Mendelsohn named SVP of Marketing for Mohawk

CALHOUN, GA.—Marketing strategist Karen Mendelsohn has been named senior vice president of marketing at Mohawk Industries. In this position, Mendelsohn will be responsible for the overall creation and implementation of marketing strategies to drive dynamic new growth across Mohawk’s North America Flooring businesses.

Mendelsohn steps into her role as chief marketing leader of Mohawk North America Flooring with a wealth of experience in corporate and operations planning, brand development and management and eBusiness strategy.

“We are pleased to have Karen Mendelsohn on our team,” said Brian Carson, president of Mohawk Flooring. “As a proven leader, Karen brings exceptional business experience and drive to take Mohawk even further on its journey as the pioneer in flooring, product innovation and digital marketing. She is a great fit for Mohawk, and our culture of perpetual innovation.”

A 30-year veteran of the building products industry, Mendelsohn earned an MBA from Columbia University and spent more than 15 years in strategic, sales and marketing leadership at Masco, a supplier of brand-name building products and services. Before that, she was vice president of marketing for 12 years at Delta Faucet Company.

According to the company, Mohawk is already a leader in digital within the flooring industry. Under Mendelsohn’s leadership, the company will further innovate its digital strategy and social presence to resonate and build connections with consumers to drive increased traffic to Mohawk retailer locations.

“On a larger scale, I will be helping to shape a vision and build a marketing plan to further position Mohawk as the supplier of choice with customers across complex and fragmented distribution channels,” Mendelsohn said. “This will involve leveraging brand management, integrated marketing communications and digital and insights-led customer engagement tools to help Mohawk evolve and engage customers and end-users across new and traditional marketing channels. It is an exciting mission, and I thank Mohawk for giving me the opportunity to be a part of it.” For more information, visit mohawkflooring.com.

Lumber Liquidators Names New CFO

TOANO, VA.—Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. said it has named Martin Agard its new chief financial officer. Interim CFO Greg Whirley will remain with the company as senior vice president of finance, the company said in a statement. Lumber Liquidators also said Christopher Thomsen has joined as chief information officer.

“Marty brings over three decades of experience in leveraging financial acumen to enhance company performance,” said CEO John Presley. His track record of organizational revitalization and turnaround expertise is an asset for Lumber Liquidators as we continue to progress on our strategic priorities and position the Company for growth.” For more information, visit lumberliquidators.com.

Invista Plans $30-million Expansion

CAMDEN, S.C.—A $30-million expansion at Invista’s fiber manufacturing plant in South Carolina will enable the company to rapidly respond to small-lot, carpet fiber demands, according to the company.

“Our mill customers and the design community rely on Invista to offer a palette of hundreds of solution-dyed nylon 6,6 colors for each of their unique design preferences,” said Marc Ahrens, vice president of the company’s specialty flooring business. “The new technology will expand our capability to offer sophisticated color families while at the same time improving service.”

Invista developed this innovative, proprietary small-lot technology by working closely with equipment manufacturer, Truetzschler.

“We are pleased to be supplying Invista with the highest quality of BCF extrusion technology for this important expansion,” said Dr. Dirk Burger, CEO of the Truetzschler Group. “As a part of a long-term collaboration in research and development, our teams were challenged and inspired to create enhanced products. Truetzschler thanks Invista for their confidence in our company.” For more information, visit invista.com.

MSI Opens Second Toronto-Area Location

TORONTO— MS International Inc., a leading surfacing supplier based in Orange, Calif., has announced the opening of a second showroom and distribution center near Toronto.

Located in Vaughan, Ontario, MSI’s newest showroom and distribution center is strategically positioned to service customers in the Northern and Eastern regions of the Greater Toronto Area. The state-of-the-art building contains a 12,500-sq.-ft. state-of-the-art showroom for flooring and wall tile and a separate 15,000 sq. ft. dedicated to slab selection.

Featuring an assortment of more than 250 colors of granite, marble, quartzite and other natural stones, in addition to quartz countertops. In addition, the showroom displays MSI’s newest collection of on-trend flooring, decorative mosaics and wall tile, and hardscaping products made from natural stone, quartz, porcelain, ceramic, and glass.

