Armstrong Names 2016 Elite Retailers of the Year

LANCASTER, PA.—Armstrong Flooring announced its 2016 Elite Retailers of the Year.

The award is based on a variety of factors, including sales, lead conversion rates, overall program support, showroom quality, and website excellence. Baker Brothers (Ariz.) received gold, Riemer Floors (Mich.) silver, and WorldWide Wholesale (N.J.), bronze. Honorable mentions included United Flooring Group and Floor Covering Associates.

“With several hundred Elite showrooms nationwide, we wanted to recognize and thank the best of the best for their continuing excellence and commitment to the Armstrong Flooring Elite Program,” said Tom Cole, manager of aligned retailer channel marketing, Armstrong. “We are grateful to work alongside a great team of retailers who are engaged and excited about our vision to be the world’s best and most trusted flooring company.”

The 2016 Gold Elite Retailer of the Year, Baker Bros, has been flooring Arizona since 1945. All seven locations are locally owned and operated.

Silver Elite Retailer of the Year, Riemer Floors, was founded in 1946 by Harry Riemer, a flooring installer who decided to embark on a new venture and provide customers with quality products and professional installation. “The decision to become an Armstrong Elite Dealer was made at a difficult time, during the midst of a national recession and dire times in Detroit,” said Steve McNamara, vice president of hard surface, Riemer Floors. “It has proven to be a good decision to broaden our longtime partnership with the Armstrong brands and their people. Many of the programs associated with the Elite Program were driving forces, but the relationship with the Armstrong team of professionals ultimately made it an easy investment.”

WorldWide Wholesale, the Bronze Elite Retailer of the Year, was founded in 1991 and recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. The company is based in central/northern Jersey and services the market through three large format stores.

For more, call (717) 672-9611 or visit armstrongflooring.com.

Shaw Surprises Houzz User

DALTON— Shaw Floors marked its 100th flooring query on Houzz with a surprise for one lucky homeowner who posted a query on remodeling her kitchen. Shaw, which launched its presence on the home design site in 2013, answered a query from Houzz user Theresa Wells by giving her 1,000 square feet of flooring.

“Houzz is a priority for our digital marketing team as we continue to see the platform grow with users who are actively researching, dreaming, and executing home remodels,” said Todd Callaway, director of digital content for Shaw. “We wanted to celebrate our continued presence on the home design platform in a fun, unexpected way.”

Shaw Floors worked with Theresa to choose a style within the Epic Plus Collection of engineered hardwood to finish off her kitchen remodel, selecting Yukon Maple 6 3/8" in Timberwolf.

“We know the universe of inspiration is deep and diverse,” Callaway added. “With flooring being a major investment, we aim to provide consumers who are in the thick of research with helpful information so they can feel confident in their selection.”

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

NTCA Names 2016 Tile Person of the Year

FLOWOOD, MISS.—Martin Howard, president of the National Tile Contractor’s Association (NTCA) and executive vice president of David Allen Co., is the NTCA 2016 Tile Person of the Year.

With more than 36 years of experience in the construction industry, Howard is a highly-regarded expert and consultant in the technical aspects of tile and stone.

“Martin Howard has been actively involved in the NTCA for many years, and as a leader in the David Allen Company, he has supported and encouraged many of their employees to be involved in our association,” said Bart Bettiga, executive director of NTCA. “He has been extremely generous with his time and his leadership on our board of directors and executive committee and has helped us to transition into a new role of industry leadership.”

Howard serves on the NTCA committees for Standards and Methods, Training, Education, and Finance. He is a voting member of the ANSI A108 Subcommittee for Ceramic Tile Installation, represents the association on the Tile Council of North America Handbook Committee, and has served as an NTCA board member for 10 years.

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

Kelly and Allred to Join FCICA Board

WEST BLOOMFIELD, MICH.—As of July 1, Pat Kelly of Synergy Flooring and J.R. Allred of Dalton Carpet One, will join the Flooring Contractors Association’s (FCICA) executive board.

Under Chairman Mike Newberry of Inside Edge Commercial Interior Services, Kelly will become the vice chairman and J.R. will become the secretary/treasurer. Continuing their terms on the board are Don Styka of Tarkett as vice chairman of associates and Gerry Swift of Lotus Building Services as immediate past chairman. Kimberly Oderkirk remains as executive vice president.

