, a customer care line number we give sion, virtually all carpet manufacturers edited SFC consumers to call for any questions or their lines. Now, as recovery takes off slowly, concerns they might have after the sale.” By Janet Herlihy the dealer maximize marketing,” Rice said. What hasn’t changed at SFCs Each SFC has exclusive use of the brand “The (original) concept was to take the Stainmaster brand and organize the products in a certain area. “We work out with each and make it easy for the consumer to find retailer what territory/market they will have,” Rice explained. Some areas are Stainmaster carpet in the marbig enough to support more than ketplace,” recalled Johnston. one, but dealers are consulted Invista has always been careful before SFCs are added, Rice said. about choosing retailers to be SFCs. “We start by analyzing Variety of benefits the market and looking for areas Along with Stainmaster prodthat are growing,” explained ucts and programs, a significant Rice. “Then we look at individual advantage is being added to the retailers and find the market leadStainmaster store locator found ers, which usually tend to be the Michelle Rice in the top right corner of the larger retailers,” she said. Invista looks for retailers that Stainmaster.com home page. are familiar with branded products and will Consumers enter their zip code and click. They be able to well represent the Stainmaster are then linked to list of Stainmaster retailers in brand. It is key that the Stainmaster brand that area. The consumer can click on a retailer complements the retailer’s brand. If the name to be linked to their individual site. pieces all fit, the dealer is invited to join the SFCs can offer more than Stainmaster SFC network. carpet. “We can provide a variety of hard and Once accepted, the retailer installs the soft surface products that are branded StainStainmaster displays and will add Stainmas- master,” Rice said. Stainmaster is licensed to ter carpet styles to their showroom for a offer resilient and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) total of about 85 products. The styles can be from Mannington as well as Stainmaster shown as cut samples or on wing card racks. carpet cushion through Carpenter and Leg“We work with each retailer to get the right gett and Platt. It is also starting a program representation of Stainmaster products for for ceramic tile and grout from the Tile their stores,” Rice added. Doctor and is working on a wood program, The retailer invests in the floor space, according to Rice. displays and samples. “Once it is in place, we Invista’s goal is to grow with its SFC deallook to see how best to help the dealer jump ers, so if there are issues, the first objective is start the SFC. We will help with sales train- to help get it right. “We want to understand ing, the Grand Opening and both public and the issue and then try to do whatever it takes private sales. We will also invest by helping to get it right,” Rice stated. FCW FCW Correction Corrections FCW SFC dealers say brand still has power Despite some concerns, Stainmaster Flooring Center (SFC) dealers still value their partnerships as a way to differentiate their stores with a well-known quality brand they can sell with confidence. Robert’s Carpet & Fine Floors, with nine locations in the Houston area, became part of the SFC network in the late 1990s. “The initial fixture system from Stainmaster was a significant step up relative to other fixtures at the time, so a dealer that was interested in aesthetics and making an impression on consumers wanted to be a SFC store,” recalled Sam Roberts, owner of Robert’s Carpet. “Stainmaster was also the finest brand name in the business and gave you a name in your market that was open to only elite dealers. And, the Stainmaster warranty was and still is the best. They do a better job of honoring their warranties than anyone else,” Roberts said Some things have changed. “Some of the benefits have declined because other brands have improved,” Roberts noted. “Shaw has developed its Anso Caress as an opportunity to promote its own brand. Mohawk has done August 26, 2013 82613pages.indd 15 that too with its SmartStrand Sorona products and its (Wear-Dated) Embrace line. It has complicated Stainmaster’s position and now, the biggest problem is bringing new Stainmaster product to market,” he said. But, it is still an advantage to be a SFC dealer, according to Roberts. “Stainmaster is a wonderful yarn and can be made into wonderful products. The new TruSoft and SolarMax are both great systems,” Roberts stated. “The bad news is that it’s not nearly the value that it once was because competition has caught up with it.” Macco’s Floor Covering Center was one of the first dealers to become a SFC member, according to Jeffrey Macco, company CEO. Macco’s operates six locations in Wisconsin and acquired Hadinger Flooring in Ft. Meyers, Fla. in 2012. He agreed that the advantages of SFC membership have changed. “Originally we had an exclusive brand — UltraLife. Now we do not. Now the benefit is marketing and promotional programs. The brand itself has slipped dramatically in its exclusivity and available product,” Macco said. “What we have been able to buy WWW.FCW1.COM · FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY FCW Wendy Werner, president of Carpet Town, West Allis, Wisc., said, “Stainmaster has the best warranty in the business and the buying system, which focuses on large samples, makes a lot of sense and gives the consumer confidence.” Werner thinks the improving economy favors Stainmaster. “Most consumers are still aware of the Stainmaster brand and, once a shopper gets into the store, the selling system is a great way to talk about quality, performance and style.” in new Stainmaster is a fraction of what was available 15 years ago,” he said. “We have been forced to bring on polyesters and Mohawk’s Smart Solutions to fill voids in our lines with the departure of Gulistan and the lack of new Stainmaster introductions.” But it is Ms. Shopper who decides, according to Macco. “The consumer, as always, gets the last and most important vote. She will tell us and all the mills, if — Janet Herlihy the Stainmaster brand still resonates. Right now, she is saying she likes and trusts the brand and we are scrambling to find any and all new intros of Stainmaster,” he said. “Newer products such as SolarMax have been received very well,” Macco added. “As long as pricing of the brand can stay competitive and new products are introduced, we feel the consumer will like it and buy it.” A SFC dealer since 2004, Stainmaster products are spotlighted at Carpet Town, Wisc. · 8/21/13 12:20 PM 16 I take the floor BY JONATHAN TRIVERS ou have heard of the Oracle of Omaha — that’s Warren Buffet’s moniker. Now our industry has the Wizards of Wichita — that’s the father-son Pirner team of Wichita, Kansas. La Vone is the father and grandfather who started a flooring store 46 years ago and has pretty much turned over the reins of their flooring empire (they now have, according to their website, 15 retail locations, a small wool carpet mill and an aircraft division) to his son Aaron. Grandpa, at 82 years old, is taciturn, great gravelly voice, some nice grey hair still on top and a remarkably sharp business mind. Aaron is bald, effusive, always smiling and always selling; whether it’s an idea or the newest LVT. He says he is the proud product of nepotism and a happier warrior would be hard to find. So what are the wizards up to? Don’t they have enough to say grace over? I mean they own two Carpet One stores, some Big Bob stores, a group of Pro Sources and a carpet mill. Isn’t that enough? Apparently not. They set out to see if they could build a retail store that was built around what the customer wanted. Period. They would not accept, “that’s the way we do it,” or any other such defensive and unenlightened industry talk. They set up three focus groups of a total of about 60 folks and conducted discussions about what they liked and didn’t like. And based on that, they put together what they consider a “smart store;” one that starts from the customer and works back to the displays, samples, name and salespeople policies, etc. Everything. The Floor Project was born. Certainly from what we have seen and read, they have made some great changes to the retail environment but there is a problem with focus groups as a standalone research tool. They are not statistically relevant; just because 60 people say that pink is a marvelous color for carpet, does not mean that the population at large believes that. Talking to people, even if you try to make it sound real serious and call it a focus group, is great for generating ideas and reasons for feelings but it doesn’t mean that the world will like it. (Perhaps they did quantitative research but we saw no indication of it. If they want to roll out this new store concept on a national basis, they should take the extra step.) Even with this aforementioned issue, they created some great ideas. And they acted upon it. The carpet industry uses