The modern space was carefully designed to evoke a warm and welcoming vibe many people don’t expect to find in a showroom setting. The customer-friendly facility also features upgraded lighting, ample walk space, and a knowledgeable sales staff that further enhance the shopping experience.

“We are very excited to expand our service in the Toronto area — further solidifying MSI’s position as one of the largest countertop and flooring suppliers in the region,” said Rupesh Shah, president of MSI. “This new facility also allows us to provide a more convenient location for customers to see our full product line and send their customers for product selections. Our significant investment in infrastructure, inventory, and a well-trained staff underscores MSI’s commitment to making surfacing products more affordable and accessible.” To learn more, visit msistone.com.

Shaw Completes Hardwood Facility Expansion

DALTON, GA.—Shaw Industries has completed the expansion of its hardwood flooring manufacturing facility in South Pittsburg, Tenn., to meet the growing demand for its engineered hardwood flooring products.

The $40 million investment adds more than 60% capacity to the existing hardwood manufacturing facility as well as dozens of jobs over the past several months as new equipment and production lines have come on line.

“The expansion of our South Pittsburg engineered hardwood facility is a prime example of our continued investment in new product development and advanced manufacturing practices,” said Vance Bell, Shaw’s chairman and CEO. “Hardwood is important to Shaw’s business growth strategy.”

The announcement represents the company’s ongoing alignment with market demands and preferences. In 2006, Shaw transformed this former yarn plant into one of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced hardwood flooring manufacturing facilities across Shaw’s entire portfolio. In 2015, the company introduced a significant product innovation with Epic Plus built with Stabilitek, a next generation engineered hardwood that offers superior performance on high-moisture concrete slabs often found in today’s homes as a result of rapid construction schedules.

Additionally, in recent years, the company has invested in technology, innovation and automation to improve efficiency, product performance, cost, safety, material yield and waste reduction at its hardwood facilities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

“We have invested heavily in hardwood in recent years—from styling and service to manufacturing and marketing,” said Scott Sandlin, Shaw’s vice president of hard surfaces. “This ongoing investment offers numerous benefits to consumers, retailers, builders and interior designers, including a wide range of looks and finishes to match ever-evolving customer preferences and durable products to withstand today’s busy lifestyles.”

For more information, visit shawfloors.com.

TISE Attendee Registration Opens

LAS VEGAS—The International Surface Event (TISE): SURFACES I StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas I TileExpo, taking place Jan. 18 through 20, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, has opened attendee online registration for the 2017 event.

Industry professionals are encouraged to register early for the first pick of events, experiences and education sessions, as space is limited for many options. The TISE exhibit hall is nearly sold out, setting the stage for the 2017 exhibit hall to be the biggest and most engaging event space yet. Products and services are represented from just about all corners of the globe from upwards of 700 exhibitors spanning more than 400,000 square feet.

SURFACES will feature the latest floorcovering products, tools, trends, services and technologies. A few exhibitors to note this year in the SURFACES event are the return of the Mohawk brands, Couristan, Mannington, Armstrong, Dream Weaver Carpet, Tarkett and many more.

Featuring specialty stone and machinery areas with exhibitions of stone and stone supplies from seven countries, plus stone tools, equipment, services and demonstrations from leading manufacturers and associations, StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas is the stone event for stone industry professionals. Noted exhibitors for 2017 are MS International, Northwood Industrial Machines, Park Industries, Intermac America, Baca Systems, Gran Quartz, Best Cheer Stone and a whole suite of other impressive stone companies.

Leading tile manufacturers and suppliers will be on display in TileExpo offering attendees products from artisan to ceramic, decorative to glass and beyond. Attendees can meet with representatives from Emser Tile, DalTile, Marazzi, American Olean, Eleganza Tile, Crossville, Bedrosians, purusing beautiful displays of tile products from these and a whole suite of other tile companies and manufacturers. To register for TISE and additional information, visit TISEwest.com.

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR Expands Market Reach  

SHANGHAI—The 19th edition of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR will take place March 21-23, 2017, at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. As the leading trade fair for various segments of the flooring industry in the Asia-Pacific area, the event is continuing to expand and its international profile in 2017.