The FCICA board serve a three-year rotational term and are elected at FCICA’s annual convention by members in good standing. New to the board, serving until 2020 are Curtis Blanton of DCO Commercial Floors, Brent Fike of Roppe Holding Co., and Jeff Johnson of MAPEI Corp. Appointed to the board to complete two-year terms of open positions are Amy Johnston of Flooring Services and Bob Wallum of Finish Line Flooring Services. The balance of the board include Graham Capobianco of Capri cork, Larry Chandler of William M. Bird, Daniel Ortiz-Bacon of Allstate Floors and Construction and Seth Pevarnik of Ardex Americas.

For more, call (248) 661-5015 or visit fcica.com.

Fishman Flooring Introduces its First Brand of Engineered Wood Flooring

BALTIMORE—Fishman Flooring Solutions has introduced its own brand of engineered wood flooring for residential and commercial markets.

Available through the Fishman-aligned dealer network, the new Betsy Ross Hardwood Collection features a wide selection of textures, colors and styles. The collection is produced by American OEM Wood Floors using only hardwood materials from sustainably-managed North American forests.

“We have several competitive advantages in bringing this new line of high-quality wood flooring to market,” said Bill Mabeus, executive vice president of Fishman Flooring. “First, we have an exceptional sales team in place, with a proven track record of success. Second, we have solid relationships with architects, designers, specifiers, dealers and other hardwood flooring decision makers where we do business. Third, the Betsy Ross line, which will be very cost competitive, will be manufactured in Tennessee, which is centrally located in Fishman’s footprint, ensuring a reliable supply of products for our customers with reduced delivery times.”

For more, call (800) 556-7899 or visit lfishman.com.

NWFA’s Howard Receives Above & Beyond Award

ST. LOUIS—The National Wood Flooring Association’s (NWFA) chief operating officer, Anita Howard, is the recipient of the Gary Sinise Foundation’s 2017 Above & Beyond award.

“Every year the Gary Sinise Foundation recognizes the individuals that go above and beyond their duty to get the job done,” said Judith Otter, executive director of the foundation. “Anita Howard has done just that. We are grateful for Anita’s dedication, passion, and belief in our mission. Anita helps to ensure our severely wounded heroes receive the best quality floors in each specially adapted smart home build through our R.I.S.E. program. It is a crucial component in every house. We are appreciative of everyone at NWFA and we couldn’t think of anyone more deserving than Anita to receive our 2017 Above & Beyond award.”

Howard has been COO of NWFA for four years and has worked for the organization for nearly 16 years. Since first getting involved with the Gary Sinise Foundation at the 2015 Wood Flooring Expo, NWFA has aided in the completion of 13 homes, with another 20 homes in various stages of planning or construction.

For more, call (800) 422-4556 or visit nwfa.org.

CARE Names 2016 Person and Recycler of the Year

INDIANAPOLIS—Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) has named Dick Kruse of Kruse Carpet as Recycling Person of the Year and Interface as Recycler of the Year for 2016. The two honors were awarded during the organization’s 15th annual conference.

Dick Kruse is a member of CARE’s board of directors and founder of Indianapolis-based Kruse Carpet Recycling. Kruse has many years of experience in the carpet recycling industry and has been instrumental in developing the CARE organization.

“Over its 15-year life, CARE has been supported and enriched by a group of very distinguished individuals,” said Brendan McSheehy, chair of CARE’s board. “Dick Kruse stands tall among them. Over his many years of service as a board director, Dick has lent vision and wisdom. At the same time, he personally labored in the trenches of recycling, supporting his daughter Kasey as she grew and matured in the business.”

Interface was named CARE’s 2016 Recycler of the Year. A CARE partner, Ray Anderson, founder of Interface, adopted a bold vision that involved recycling and sustainability in 1994. Interface became the first manufacturer to implement a process for the clean separation of carpet fiber from backing on modular carpet tiles. The ReEntry program began in 2007 and has processed millions of pounds of material.

For more, call or visit carpetrecovery.org.

Mohawk Makes Forbes List

CALHOUN. GA.—Mohawk Industries has been named to Forbes’ elite list of America’s Best Large Employers for the second consecutive year.

This year, Mohawk placed 106 among companies that employ at least 5,000 people. Mohawk rose substantially from its 2016 ranking of 188 on the Forbes list. The company is the only flooring manufacturer on the 2017 list, the second highest-ranked company headquartered in the state of Georgia and the No. 5 company nationally in the “engineering/manufacturing” category.

“We’re proud to be included on Forbes’ list of America’s best large employers, particularly because the rankings are based on employee satisfaction,” said Phil Brown, Mohawk’s senior vice president of human resources. “We appreciate and respect the thousands of men and women whose talent, skills and dedication have made us a global flooring leader.”