little samples glued to cardboard; the customer didn’t like it for various reasons and so The Floor Project has larger samples. She said she Metrocon Tile. “Business in Dallas is very busy,” she said. ▶ Earthwerks reported that its LVT in loose lay/floating floors in wood looks are especially hot this summer, according to Lori Starzynski, architectural & design specification rep. ▶ FLOR, the retail division of Interface that now has stores in 12 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada, is now building a commercial business through designers, according to Mike McKay, FLOR store manager in Dallas. “Designers are coming to FLOR for residential and commercial projects,” he said. ▶ Karndean featured its loose lay vinyl planks. “They are adhesive-free in wood looks and are very hot right now,” said Renee Mays, Karndean commercial sales representative. Art Select Parquet is available in 3 X 9 inch strips that can be installed in a variety of ways. ▶ Marazzi was showing Harmony, a new barn wood look in a 36 inch porcelain planks in three shades of brown plus white, according to Andrea Durbin, industry partner with Marazzi. ▶ The Mohawk Group featured its modular systems introduced at NeoCon including its Street Thread Collection. ▶ Shaw Contract was showing hard and soft surface flooring. Jim Carew, Shaw’s regional vice president, said the company is offering six-foot vinyl rolls as well as LVT (luxury vinyl tile) and LVP (luxury vinyl plank). The Chordinates collection, including ChromaTones and BassTones is a vinyl sheet assortment that features 20 percent postconsumer content and is FloorScore certified. It also contains FlorSept antimicrobial and has ExoGuard finish for durability. Shaw was also getting positive feedback on its Hexagon Collection, which won NeoCon Silver for modular carpet. ▶ Tarkett shared a large space with its divisions offices, a showroom and a warehouse, which is Elder’s personal pride and joy. He manages the inventory and schedules installation by 12 fulltime subcontractor crews himself because, “It is the place where the most mistakes and losses can happen that affect our customers.” In addition to specialty flooring retail, property management, commercial projects and home construction, the dealer works with fire and water damage restoration companies. “Josh (Elder’s son) picked up his first restoration company client when he was 18 years-old in 1998,” said Elder. “Josh also began a cabinet business about four years ago that is picking up volume. You can’t just be focused on one market,” Elder stressed. The company’s staff of seven is diversified too. Josh Elder, who grew up in the store working after school and on vacations, is a dedicated salesman and handles the cabinet business. J.D. Finch, Steve Elder’s son-in-law, is his assistant, covering administrative duties including banking and inventory management. Four retail sales associates are dedicated to the showroom and handle the phones. “Each of us takes care of certain, individual management companies and contractors. We have a rule that at least two of us, preferably three, are on the property at all times,” he noted. A staunch independent since 1978, it took George Garmon, representing Alliance Flooring, the parent company of the CarpetsPlus Colortile program, to convince Elder to join in 2005. “George invited me to Green Bay to see how the program would work and I was so impressed, I joined,” said Elder. “CarpetsPlus gives tools and help to members. When we built the bigger store, CarpetsPlus helped bring in displays and set up the showroom. The members share ideas.” A unique feature of the Gainesville showroom is that each sales person has a private Y The wizards of Witchita Continued from page 1 president sales, central mountain division ▶ Crossville was spotlighting its Argent series of porcelain stone, which has a 40-shade palette in polished and unpolished finishes. ▶ Dal-Tile was showcasing porcelain products in stone and wood looks that were launched in May, according to Whitney Welch, architectural representative for Dal- I.D. Inspiration and I.D. Freedom are spotlighted on the floor and in signage at the Johnsonite space. CarpetPlus Continued from page 1 had gotten to know some of the mill reps and I would have them drop ship the carpet to the locations where I installed it,” Elder said. “In 1978, when I graduated with a business degree, I didn’t like any of the job offers I got. I wanted to be independent so I went to the bank and opened my first business account with $40. I was friends with property managers and as the company grew, I just kept putting money back into the business. I still do the same today and we are very healthy.” Originally named Gainesville Carpet and Flooring, Elder rented his first space in a warehouse park in 1978. Three moves later, he purchased his first building in 1985, which was home until he built his current store in 2007. The new 7,000 square foot building houses Shaw’s Jim Carew talks flooring with Hanna Kim and Lauren Crill, from Huckabee Architecture/Engineering/Management. Johnsonite, Tandus and Centiva. Millicent McLane, solution development consultant for Johnsonite, said the company was featuring its I.D. Freedom LVT that is manufactured in the U.S. “There are more than 100 SKUs, which allows the designer the freedom to mix and match tiles and planks,” McLane noted. FCW FCW Correction Corrections FCW area with a desk and chairs for customers, similar to a car dealership. “All of our RSA’s have great people skills,” Elder stressed. Two have been with the company more than 20 years each, another was a competitor until his store closed and the fourth had been a tile installer and is already doing well as a RSA. While Elder is not ready to retire, Josh Elder is acquiring all the experience he will need to take the business forward some day. “Josh has a degree in business management and economics and brings another piece to the operation,” Elder said. Elder and his wife Jennifer also partner in a number of community services. “We believe in paying it forward,” he explained. The couple founded Arbor House, a shelter for homeless pregnant women and later started Mom’s Place to help single mothers and their children. The store also helps Habitat for Humanity with materials. FCW FCW FCW Correction Corrections · 82613pages.indd 16 couldn’t visualize what the floor would look like, The Floor Project has a software program that will put the floor in a room and if need be in the customer’s room. (Lumber Liquidators just announced they will be doing to same thing for their customers) Confused by price points? They reduced the number. And on and on and on. Aaron has been coy about what they want to do now that they have two The Floor Project Stores. However, in the Wichita Eagle, Aaron is quoted as saying they want 200 such stores. Get ready, the wizards of Wichita are about to start spreading cheer and smartness around the country. ____________________________________ Jonathan Trivers, a regular contributor to Floor Covering Weekly, is also the author of the marketWise section of FCW’s Statistical Report. When he’s not writing, he’s talking to flooring groups throughout the country and Canada. [email protected] FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · FCW WWW.FCW1.COM FCW August 26, 2013 8/21/13 2:39 PM Tile & Stone Trending tile formats By Tanja Kern It’s an exciting time to be in the tile business, with new formats like planks and large panels providing innovative design solutions and great sales potential. “Large-panel porcelains offer folks in the porcelain business the single greatest growth opportunity in the 17 years that I've been in this business,” said Dennis Hopkins, national sales manager, Crossville Tile & Stone. Crossville’s 2012 U.S. introduction of Laminam, the 3’ x 10’, 3 mm, Italian-born porcelain panels, provide a solution for the architecture and design community. While many porcelain manufacturers have introduced large, thin panels over the past several Marazzi’s wood-look porcelain, American Estates years, it has taken the design community considerable time to adopt it wholeheartedly. “Hospitality is embracing it for showers because it has many more aesthetic options than some of the typical shower panel systems and will out perform poured panels from a scratch resistance standpoint,” Hopkins said. The healthcare community likes large-format, thin panels because they can surface the walls of a surgical suite from floor to ceiling with a single sheet of impervious material that will not sustain bacterial growth. Hopkins said the material is also being used now for countertops on the East Coast. “Laminam can take us into places in the mind of the architect we've rarely been,” Hopkins said. One of the biggest opportunities for these thin porcelain panels is exterior cladding. “This is hugely exciting for me as a seller because some basic math will tell you that the opportunity in terms of square feet on the exterior facade of a building is often many hundred times more than the interior bathroom