Seven months before the gates are opened 13% more display space has been booked compared with last year. Manufacturers of international brands have booked approximately 32% of the total space booked at DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2017. Suppliers of resilient floor coverings such as Armstrong, Gerflor, KCC, KDF, LG Hausys, Nox, US FLOORS and Windmoeller have confirmed their participation. They will be joined by wood flooring suppliers such as Amorim, Alsapan, Classen, the French Timber Association, Haro, Swiss Krono Group and Välinge, as well as Balta, Boyteks, Jaipur, Nishaburi, Oriental Weavers and Suminoe from the carpet industry. National pavilions have been reserved by Belgium, India, Pakistan and the US., i.e. the American Floorcovering Alliance (in the carpet sector) and the National Wood Flooring Association.

The exhibition space embraces 12 halls. Five halls are dedicated to carpets, rugs and runners, and four to parquet and laminate flooring, as well as to cork, bamboo and other hard floor products and the FloorTech display. The remaining three halls have been allocated to resilient floor coverings for domestic, commercial and industrial applications. At the heart of the extremely popular wood flooring category, a new special display area will accommodate the exhibits of manufacturers of ceramic tiles and WPC outdoor decking.

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2016 attracted 1,303 exhibitors from 40 countries, as well as 50,398 trade visitors, including 11,963 foreign visitors from 106 countries. For more information, visit domotexasiachinafloor.com.

DriTac Names Business Development Director

CLIFTON, N.J.—DriTac Flooring Products appointed Wade Verble new business development director. Verble is responsible for expanding sales with the development of new business opportunities through a variety of evolving channels that include new product categories, industry segments and overall business strategies designed to focus on company growth. His targeted business objectives will emphasize market needs and span the dome stic and international marketplaces.

Verble previously served as southeast regional sales manager before being promoted to national sales manager and then leaving the company to explore other interests more than a decade ago. He has over 25 years’ experience in the flooring industry with a strong background in manufacturing and distribution platforms.

“Wade brings a lot of experience and industry knowledge to the DriTac team. He will undoubtedly represent DriTac with professionalism and help steer us towards new growth opportunities,” says Myrna Block, executive VP. For more information visit www.DriTac.com.

Surya Announces Winners of Surya Spaces Contest

CARTERSVILLE, GA.— Surya has named the winners of its Surya Spaces Contest. In early July, the brand invited its customers to submit photos of their favorite design projects featuring Surya rugs and accessories for the chance to win up to $1,000 toward Surya products.

More than 150 photos highlighting a broad range of decor styles and spaces were received from designers located throughout the United States. The winning entries, which were selected by Surya’s leadership team based on creativity, design aesthetic and successful integration of Surya rugs and accessories, are:

• 1st Place | Palm Singh of La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Sacramento – $1,000 in Surya products
• 2nd Place | Tara Boelio of Mary Cook Associates in Chicago – $750 in Surya products
• 3rd Place | Tiffany Anich of Southerly Abode in Chattanooga, Tenn. – $500 in Surya products

All contest entries were featured in a special Surya Spaces Facebook image gallery and the most ‘liked’ entry each week was spotlighted across Surya’s social media channels, providing access to more than 158,000 followers and potential future customers. To learn more, visit surya.com.

NTCA Adds Two Members to the Five Star Contractor Program

FLOWOOD, MISS.—NTCA has announced the acceptance of two of its members, Boatman and Magnani, Inc., and ProFast Commercial Flooring LLC, into the Five Star Contractor Program.

Five Star Contractors must complete a rigorous approval process, including examples of work, reviews and recommendations from peers and customers, and proven commitment to service, quality, safety and superior job performance. Five Star Contractors are also required to certify a minimum of 10% of their installers through the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) Certified Tile Installer program or ACT certification for installers.

If you are an NTCA member and interested in gaining Five Star certification, contact Jim Olson at jim@tile-assn.com.

Shaw Floors Enhances Rewards Program

DALTON, GA.—Shaw Floors recently added a new component to its rewards platform, Capture the Spirit (CTS.)