The Forbes ranking of America’s Best Employers was drawn from an online survey of more than 30,000 employees and conducted with global digital data collection partner Statista, which uses proven sampling methodologies to facilitate a deep understanding of consumer opinions and behavior.

For more, call (800) 266-4295 or visit mohawkflooring.com.

MIA+BSI Continues Support of R.I.S.E. Program

OBERLINE, OHIO—MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute continues to support the Gary Sinise Foundation’s Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment (R.I.S.E.) program by providing natural stone materials, fabrication, and installation for specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and their families nationwide.

“What better cause could our organization be involved with that allows the participation of our members in distribution, fabrication, and installation,” said Jon Lancto, 2017 MIA president.

Tania Kalentzos, whose company, MARVA Marble and Granite, donated material for a recent project, added, “We are honored to participate in the R.I.S.E. program, to support and honor our nation’s veterans. We believe that it is our duty, as American citizens, to remember our nation’s defenders. Honoring the sacrifice of our veterans is particularly near to our hearts, since our CEO, Chris Kalentzos, spent many years in the 82nd Airborne. It is our pleasure and privilege to play a role in helping the Hedrick family to thrive, in their new specially adapted smart home.”

For more, call (440) 250-9222 or visit marble-institute.com.

Cartwright Distributing Joins Novalis Distributor Network

TORONTO—Cartwright Distributing now distributes Novalis’ NovaFloor residential luxury vinyl tile product line throughout Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming.

“Cartwright Distributing is a quality organization that we are proud to be associated with,” said Mark Hansen, vice president, North America for Novalis. “We expect we will both do great things with our new association.”

The first displays going up in Cartwright’s retailer showrooms feature NovaCore HPC flooring, with the brand’s other product line displays soon to follow, according to the manufacturer.

For more, call (704)799-1111 or visit NovalisInnovativeFlooring.us.

Gerflor Celebrates Milestones of Mipolam and Taraflex

CHICAGO—Gerflor is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its Mipolam homogeneous sheet flooring, and the 70th anniversary of Taraflex resilient sports flooring.

“Mipolam and Taraflex are just two of Gerflor’s industry firsts, and I’m confident they won’t be our last,” said Catherine del Vecchio, Gerflor USA’s senior director of marketing.

Since 1937, Mipolam has grown from a single product line to 15 different lines with more than 300 colors available worldwide, and Taraflex has been the flooring selected for 10 consecutive Olympic Games through Gerflor’s partnerships with the International Handball Federation (IHF) and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). Because of its safety and performance benefits, Taraflex is installed in more than 70,000 gymnasiums worldwide.

For more, call (877) 437-3567 or visit gerflorusa.com.

Florida Tile Named CTDA Supplier of the Year

LEXINGTON, KY.—The Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA) has named Florida Tile Supplier of the Year.

The CTDA Supplier of the Year is selected based on results of blind balloting by CTDA members who named their top suppliers and ranked them in terms of leadership, marketing, training, technology, regulatory compliance, communication, policies, product shipment and support services.

“We are truly elated to win this prestigious award for the second time,” said Michael Franceschelli, CEO of Florida Tile. “It is a testimony to the service culture we have built at Florida Tile. Thank you to the CTDA membership. We appreciate that the voting members see value in the effort we make. We also want to give sincere thanks to our entire Florida Tile team, who deserve the accolades.”

For more, call (630) 545-9415 or visit ctdahome.org.

Mullican Expands U.S. Hardwood Production

JOHNSON CITY, TENN.—Mullican Flooring has announced plans to bring full production of all sawn engineered products to the United States.

“Since 2012 we have converted much of our engineered hardwood production from imported to domestic manufactured product,” said Neil Poland, president, Mullican Flooring. “The transition of our sawn lines to the U.S. is a natural extension of that movement. Further, we are looking at this change as part of our effort to improve efficiencies and long term value within the company. The move will allow us to tighten quality control as well as to stay true to a long-standing corporate commitment to support domestic production.”

According to Poland, the start-up of the company’s sawn production line is the first phase of a five-year expansion plan that will create 200 new jobs at its Johnson City, Tenn., production plant.

The first product that will transition to the U.S. production facility is Mullican’s EuroSawn White Oak in a 7-inch width. The collection will be immediately available in six colors. Plans to transition additional overseas production to the U.S. will be announced in Q3, according to the company.

For more call (800) 844-6356, or visit mullicanflooring.com.