floors and walls,” Hopkins added. Daltile’s SlimLite Panels go as large as 39” x 118” and can be used on countertops and walls inside and out in non-freezing climates. “The handling is easier on this product, and you can install it over existing surfaces if some conditions are met, but this product category is still in its infancy,” said Lori Kirk-Rolley, senior marketing director for Dal-Tile. “The common theme is that tiles are getting larger, and this presents a lot of challenges from a merchandising perspective of how to effectively merchandise and Thin panels like Crossville’s Laminam offer big sales potential. transport it,” said Kirk-Rolley. Hopkins added, “Our challenge is to part- popular right now,” said Dave Pantaleo, marner with [design professionals] to overcome keting associate for MS International. The trend to hardwood flooring looks technical questions, find applicable codes and help write specifications that make clear to continues to develop. “Hardwoods have an construction professionals how to handle, cut aesthetic design appeal, but are limited in application,” said Kirk-Rolley, senior marketing and install Laminam successfully.” Hopkins said manufacturers and distribu- director for Daltile. “Porcelain tile that realistitors must partner with contractors for in-depth cally mimics the look of hardwoods allows for training, encouragement and conversation. beauty coupled with the long-lasting durability Pre-construction, or even pre-bid, is the time and ease of maintenance of porcelain tile.” Marazzi USA’s wood plank series Amerfor architectural and commercial reps to begin the dialog with the installers on a given project. ican Estates emulates the artisanal feel Beyond large-format architectural panels, of hand-scraped, hand-oiled hardwood. plank shapes continue to take market share, Authentically reproduced on durable porwith designers specifically leaning toward celain, the tiles withstand water, stains, scratches and freezing conditions. long, linear sizes on floors and walls. Florida Tile has also seen success with “The latest trends are definitely going to the modern or contemporary looks, and the Natura HDP and Berkshire HDP, two wood-look porcelains rectangular sizes with the newest looks such as high-definition, fabric, textile and linear patterns are extremely intended for commercial spaces. FCW FCW Correction Corrections FCW Mohawk partners with nonprofit [Dalton] Mohawk partners with Sunshine has a following of over 800,000 users. Earlier this year, the Halsteads purchased on a Ranney Day, a nonprofit organization a foreclosed home in dedicated to creating Jefferson, Ga. to be closer safe, fun and uplifting to family for support. At dream-room makethe time, the house was overs for children with not accommodating to long-term illnesses. This Halstead’s special needs so month, the philanthropic Sunshine on a Ranney Day organization revealed its stepped in and — with the largest and most impressupport of companies like sive project yet: a total Mohawk — provided a total home makeover for Tripp home makeover. More than Halstead, a young boy 1.6 million loyal viewers recovering from a brain Scan the QR code to view a video injury incurred last Octo- recap of Mohawk’s involvement with tuned in from around the ber. Mohawk provided the Sunshine on a Ranney Day project. world to experience the life-changing and emoflooring throughout the tional makeover reveal with the Halsteads. In Halstead’s newly remodeled home. “It is an incredible honor to partner with addition, Mohawk’s video recap of the reveal Sunshine on a Ranney Day and supply flooring has been viewed more than 35,000 times on its for this deserving family,” said David Duncan, YouTube channel. Several Georgia-based retailers were senior vice president of marketing at Mohawk. “Oftentimes, sponsorship opportunities associ- involved in the project as well. Ideal Interiors ated with smaller organizations are overlooked. in Suwanee spearheaded the project and served We are enthusiastic that we were able to support as the general contractor for the remodel, Sunshine on a Ranney Day, a young and ener- while flooring retailer Purdy Flooring and getic non-profit that has a clear vision: support- Design also donated material and labor. Mohawk provided thousands of square feet ing families of children with long-term illness.” Halstead was critically injured when a large of flooring product, including SmartStrand tree branch fell on his head while playing Silk with DuPont Sorona Cascade Forest and outside at daycare. Against all odds, Tripp sur- Etchware carpet and Mohawk Simplesse vived several high-risk surgeries and continues luxury vinyl tile, throughout the home. Dalto fight innumerable obstacles. The family’s Tile, Mohawk’s sister company, also donated journey is well-documented on Facebook and material for the master bathroom. FCW FCW Correction Corrections August 26, 2013 82613pages.indd 17 WWW.FCW1.COM · FCW FCW FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY 17 FCW Harmony™ Take a design passion and make it a lifestyle expression, with HARMONY by Marazzi USA. Bold linear slashes of colored grains immediately draw your attention. A color-body porcelain tile, HARMONY brings you a unique modern, exotic wood look for every room. www.marazzitile.com · 8/21/13 2:39 PM 18 Laminate Private label laminate: A market necessity? uct, according to Fred Giuggio, vice president of sales and marketing, Kronotex USA. “We certainly don’t want to replace or Leading distributors and retailers told FCW that private labeling laminate flooring allows interfere with our Kronotex and Formica them to compete aggressively on pricing while brand programs, but we do want to comblocking consumers from shopping their pete with importers with product made in the U.S.A. and, though private labeled, still products at competing stores and online. “Internet shoppers have had the biggest backed by a huge brand,” he said. While North Carolina-based CMH Space impact on my business; and I’m already competing with all the Asian product coming Flooring has partnered with recognized into the West Coast,” said Stephen Kellogg, brands Quick-Step and Formica, it turns to owner of Modesto, Calif.-based Flooring its private-labeled Carolina Lifestyles lamiLiquidators. “The only way I can compete is nate program to provide dealers seamless and having product in my own boxes. I even sell consistent offerings despite regional territory Mannington’s Restoration in my own box. conflicts that can exist with major brands, It’s not that I don’t trust these companies’ according to Art Layton, vice president of marketing efforts, it’s that I don’t trust dis- marketing at North Carolina-based CMH tributors selling online. The goal was never to Space Flooring Products. “We needed to be able to offer a consistent be limited to Chinese imports; it was out of necessity. You can only lose so many jobs to laminate line throughout our entire foota product line available online. With private print and that couldn’t be offered by the two label, I keep my customers and make profit.” major brands we carry. Private labeling isn’t Kronotex USA, which supplies Kellogg shopping for price alone. More effort is given private label laminate from its Barnwell, to looking for the best valued product from S.C. facility, is in the process of launching a manufacturers that understand our needs no-frills “white box” program of 12mm prod- and can provide high quality product and consistent supply,” said Layton. CMH’s Carolina Lifestyles laminate provides dealers with both traditional and long planks but in a smaller profile custom display to optimize showroom space, added Layton. “Carolina Lifestyles is nowhere nearly as known as Quick-Step or Formica, but it offers some of the Faus, now a recognized brand of its own, started out private labeling for industry leaders such as Pergo and exact same features and benefits Mannington. Shown is Faus Cottage Slate. and a great deal of marketing and By Raymond Pina sampling costs have been avoided and the savings gets passed on to the retailer. And you won’t find Carolina Lifestyles in big box stores or on the Internet,” he said. While Quick-Step, Mohawk and Columbia are poweful laminate brands, according to Roger Farabee, senior vice president of marketing, Unilin Flooring, the company also Armstrong exclusively markets the Armstrong brand. offers private labeling. “Despite the strengths of our Shown here is Weathered Way. brands, we know that we capture a finite percentage of the market with ‘leading offer it admit that they still can’t match pricbrand name product.’ There is a segment of ing from Germany and China. “Private labeling drives and supports poor consumers who will never end up buying any of the industry’s leading brand name prod- quality and lessens the value of the category,” ucts when they make their final purchases. noted Milton Goodwin, vice president of To help our distributors and retailers capture wood and laminate, Armstrong. Kellogg said that by the time his private-lathis additional pocket of sales, both Mohawk and Quick-Step laminate offer private label beled Kronotex product reaches him on the West Coast, it’s no longer price competitive programs,” he said. According to Mary McKinney, marketing with Chinese product but he makes it up by manager at Clarion Industries, which sup- advertising that its American made. “I can make 25 percent more because it’s plies a number of leading laminate brands, distributors and retailers with private label made in America,” he said. “Part of it is merlaminate from its Shippenville, Pa. facility, chandising; because everyone around me is consumers are less brand conscious and selling Chinese product.” Distributors focusing solely on branded more focused on what features and benefits a product has to offer. “With a plethora of product said brands generate more sales web and mobile technologies, consumers are volume but lesser margin. “Our laminate lineup better equipped than ever to make educated includes Mannington, Faus and Kronotex. We think this is a fairly strong lineup though our buying decisions,” she said. Despite the recent domestic push into margins leave much to be desired. But there is private labeling, a number of leading brands, no denying that we get considerably more such as Armstrong, told FCW they are against volume with Mannington,” said David Burke, it. And the large domestic suppliers that do president of Radio Distributing. FCW FCW Correction Corrections FCW FCW Mega mill Classen moves nimbly across the country [Vancouver, B.C.] Classen’s Berlin, Germany-based mega mill is now capable of annually producing 1 billion square feet of digitally-printed laminate flooring — more than enough to fill U.S. demand by itself — and landing it at the door of American distributors at 59 cents per square foot through its North American division, inhaus, based here. Classen, which has four warehouses scattered across the U.S., is also preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. “All of the big laminate manufacturers suffer from the same disease — if you’re going to be competitive you need to be a monster facility and always working on your production costs. The production guys always want to run one color once a year. But we’ve taken great efforts to be flexible without losing efficiency. Everyday we’re doing handscraped, highly automated embossed-in-registration (EIR) and it doesn’t cost us anymore,” said Derek Welbourn, CEO, inhaus. Though it is one of the originators of laminate flooring and has facilities in France, Poland and Russia, Classen’s worldwide activities remained low key until it publicly settled an ongoing intellectual property dispute with Sweden-based Välinge at Domotex Hannover 2012. In the settlement, both parties recognized Classen’s early development of the “fold down” drop locking system and agreed to joint license the technology. “Classen was the first to have an ‘angle drop’ locking system,” said Welbourn. “Our opinion was that our intellectual property superseded everyone else. We can say that with confidence because we won all the court cases. At the end of the day, we joint licensed and we classify the technology MegaLoc and Välinge used 5G. We’re sharing the intellectual property.” While historically Classen has served as a low-cost OEM manufacturer serving the likes of Pergo and other name brands, it is steering away from that model and is interested in developing the inhaus brand with North American distributors, according to Welbourn. “inhaus is our exclusive brand to distributors and we’re playing it up. We’re doing less and less OEM because it’s not a long term strategy. It comes and goes and we really want to work on our branding,” he said. To its advantage, not only does inhaus come in under price, it has unique product such as its seven-foot Long Plank and a revolutionary waterproof collection due out in 2014. “One of the keys to our success is getting the most out of technology. Digital printing is huge. We can do small production runs without losing efficiency. And we’re now investing millions of dollars in waterproofing. We’re figuring it out,” he said. With a billion square feet of sharply priced capacity, it’s no surprise — or secret — that Classen has found its way to America’s home centers. But Welbourn said that by managing it properly, it has not been an issue for distributors. “There are no secrets. I tell our distributors Classen product is in the home centers,” said Welbourn. “We’re super big on distributor partnerships. We work well with our distributors. Our philosophy has always been a profit- Correction Corrections · 82613pages.indd 18 able customer is a happy customer.” Cal Hughes, president of Salt Lake City, Utah-based Hughes Western, said, “Classen is a tremendous European manufacturer. They’re the reason we got away from Chinese supply. They have stock and we can draw product from Calhoun, Ga. or Phoenix, Ariz. It is an exciting program.” FCW FCW FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · FCW FCW Derek Welbourn, inhaus’ CEO, with the 7 foot Long Plank. WWW.FCW1.COM August 26, 2013 8/21/13 12:21 PM Resilient 19 FiberFloor SPECIFI makes upgrading easy By Raymond Pina [Chagrin Falls, Ohio] Tarkett, based here, has launched 17 of its best selling fiberglass-backed FiberFloor decors in four different levels of product construction and warranties, according to Bruce Ziegler, director of residential product management, Tarkett. Dubbed SPECIFI, the intention behind the program is to provide consumers and retail salespeople an easy way to upgrade or downgrade features and benefits while maintaining a desired visual and budget, added Ziegler. “This is not rocket science in other portions of the home improvement industry. When you buy paint, you can get the color in a $15 or $50 gallon depending on its sheen, quality and ingredients. Consumers expect that choice in all other areas of their lives,” he said. The 17 top-selling FiberFloor SPECIFI visuals add up to 68 SKUs but feature a wide range of wearlayers (10mm to 20mm) and warranties — 10 year limited to lifetime — added Ziegler. Like all FiberFloor products, the SPECIFI assortment is also FloorScore certified and now features an Asthma & Allergy Friendly certification from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) for both loose-lay and glue-down applications. “The concept allows people to buy the floor that is right for them, their current stage in life and budget without having to sacrifice the design they want,” said Gary Finseth, director of residential marketing, Tarkett. Narrowing the SPECIFI offering down to the best selling 17 designs simplifies the buying process for the consumer and frees up precious show floor and inventory space, added Ziegler. “We want to hit the majority of our volume from this collection,” he said. “The consumer will fall in love with one of these designs. Maybe she can only afford the opening or middle price point. But she’ll clearly see what she’s getting at each price point. Maybe she’ll determine she’ll have to step up further if she has dogs or kids running around and wants a lifetime warranty.” David Zimmer, Tarkett’s Midwest territory sales manager, said whether retailers start at opening price points or initiate conversation at the high-end, the bulk of sales are closing in the mid-price range as expected. “Showing a homeowner that they can have the visual they want in a commercial warranty is a strategy that is working to step consumers up,” he said. Correction Corrections This fall, Tarkett will expand the SPECIFI platform with eight luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) and planks in three different constructions and warranty levels, said Finseth. “The big picture is not just about quality and price but color coordination across multiple categories,” he said. “Whether it’s FiberFloor, LVT or laminate, we want to offer a particular color family across all the floors of Popular FiberFloor designs, like French Marble, are now available in four construction and your house.” FCW FCW warranty levels ranging from 10 years to lifetime. FCW FCW I solved for x with walnut shells. That’s right, walnut shells. They’re one of the rapidly renewable materials used in our Ecolibrium™ Bio-Based Wall Base. And a prime example of our approach to sustainability. We strive to create products that are not only good for the environment, but also good for people and good for our customers’ bottom lines. Because creating products that benefit everybody is the best way to keep sustainability, well, sustainable. See more innovations and our sustainability story at tarkettna.com. With SPECIFI, consumers can choose a design and adjust wearlayers and warranties to suit their needs. Johnsonite_FCW_Aug 26_2013.indd 1 August 26, 2013 82613pages.indd 19 WWW.FCW1.COM · FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY · 8/14/13 4:16 PM 8/21/13 12:22 PM 20 Wood Prices Continued from page 3 greater price spread. Costs on engineered, said suppliers, can be controlled a bit better. Wood flooring saw a nice 7.2 percent increase in sales dollars