Beginning immediately, participating retail sales associates can donate their accrued CTS points to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The points will be converted into dollar amounts with retailers having the ability to choose the gifts they want to personally contribute to the research hospital.

Additionally, to kick off this new opportunity and in support of September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Shaw is matching retailer donations for the first 30 days, up to $100 per participant. To learn more, visit www.ShawCTS.com.

NWFA University Sees Strong Early Response

ST. LOUIS—Since the National Wood Flooring Association launched NWFA University just eight weeks ago, more than 2,800 courses have been completed.

NWFA University is a new training platform that expands NWFA’s highly recognized hands-on training programs with online learning courses that can be completed when and where users want it.

NWFAU currently offers about 50 individual courses so far and more are being added. A series of courses leads to the earning of badges. These badges lead to certifications, with defined career paths, for installation, sand and finish, sales, and inspection. Courses for architects, designers, and consumers will be added in the future. For more information, visit nwfa.org.

Postconsumer Carpet Voluntary Product Stewardship Program Extended

DALTON, GA.—The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) and the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) have announced an extension of the voluntary product stewardship (VPS) program to assist sorters of post-consumer carpet diverted from the nation’s landfills.

After having supported the program for two years, this extension will provide funding for one additional year through 2017. The VPS program is market-based and designed to accept and manage all applicable post-consumer carpet, regardless of polymer type or primary materials or construction. The program will provide financial assistance to qualified U.S. sorters who divert post-consumer carpet.

“CRI is pleased to continue to offer financial support for the VPS program,” said Dan Frierson, chairman of CRI’s board. “Our members are participating voluntarily as part of our government relations activities, and have committed $4 million for the program’s third year. The VPS Program will serve as a bridge for sorters as new technologies and applications are developed to increase market driven demand for all post-consumer carpet.”

CARE will act as the stewardship organization for the VPS program. Since 2002, CARE members have diverted more than 4.2 billion pounds of carpet from U.S. landfills. The VPS program launched in January 2015 and will complete the initial two-year term at the end of this year. This extension of the program will end Dec. 31, 2017.

Sorters who qualify for financial assistance can expect to continue receiving funds without interruption and the Q4 2017 fund payments will be completed in the Q1 of 2018. Sorters may qualify for funds by completing all required documents and submitting quarterly reports on their business results to CARE. For more information, visit carpetrecovery.org.

Armstrong Flooring Continues Partnership with Homes for Our Troops

LANCASTER, PA.—Armstrong Flooring said it is continuing as the exclusive flooring sponsor of Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) through 2019. HFOT is a national non-profit organization that builds mortgage free, specially adapted homes nationwide for severely injured Veterans Post 9/11, to enable them to rebuild their lives.

Armstrong Flooring has been a supporter of HFOT since 2013. Nearly 90 home build projects already have been completed with many more builds planned over the next three years. HFOT Veterans can select from options in hardwood, laminate, luxury vinyl plank and Alterna® engineered stone flooring to personalize their homes to their specific tastes and needs. In addition to providing products and funding, many Armstrong Flooring employees, as well as a number of its distributor and retail partners, have rolled up their sleeves and participated in HFOT home builds in their local communities and across the nation.

Many of Armstrong Flooring’s retail partners have donated installation services to HFOT over the past three years, and have saved HFOT over $100,000 in installation costs by the covering the cost and labor of installation. For more information, visit hfotusa.org.

Registration Opens for the 2016 Distribution Management University

CHICAGO—The 2016 Distribution Management University (DMU) will be held in conjunction with the NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention on Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. in Chicago.

The 2016 DMU is an opportunity for general, sales, branch and operations managers to expand their industry knowledge and enhance leadership skills. Sam Richter, internationally recognized expert on sales, marketing and leadership, will lead the 2016 DMU. His award-winning experience includes building innovative technology, sales and marketing programs for start-up companies and some of the world’s most famous brands.

In this program, Richter will give attendees insights on how to build relationships and enhance their personal brand. Attendees will learn how to use information to make an impression with prospects, deepen relationships with clients and differentiate themselves from the competition. They will also learn how their personal brand can make or break their business brand. Learn more about the event and register for the 2016 DMU at distributorconvention.org/dmu.
 

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