Sheehan Named Senior VP of Product Management for IVC US

Dalton—David Sheehan has been named senior vice president of product management for IVC US, a division of Mohawk Industries and Mohawk Resilient.

“David brings more than 24 years of talent and experience in sales and marketing, with strengths in product management and strategic planning,” said Paul Murfin, president of IVC US and Mohawk Resilient.

In his new role, Sheehan will lead product management for IVC US’ residential business as it expands product plans for rigid LVT, flexible LVT and sheet vinyl across multiple channels and brands.

“With the combination of having the most recognized brands in the industry and our innovative technology, we are very well positioned to become the leading resilient manufacturer in North America,” said Sheehan. “The passion at every functional area, including sales, marketing, product management, finance and manufacturing, is exhilarating. I am looking forward to seeing our collaborative efforts win in the market place.”

For more, call (706) 529-2600 or visit ivcfloors.com.
 

Arizona Tile Celebrates Milestone

Tempe—Arizona Tile is celebrating 40 years in business.

“Our success solely comes from the vision that John and (his wife) Eileen Huarte had for this company when starting it—the sensibility that our relationships with our customers and our fellow employees are the most important aspect of what we do,” said president of the company, Bob Traxler.

Originally beginning as a ceramic tile supplier, Arizona Tile has evolved to meet customers’ changing needs. Today, the company offers more than 235 slab products. In addition to slabs, the company also distributes several various natural stone, porcelain, glass and mosaic tile products.

As the company’s growth and expansion continues, it eagerly awaits the opening of its newest branch in Austin, Texas.

For more, call or visit arizonatile.com.
 

Armstrong Announces Winners of First Thomas Armstrong Awards

Lancaster, Pa.—Armstrong has announced the winners of its first Thomas Armstrong Awards.

Honoring distributors who exemplify integrity, a resilience of spirit and deep dedication to their customers, the awards were given to recipients at a special event at the International Surfaces Show in Las Vegas.

“Our founder, Thomas Armstrong, set forth to ‘Let the Buyer Have Faith,’ standing behind products to give each customer confidence in their purchase,” said senior vice president of the company, Joe Bondi. “This way of doing business set us apart then, and it sets us apart now, along with our ability to collaborate and innovate for the people we are here to serve–distributors, retailers and consumers.”

The 2016 Award Winners are:

• Wood Distributor of the Year: JJ Haines
• Residential Resilient: Ohio Valley Flooring
• Residential Distributor of the Year: Shnier
• Commercial Distributor of the Year: FlorStar
• LVT Distributor of the Year: Florstar
• Distributor of the Year: Belknap White Group

For more, call (800) 233-3823 or visit armstrong.com.
 

New Commercial Flooring Company Makes its Debut at TISE

Tracy, Calif.,—Ground Control Surfaces, a new commercial flooring company, made its debut at The International Surfaces Event in Las Vegas, where it showcased its luxury vinyl and rubber collections.

Headquartered in Tracy, Calif., the company was founded by native Mark Walcoff and Michael Wendt. Walcoff, who will head up sales for the company, is also president of Tajima Flooring USA, and previously the vice president for Parterre Flooring. Wendt, who will oversee operations for ground control for the new company, is founder and president of Club Resource Group.

For more, call (209) 830-0235 or visit groundcontrolsurfaces.com
 

Interface Enters Hard Surface Category

Atlanta—Interface has entered the hard surface category with the introduction of the Level Set luxury vinyl tile (LVT) collection.

With the integration of residential, hospitality and commercial heavily influencing the A&D community, the modular carpet manufacturer looked to create a hard surface product that would allow customers to seamlessly integrate soft and hard surfaces.

“The integration of hard and soft together is a big step forward,” said Jay Gould, president and COO of the company.

Named after its ability to reach the same height as Interface’s carpet tile, Level Set is a glue-free LVT product line, and its color palate matches that of Interface’s carpet tile, allowing both categories to work as a system on the floor. The introductory collection features a range of 25cm x 1m planks and 50cm x 50cm squares that mirror classic natural and textured woodgrains and stones.

“The product sizes are the exact same as our carpet tiles, so they are completely interchangeable with our carpet tile,” said Gould.

Well received during market testing, designers praised Level Set’s ability to seamlessly work in concert with Interface’s soft surface.

“[Designers] love the fact that the product is the same height as the carpet tile, so you don’t need a transition strip,” Gould said. “The designers hate those transition strips.”

In addition to sharing the same height as Interface’s modular carpet, Level Set was also developed with the manufacturer’s sustainability goals in mind, and according to Gould, Interface intends to bring its focus on sustainability and transparency to the hard surface flooring category.

From a commitment to deliver Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for all of its hard flooring products, to the production of tiles with a controlled material stream to ensure that they can be recycled at end of life through Interface’s ReEntry recycling program, Interface has been purposeful in selecting and creating products with materials and recycling in mind with its entry into resilient flooring.
 

Shaw Recognized as Top Training Company

Dalton—Shaw industries has been recognized by Training Magazine as “Training Top 125” company for 2017. This recognition marks Shaw’s 13th consecutive year on the list.

Training Top 125 ranks companies’ excellence and commitment to employer-sponsored training and development programs. The Top 125 ranking is determined by assessing a range of qualitative and quantitative factors, including financial investment in employee development, the scope of development programs and how closely development efforts are linked to business goals and objectives.

Shaw’s education and training efforts extend beyond its more than 20,000 associates to customers, the community and the future workforce.

“We are extremely proud of our strong heritage of offering education and training to help associates and customers unleash greatness and reach their full potential,” said Danny Crutchfield, Shaw’s director of corporate training and organizational development. “We’re committed to continued innovation in the topics we address as well as how we offer our ongoing learning opportunities to meet the needs of today’s workforce. It’s a critical component of how Shaw is able to attract and retain the best talent and how we continue to propel our company forward in a rapidly changing industry.”

For more, call (800) 441-7429 or visit shawinc.com.
 

Nemo Tile Opens 6th Showroom

Red Bank, N.J.—Nemo Tile + Stone has opened its newest showroom in Red Bank, N.J.

With the addition of the Red Bank showroom, Nemo Tile now has six showrooms, providing customers with a wide range of floor and wall coverings including porcelain and glass tiles, as well as a variety of high-quality stone collections.

In addition to the showroom’s product selection, the new outpost also offers a designated contractor space for direct material sourcing, and will host quarterly educational seminars to engage the local community.

“As the company continues to grow, our strategic next step included opening a new retail showroom catering to individual homeowners along with the local architecture and design community and tile contractors who may not have had direct access to our established locations across New York City and Philadelphia,” said Karlin. “The physical space has great visibility with large windows and features high ceilings, while the configuration of this space allowed us to design a showroom that highlights our vast collections of surfacing materials.”

For more, call (212) 505-0009 or visit nemotile.com.
 

Fuse Partners with NTCA

Parker, Colo.—Fuse Alliance and the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) have entered a partnership that will equip members of Fuse with technical and business consulting services centered on ceramic tile and natural stone, including industry trends, standards and best practices.

“NTCA is proud to be selected as an approved trade association partner with the Fuse Alliance network as our association seeks contractors who are committed to providing quality installations and business best practices,” said Bart Bettiga, executive director of NTCA. “Fuse members have a proven track record of success, and our trained and professional staff will be available to help them improve their knowledge and stay informed on new technology and standards in the tile industry.”

For more, call (601) 939-2071 or visit tile-assn.com.