in 2012, according to Catalina Research, with sales posting at $1.96 billion. While not at 2008 levels, it’s the best the market has seen since. And wood continues to be in a growth position in 2013, Catalina has reported. There are a multitude of challenges plaguing the wood market: A number of sawmills shut down or decreased production during the downturn. Bad weather impacted procurement as well. Meanwhile, post-recession, demand has picked up. And, the flooring industry is competing with other industries for lumber such as furniture, pallets, etc. Many industry insiders have called it “the perfect storm.” But Harry Bogner, senior vice president of hardwood, Unilin Flooring, said that the situation is not permanent. “Lumber supplies continue to be impacted by an improving economy and less than the ideal logging conditions, caused by an extended rainy season. Eventually, the forests will dry out and supplies will improve. The demand for hardwood flooring is up this year. New housing starts are up; builder business is on the rise; there is pent up demand for new housing; and, most importantly, hardwood still continues to be flooring that people aspire to have in their homes. Despite the supply and pricing challenges, hardwood has continued to retain customer appeal and its place in the market as a desired flooring option.” Added Armstrong’s Biedermann, “The increases do not change our strategy — we will continue to drive value to the consumer and give retailers differentiated product that they can make money on. We will still focus on providing high quality floors that consumers love, which increase the value of the home; that retailers can sell; and, that allow us to be responsible to our shareholders.” FCW Marketplace FF_MARKETPL_AD_JULY:Layout 1 7/10/13 2:56 PM Page 1 FLOORFORCE REACHES OVER 1MILLION VISITORS A YEAR. ® * Your Website Has Become The Most Important Marketing Tool For Your Flooring Business. For A FREE Presentation Call OUR WEBSITES ARE NOW REACHING OVER ONE MILLION VISITORS!* AS OF JULY 2013 1,142,599 *Number represents total unique visitors driven to flooring retailers using FloorForce Correction Corrections FCW Mohawk Continued from page 3 of carpet in SmartSolutions looked and performed, I thought it would be perfect for hard surface too. I have dedicated a place in all 15 stores for the SmartSolutions program. Being private label with better warranties also helps diversify, pull the program together and give it identity.” With 15 stores, training can be difficult to coordinate, so Mohawk trained all the Bob’s Carpet Mart RSAs over a two-day period. “Patrick Warren, senior director of business development for Mohawk hard surfaces, did a great job,” Keller said. “It was a strong presentation with lots to talk about. The visuals are great and the samples are a nice large size. The RSAs are all excited to have such a good looking program to sell.” With the wood products coming in mid-August, and the tile arriving later, Keller expects to have the SmartSolutions program set up by mid-September. The wood portion includes 16 engineered wood finishes and 16 solid wood finishes in widths from 2 ¼ inches to 5 inches for a total of 45 SKUs. “The wood products will have unique SmartSolutions technology for cleanability and performance — Armormax Performance Protection with Scotchgard Advanced Repel technology, carrying a 50 year warranty. It is a process that is built into the finish. It is not a coating and won’t wear off,” Byrne explained. The tile menu includes 45 ceramic and porcelain SKUs that are an assortment of designer friendly colors and styles for floors and walls with all the trim pieces. The products use Mohawk’s Reveal Imaging digital technology. “We replicate the look of stone and wood,” Byrne said. “These products also feature Tru-Edge for tight installation and Microban antimicrobial protection. A majority of these tile products are made in the U.S.” The new SmartSolutions program is on trend and all the products carry a 60-day customer assurance guarantee, according to Byrne. “We want the consumer to have peace of mind about her purchase. If she changes her mind within 60 days of installation, Mohawk will change the flooring out with another Mohawk product of equal or greater value,” he explained. FCW FCW Correction Corrections FCW FCW 561.394.7876 or Visit Us At FloorForce.com 82613pages.indd 20 website technologies. The New Leader in Flooring Software FCW FCW Pacific Solutions offers flooring’s only management software that runs native and optimized on iPad® and iPhone®. Call to learn WHY others attempt to imitate us. We Sell Freedom pacific-solutions.com 800.400.4927 t i H your target audience with... Floor Covering Weekly’s Classifieds Working together on SmartSolutions’ training: Jeff Wilson and Jaimie Smith, Mohawk; Ed Keller, Bob’s; Patrick Warren and Jamie Byrne, Mohawk. ® Visit us at: www.FCW1.com Call FCW today! 516•227•1407 8/21/13 1:17 PM Stacey Iaccino [email protected] Call: (516) 227-1407 Fax: (516) 227-1342 Classifieds Business Opportunities WE HELP DEALERS Private labels, specialty mills & etc. Call us now at 800-228-4632 www.carpetbroker.com TIRED OF PAYING TOO MUCH FOR SLOW FREIGHT? AFFORDABLE and FAST transport of your rolls and/or carpet tiles from ALL DALTON area mills to Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland and Philadelphia areas. MAX 3 day transit times. Broadloom rates, LOW as 50 CENTS SY FUEL INCLUDED for orders over 1000 yards. Pay the driver and take a discount for C.O.D. Call or email for quotes. NEXT DAY EXPEDITES AVAILABLE. Visit our web site at www.carpetlogistics.com Contact [email protected] or Call 410-604-3330 and ask for Ed. 1 CENT/SF FLOORING ESTIMATING Fast & Accurate - Callidus Takeoffs www.commercialflooringestimating.com WANTED: CUTTING TABLE Need cutting table for 15’6” or 16’ carpet and vinyl. Must be in good condition, heavy duty, auto-adjust. Examples: Accu-Cut Q-9, Accu-Cut X-33 or comparable. Call Stephanie 800-922-5582 or email [email protected] Career Opportunities Cavalier Carpet Industries is seeking a company Territory Manager With responsibility of selling rolls to stocking retailers. Overnight travel is required. Key territories open are in the Northwest New York/Pennsylvania and Southeast. Compensation includes base pay, commission and expense reimbursement All inquiries are kept confidential. Send resumes to: email [email protected] or by fax to 706-517-1044 or contact Harold Hair at 706-264-3882 Direct Sales Agent Opportunities • Resilient Locking Systems • Carpet - How to Compete with Big Boxes • Laminate - New Visuals and Formats • Bamboo - Strand for Performance Career Opportunities LATICRETE® SUPERCAP®, LLC, manufacturer of the revolutionary LATICRETE SUPERCAP System, is expanding across North America and seeking exceptional sales candidates in support of the company’s growth. For more details, visit www.laticretesupercap.com and click on the Careers link. For multiple flooring manufacturer lines. Territories in Nashville, and Knoxville, TN. Please email resume [email protected] Outside Sales for LEEZA Surfaces - NJ/NY area Exclusive distributor of HanStone Quartz premium surfacing solutions is seeking an experienced Territory Sales Manager. Establish and maintain relationships with key Stone Fabricators, K&B, GCs Developers, and National Brands throughout NYC/ New Jersey. Please send resume to: [email protected] Career Opportunities HPS North America,Inc. The Schönox Provider HPS Schönox is Growing! Seeking Experienced Sales Professionals with 5-10 years experience in the flooring industry. Candidates should be technically versed, self-motivated and entrepreneurial. Position is to develop and support distributors, contractors and end-users with our full line of subfloor products. Sales territories are available throughout the U.S. Potential is significant. Our organization backed by German technology And foresees many years of incredible growth. Please send resumes to efarnsworth@hpsubfloors.com Sales Personnel & Installation Manager Wanted America’s Floor Source, one of the nation’s largest flooring retailers, is seeking experienced sales personnel and an Installation Manager for our Columbus Ohio Corporate headquarters. Our Company Redi Carpet is a Texas-based floor covering provider servicing the national apartment housing industry. We provide our customers with a full range of products, industry-leading initiatives, and value added services. Rapid growth has propelled us into a national leader in the multifamily housing industry. Fueled by acquisitions and new markets, we now operate locations throughout the southern half of the United States. Outside Sales Professionals for Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio Redi Carpet employs the best sales professionals in the industry. Our Account Managers call on apartment owners and management companies to secure their replacement floor covering business. Our model is built on repeat sales and successful candidates who grow their account base can have long careers and generate sizable incomes for themselves. Candidates should have a proven track record in account development and outside sales of goods and services. These individuals must be skilled at building and maintaining relationships. Floor covering experience is helpful, but not required. Self-discipline, strong work ethic, and professionalism are expected. We offer extensive training, group health benefits, and 401k program. For consideration, please email your resume to: [email protected] www.redicarpet.com General Manager – Las Vegas, NV Redi Carpet is the largest flooring contractor in the U.S. dedicated solely to providing floor covering products and installation services to the apartment industry. Our company has been in business for over 30 years and presently operates in 9 states and 18 cities. Candidates for this position should possess: • Minimum 5 years experience in flooring or related industry preferred • Minimum 5 years management experience • Ability to assume complete P&L responsibility for the business • Outgoing personality • High energy level • Superior social skills • Redi Carpet has a benefits package available to its employees including 401(k) Savings Plan, Health Insurance, Paid Holidays, and Vacation. Submit resume in confidence to [email protected] 82613Class/market.indd 21 Ads Close Sept 18, 2013 Next up in FCW, Sept 30 Issue Sales positions are for our Builder, Property Management, Wholesale and Retail divisions. Applicant should have a minimum of 2 years of flooring experience and a desire to work for a company that will allow you to grow. The Installation Manager will be responsible for managing installers and field techs and should have a minimum of 3 years of flooring operational experience. Salaries commensurate with experience. 401K and health benefits are included in the compensation package. Interested applicants should email their resume to: [email protected]. Randy's Carpets & Interiors Seeks qualified, experienced flooring covering installers for immediate sub-contract work at our Coralville/Iowa City location. Email [email protected] for installation rates or additional questions. SEEKING SALES PROFESSIONAL NYC based company is seeking a sales professional for its NYC showroom. Minimum of 3 years experience in floor covering sales. Must be knowledgeable in all facets of flooring-wood, laminate, carpet, ceramic, stone. Looking for ambitious and outgoing personality, professional appearance, with excellent communication and computer skills. Full time position. Salary plus commission with excellent benefits. Please forward resume to [email protected] Subscribe Now FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY The Industry’s Business News & Information Resource Go to FloorCoveringWeekly.com/ subscribe or scan QR code with your smart phone. 8/21/13 11:59 AM 22 The Last Word Let the replacement begin F selection 44 percent are the three most important attributes for purchasing, according to respondents; half of new floors will be installed DIY; and, homeowners continue to see their home values increasing, which can have a very strong correlation to their willingness to spend on home improvements with 60 percent saying that increased home values will increase the likelihood of a remodel project. Among other findings was the growing awareness among consumers of well-established retail organizations such as Lumber Liquidators (72 percent), Empire Carpet (49 percent), The Tile Shop (20 percent) and Floor & Décor (16 percent), as well as Lowe’s and The Home Depot. When it comes to home centers, respondents said they still favored the Home Depot over Lowe’s but only by a small margin. This is in spite of higher scores at Lowe’s for customer service, product assortment and store cleanliness and organization. Home Depot was favored for its lower prices and product availability/in-stock levels. Product availability should be particularly noted by specialty flooring retailers as being a critical factor for consumers. I don’t think the importance of having product available when and where the consumer needs it can be overstated in today’s highly competitive market. It also allows retailers to discuss the value of professional installation. These results appeared in the April 2013 Piper Jaffray Home Improvement Survey. looring replacement appears to be in the sweet spot of a strengthening remodel cycle as it is not an overly expensive project but can have a high impact on the look and feel of a room. That’s from a recent study of consumers by Piper Jaffray, an investment bank and asset management firm, that points to continued growth in flooring for the remainder of the year and into next. In fact, 57 percent of respondents plan to increase remodel spending over the next 12 months and flooring is tied with painting for the No. 1 spot in project priority for jobs costing more than $500. Moreover, long-term demand for flooring appears healthy with 73 percent of respondents planning to purchase flooring over the next three years. Some of the survey’s other key takeaways include: 93 percent plan to complete one or more projects costing more than $500 over the next 12 months out of necessity, choice or both; 77 percent say they will engage in a discretionary home improvement project with painting, flooring, deck/ fence/patio and bathrooms among the highest priority projects; Hardwood saw the largest increase in homeowner interest and is now No. 1 taking the top spot from carpet. Ceramic tile is No. 3 (compared to previous Piper Jaffray studies); quality 86 percent, low prices 75 percent and broad — Santiago Montero Focusing on the future group, that we come up with new ways to serve you be it our weekly website updates and news alerts that deliver the week’s news right to your screen, whether it is on your desktop or smartphone. We make sure you don’t miss a bit of news no matter where you are. Or it may be to more intensely cover aligned conventions so that we do more than provide a snapshot of that day but rather insight into strategies and initiatives, all coming from the top executives who are setting the course for that group’s growth. And last year, for example, Janet Herlihy, who covers carpets and rugs for us but who has been a part of this industry for decades, targeted our retailer coverage as an area she wanted to help improve. Since then, she has ramped up our retail profiles spotlighting both the struggles and successes that you all share as a community of flooring dealers. We challenge ourselves to do better at this meeting no matter what it takes. This vision guides us in the coming year. Part of this vision is the meetings we have with all of you. We listen intently to what is happening in your business and what we can do to help, to get your message out in a meaningful way. Those of you who we don't get the opportunity to sit with; I invite you in on our think tank. My door is open to you for sharing your ideas, challenges and struggles even. Come on in. Y WEEKL COVERING A Hearst at booths Visit FCW #B3370 #S5761 & SURFACES 2013 Stage Setting the very for Reco rkets Winter ma Busines Commercial Vol. 62 Supplem ent to Floor a l o d i c P e r i news updated each business day, visit us online om tion April 8, 2013 $4 Consolid ated installs St. Mar y’s 4:42 PM SchÖnox sets flooring stage news updated each business Fashion forward commer cial carp et ges.indd day, visit us online at www.fcw1 .com 17 crucial for ed on page flooring mar ket Hard surface and secure ing FloorSc flooring supplier lucrativ e governm “All of our ent contrac & Schools ore and Greengu s are adoptproduct fied and ts. certifications ard Childre s are FloorSc this has product n ore certito verify had a great s emit that their specifications,” negligib organic impact le levels said compou of volatile specification manage Carrie Berger, on our nds (VOCs) to healthy plier Burke and contribu indoor air r for rubber national now required quality Industr te asked floor sup— if our product ies. “We are and Environ to achieve Leaders designations s meet indoor constantly hip in Energy standards. Being mental Design air quality able to say helps us (LEED) get and ‘yes’ and credits maintai prove it n specifi cations. Continu This ed on page 3/20/13 s.indd 1 1-28-13page 82613pages.indd 22 Ron Nash of Laticrete Columnists Jon Trivers I take the floor (530) 876-8454 [email protected] Chris Ramey Strategic insights (561) 876-8077 [email protected] Kermit Baker Beyond the numbers [email protected] Ed Korczak As I see it [email protected] Marge Redmond Heard on Main Street [email protected] Christine Whittemore Flooring the customer [email protected] Tom Jennings First things first (785) 843-1678 [email protected] Advertising Southeast, Midwest, West Coast U.S. & Canada Charlton Calhoun (770) 919-7747 Fax (770) 919-1348 [email protected] Northeast U.S. Cal Calhoun (770) 919-7747 Fax (770) 919-1348 [email protected] Classified Ads Stacey Iaccino (516) 227-1407 Fax (516) 227-1342 [email protected] Administration Sherridan Basdeo Advertising Administrator (516) 227-1307 [email protected] Carolyn Giroux Audience Development Director (516) 227-1376 [email protected] Adriana Marzovilla Financial Manager (516) 227-1364 [email protected] Steven R. Swartz President & Chief Executive Officer William R. Hearst III Chairman Frank A. Bennack Jr. Executive Vice Chairman Richard P. Malloch Group Head & President Steven A. Hobbs Executive VP & Deputy Group Head Robert D. Wilbanks Group Controller Sales Headquarters 50 Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Suite 100, Uniondale, NY 11553 (516) 229-3600 • FAX (516) 227-1342 Floor Covering Weekly (ISSN-0015-3761) is published bi-monthly by Hearst Business Communications, Inc./FCW Division, 50 Charles Lindbergh Blvd Suite 100, Uniondale, NY 11553. Periodicals postage paid at Uniondale, NY and additional mailing offices. Subscription rates: Domestic: $25 per year, $48 two years; Canada: $60 per year, $110 two years. Sales Agreement No. 4001287. Foreign: $174 airmail. Single copy Domestic: $4.00, Canada: $6.00. Printed in the U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY, PO Box 3012, Northbrook, IL 60065. with SpectraLock art S SURFACE2013 Entries Ray Pina Santiago Montero Publisher & Editor in Chief (516) 229-3617 [email protected] Amy Joyce Rush Managing Editor (516) 227-1421 [email protected] Kimberly Gavin Editor at Large (706) 278-3690 [email protected] Raymond Pina Senior Editor (787) 467-1181 [email protected] Janet Herlihy (361) 906-1117 [email protected] Tanja Kern (417) 522-9722 [email protected] Brittany Walsh (516) 227-1358 [email protected] POST CARE Co to tackle nference challenge s Cruise and Business Mohawk’s Mike Zoellner and Elise Demboski with a retro Marilyn Monroe 10 By Mallory 1 A Hearst No. 3 $4 11, 2013 on Publicati CEO, president Karel Vercruyssen 2013 Low VOCs For breaking fcw4813-pa Vol. 62 Ralph Boe (right) with newly named acquisition Bōlyü Drift and Brights installed at carpet tile of Zoosk, the San Francisc the social o offices dating service. 3 Beaulieu preps for Boe’s retirement with co-CEO CEO 19 al tile pos ition $4 Inter view Scott Hum with WFC A phrey Cruise ing glob May 6, 2013 A Hearst Business Publication February [Orlan scaled back do, Fla.] petsPlus the last Alliance endure built upon Flooring the tough three years in strategy /Car- the order financial as it welcom its “Pillars for industry Success” times plaguinto convent turn around, . But things are ion here ed members to this g March beginni convent he added. By Janet 23-26. Underyear’s ng to ion theme “We’re Herlihy “Drive 2”, getting more to its member its help from s the skills, Alliance brought we had a great Carpet necessar supplier meeting tools and board. y for a s; (CARE) America Recover with our by the end “Welcom successful recovery products year,” I think it’s going y advisory will meet of May. e to the to be a great year. Ron Dunn in Wesley Effort Fla., for In order Logue, recovery,” Chapel, growth its co-CEO said John back. Commercial said. “Retail is head carpet to continue to ence, April 11th Annual of greeting Confercoming spearbuilding is 24-26. Th members Alliance/Carpet tively, CARErecycling efforts has much is up which strong. Housin e sPlus, the first at g and eff to be proud organization He added day of conventgeneral session is spurring have benefi will need help. ecrecogniz that the reported on ion. The ing its accompof. And while “We , is already group hopesbusiness.” also group, he 30-40 stores in our board ted greatly by evidenc lishmen up acknow upcomi 10 percent getting goal is more e of better members ts, it ledges ng months to open do this year, it’s a constan involved financial and challeng there is much network Accordi , but times ahead. ing among . Another The Pillars ng to Dr. Bob t challeng es to address. CARE ance Floorin to Ron Dunn, Establish members. e to keep Peoples for Success moving vided the ed co-CEO g/Carpe carpet industryin 2002, CARE many moving forward with of Allistrategy convent tsPlus, ing on ion foundat prorepresen the compan and is parts demand so people, marketattentio ts the ion, focusdedicate y based perception, n,” Peoples CARE now ing out of landfi solutions for keepingd to finding noted. plannin number g, and lls. In Septemb Continu s 80 certifi used carpet and another 20 returned ed on page ed processo er, national as Dr. Bob executiv rs of PCC, recyclers 21 network Peoples e director CARE’s making “We’re looking to facilitate of CARE. carpet recyclinup CARE was agenda is full. at big shift recycling,” In preparin g. s and trends ter review Peoples g the 2012 mid-March, in are said. carpet for Cal Fourth influenced “Some of Recycle, Survey, by the macro the factors the CARE Quar- and how the 2012 CARE it affects econom Annual ning for ic climate small business the Annual Annual Report, Peoples working es everywh pointed plan- market Meeting on the fi out that ere.” in April rebound nal plan as the and sold s, due to Cal which will more new carpet housing Recycle eventua is being lly be available Continu for Mohawk fina Gains lead lizes Marazzi No. 9 Vol. 62 Networki optimismng, new products , drives All iance By Mallory hot prodvery, very LVT is a to grow continue uct and we ial and residenare our commerc Rush lines. We By Amy Joyce tial LVT product ns at this Rusprojectio A year ago, of ahead of [Salem, N.J.] helm said. took the point,” he he has invested sell Grizzle Mills, a familySince then, g the ton old Manning in overseein easier his time nearly 100-yeardeeply owned n, a job made dilithat was integratio due and company of careful and in tradition because the purchase grounded industry, Mangence before Russell Grizzle rest of the the slow like aligned with a big in a painfully and values that at’s been was mired then that company from the start. “Th His job for the future recovery. d while nington’s plot a path said. to announce he is markets now new com- help,” October, the company Commercial growth in true to the In ton includes time to stay the Manning will carry both at the same that both forces values. , includthe Amtico and the Amtico sales pany’s core ial products points to the allows s’ commerc tile, using Today, Grizzle move that companie and carpet n as a strategic its global reach cial “Choices LVT, sheet acquisitio ton Commer com- ing ton to expand Manning on page 47 its LVT d Manning current bring Continue it to3-25-13Co while enabling n onshore.mmercial.indd 18 n. mercial productio with the acquisitio pleased “We are at www.fcw1.c s Publica March 2013 PINNACLE 4 PRACTICE & PROCESS 5 PRODUC T 10 PROMOT ION & COMMUN ICATION 1/18/13 For breaking — Amy Joyce Rush Busines Coverin g Weekly Grizz Mannington’s Great Floo wide and rs goes deep A Hearst tion , product Acquisition t advantage heat up bring markele sets course for future OklaRoger Voge, a,” said Floorin Oklahom president for Star homa division ng. & Marble, ing & Decoratiowner of Paris Tile up. casual, By Janet Herlihy is picking re was Jinx Yoder, said, “Business after the first ] The atmosphein hotels located [Dallas Paris, Texas, to wait ‘til s scattered and the who wanted buy now.” the showroom Grapevine, Texas, the People in and are back to Fine Floors in Irvine small, attending were of the year t of Adair’s large and is importan markets Susan Adair, retailers, flooring c. “Winter market Surfaces in Dallas regional products and optimistiwith Dallas, said, better than it’s the .” along us. I think pleased with Beaulieu are not distracted Valley T&L to Shaw, Mohawk, Swiff-Train, that the suppliers owner of Brazos in rs including see a wide range of Chuck Moreau,with three locations distributo . dealers to been programs has Design, drew area, the latest and BPI Floor & hear about Station, Texas d on page 12 g in the product and recoverin the College Continue tion is better retail Construc reported strong retailers is and market region “The builder sales as well. No. 7 s Publica 19 Great Floors, No. 9 on FCW’s Top 50 list, boasts an expansive showroom in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. e ” them h Max boot sor ic of Mag Wind Max variety. Haleys Flooring & Interiors offers ABC Carpet & Home’s 6th floor rug department Sergenian’s grows in Wisconsin and Florida Separate retail brands, expanded commercial ces and distribution sales, administrative offi three in Madison. In Florida, there are now — Tampa, of G. Fried Flooring America stores The merger of Sergenian’s Floor Coverings told, sales tallied G. Fried Sarasota and Jupiter. All Madison, Wisc. with Florida-based to Jim has $25.8 million in 2012, according Flooring America in November of 2011, Sergethat Garner, CEO of the parent company resulted in a vital, diversified business and the majority 50 U.S. nian’s Floor Coverings, Inc. is ranked No. 40 in FCW’s 2013 Top shareholder of the business. Specialty Retailers report. In 2008, when the recession hit in Wisconsin, SergeA member of Flooring America, onethe builder business accounted for about nian’s operates a retail store and maintains Continued on page 23 a second facility that houses commercial By Janet Herlihy For breaking news updated each business 19 11:25 AM day, visit us online at www.fcw1.com location My Flooring America’s Denton, Texas Sergenian’s showroom features stylish Hard surface carries retail out of slump The 12:15 PM gates open at Surfa . 2013 about Stainmaster brand. coverage *Surfaces page 4 begins on Flooring Newton, said Ian put the program 101, who group. for the together this as a r, we see Gavin “Howeve ” ent opporBy Kimberly and year run,” said Bruce Zwicker, president in your business.Merritt margin enhancemadded, not The National to invest when By Raymond Pina CEO, Haines. “Housing is rising and right for you and president Randy a better [L V] Alliance . He tunity,” Newton disrupter ering be be like throwing Rush Both Bell Floorcov of more signifi- interest rates go up it will definitively as a market the program Amy Joyce offered Specialty flooring dealers are reporting collective 2013 will people trying that if Cruise and for all of us,” (NFA), a said that traf- rocket fuel on a fire with more nation’s also said group By Mallory right here convencant and sustained increases in both store our number than 40 of the still relatively low. support, the “It starts Network success is Growth, to buy in while rates are . gets good met prior Flooring on the year. fic and store sales across all categories. growth and additions into a ] Shaw a spotlight largest retailers, for a midBell. “Your [O new We’re coming out of a depression would pursue 2013 — put 2013 they said, is being fueled by rejuvenated in January, dakis, incomlaser sharp Surfaces and one priority.” Phil Koufi “Every year tion — Insight to create targeted, busi- pretty strong recovery.” year to con, said that meeting Merritt, better home construction, residential remodel deep on comability a president be g its Explained Construction and renovation of company’s was ing NFA going to that conventireview. The positive while expressin and the causes ness and Main Street commercial. g program y says it’s facilities, to support vendor at last everybod business plans said mercial spaces such as healthcare the Armstron cant because their families have the statistics informam reported “I haven’t been this busy in years,” signifi ces continue to cern for its dealers, s. but we didn’t year we have concrete especially owner schools and government offi group continue vely momentu 30-year industry veteran Jeff Kaspin, more than . This ed the first space on Main it believes in. to be progressi fall’s meeting group disintention crowd of it represent Carpet. rise but the return of retail it. It’s going told the ), “Shaw of Monroe Township, N.J.-based A.B. of carpet. while the opportunity. a new attendees proVance Bell to four years.” tion to support his my Street is proving to be the latest of And examine buy outside . potential (some 3,800 to insure future officiated “The amount of traffic coming through the next three retail and CEO from Armstrong cussed some closed doors, NFA members better for “With new housing comes new Koufidakis 1,000 dealers the together program et, chairman . “My job Hathafocused Buff pieces wood door is reminiscent of the good days before behind principal been the g president Borders, Berkshire Warren have has put amazing construction,” said Diana 12 grams publicly embracin as the new company service best opporsuccess. We economy went bad. And what’s really d on page flooring, Armbuy first meeting p is to bring the one it is quality and Shaw’s parent growth and Continue January, designer for commercial during wood group to me is how strong business was in leadershi Our product made major capital g. retail environment he told FCW is a new to with on you. that kind strong. “We’re seeing the and we’ve e time is to the group,” en they can choose ity from Armstron d, introduced February and March. Usually we get Th But business. improved tunities “Th opportun have $1 billion. already driving a lot of commercial So far, we Scrape Hardwoon, is a collection of push in April through June. I’m nts — over vendor meeting. American best for them. participainvestme conventio we’re also seeing a lot of hospitals renovating. in 3/8 the lly what is at the fall ahead of last year. That’s very encouraging.” available individua the NFA getting mass dip, America is building again.” scraped products adding that success in in 10 colors With the exception of an occasional had said, charge the led high-end have have Available dakis of categories es. Hard surface Koufi and with four: thickness that success monthly increases in new home sales 8 percent the first is starting tion in carpet,” group can spread and ½-inch property of increased sales, up some the Grain and goal as presiNFA program a trend among homeowners and to the first quartotal, the Blaze, Amber p he believed d and beyond. His on page 7 quality quarter of 2013 in comparison d Nest, Autumn is a direct-shi managers to remodel with better hardwoo Research. into Catalina Continue to Eagles according program ter of 2012, use. The ve pricing. goods is driving sales growth residentially. Smokeho Continued on page 23 competiti ble,” three members “We think we’re set up to have a good is considera that offers advantage 1:14 PM 2/8/13 “The price 5/1/13 3:47 PM 4/4/13 Drumline makes noise first ong: NFA’s : Armstrgroup buy option ight 2013 Shaw’s Ins better future wood a ing Build ces “The the displays.at a l o d i c P e r i ✓ P e r i o d i c a l $4 28, 2013 on Publicati P e r i o d i c a l FLOOR Business FCW January A Hearst Editorial Thomas Young Group Production Manager (516) 227-1369 [email protected] Matthew Lippl Production Artist (516) 227-1354 [email protected] T No. 2 Editorial (516) 229-3600 Fax (516) 227-1342 Advertising (770) 919-7747 Fax (770) 919-1348 Classified Advertising (516) 227-1407 Fax (516) 227-1342 Production he FCW crew heads to Dalton for a week each year for our Annual Edit Meeting. We accomplish a lot in the five days there. First, we host our annual GreenStep Awards program. It is always a pleasure to congratulate the winners — their ability to reach their sustainability goals and set a new standard for the rest of the industry. This year was no different and we were proud to welcome Mohawk, Shaw, Tarkett, Beaulieu, Mannington Commercial and Teragren as this year’s winners. Firmly planted in the back half of this year, the executives here — company presidents, sustainability executives included — shared their optimism for the industry's growth. While here in Dalton, we also have the opportunity to see our friends and partners in the industry and spend time with various manufacturers each year and learn more about their plans and targets for the coming year. It is time well spent and a commitment we have made and kept for many years now. The balance of the week is spent with our team sitting around the table, sharing ideas, perspectives, challenges — we come together to strategize about how we can better serve this industry that we are all here to support and help grow. As part of the Hearst Corporation, FCW holds itself to the highest standards. You can count on us to continue to be transparent and steadfast in everything we do. It is a time commitment that is well worth the days away from our office and our personal lives because it is here, as a Vol. 62 FCW Editorial and Sales Headquarters 50 Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Suite 100, Uniondale, NY 11553 (516) 229-3600 • FAX (516) 227-1342 For breaking 5613-pages.indd 1 s.indd 1 2-11-13page news updated each business day, visit us online To subscribe: call (866) 813-3752 or go to fcw1.com/subscribe For reprints of articles: Wright’s Media (877) 652-5295 om at www.fcw1.c 8/21/13 12:22 PM Mary Bishop* worked in her family’s flooring business and devoted herself to her family. When a Christmas Eve seizure led to the discovery of a grade III brain tumor, Mary suddenly had to focus on an intense treatment plan which included radiation, chemotherapy and fighting the tumor. Good thing someone told her about the Floor Covering Industry Foundation g in lp he u, o y c am lp i f nd or d he e. a h n e s p s a er op s eu u t g s n a yo nd e a o e y r t r i l pl t u, e r s t u o f g o y tr n n r pe an a e e s ry w ’ k t r h v t t a u n e I w s u M “ n t t bo ha yo s u a T he r b s w fi , e ll u a k e a ’s yo th m it g t e.” , i l u e p h m eo r p Fo ng i lp e h l e fe y il s ines Bus ng p* i o r h e s v rco y Bi lo o Mar F ily Fam Do you know someone who could use our assistance? Let them know there’s hope. For information or to make a donation, please call 714.634.0302 or visit FCIF.org. *The FCIF treats all of its grant recipients confidentially. Mary wanted to share her story with the public but asked that we keep their identity veiled. Her name has been changed FCIF_ad_2011_FCW_2.indd 3 9/26/11 2:41 PM WE HAVE A GROWING CAPACITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS. April 2009 February 2011 ENGINEERED FLOORS CALHOUN PLANT April 2012 ENGINEERED FLOORS DALTON PLANT July 2013 To learn more, visit EngineeredFloorsLLC.com or call us at 866-706-9745 82613pages.indd 24 8/14/13 1:31 PM