TISE West includes SURFACES, TileExpo and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas. Design & Construction Week will feature TISE West, the International Builders’ Show (IBS), Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), International Window Coverings Expo (IWCE) and Las Vegas Market. Show organizers estimate the combined events will draw 125,000 attendees.

Christy Lizarraga, TISE’s associate marketing manager, said, “Design & Construction Week has been created to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience to attendees. It encompasses one week, five shows, 125,000 estimated attendees and 4.7 million square feet of exhibit space for the residential and commercial building industries. This is [the attendees’] chance to see products and services they might not normally get to see, as well as an opportunity to meet and network with potential new business partners.”

She is also expecting an estimated 7% increase in TISE exhibitors. “We’re expecting about 750 companies to exhibit with us, as well as record-high attendance due to our partnership with the Design & Construction Week events.”

Education and Training

Lizarraga said 75% of the educational sessions at this year’s TISE West will be completely new. A wide range of certifications is also available. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) will be offering the Sales Counselor Certification on Jan. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The International Standards & Training Alliance (INSTALL) will hold a carpet and resilient certification along with a demonstration of the INSTALL/NWFA Wood Certification on Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Additional certifications will be offered by the Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT) program, International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI), Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI), North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) and Natural Fiber Installers Certification (NFIC).

According to Lizarraga, “There are new bonus education opportunities that retailers, contractors and installers should be aware of, including the certifications, and several social media interactive workshops presented by industry guru Christine Whittemore. An on-floor feature being introduced at TISE WEST is the Installation Showcase, where some of the most common flooring installation issues will be addressed and new techniques and processes will be demonstrated by top installation experts.”

Jon Namba, editorial director of Floor Trends’ sister publication Floor Covering Installer (FCI), is helping put together the Installation Showcase.

Additionally, he will be a presenter during three classes, two of them on Jan. 21: “Installation Failures and Solutions: Carpet and Resilient Flooring” with Mike Suffia, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and “Installation Problems, Causes and Cures: Hardwood, Bamboo and Laminate,” from 3:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. The next day, he will present, “What You Always Wanted to Know about Wood, Bamboo and Cork Floors But Were Afraid to Ask,” with Michelle Reichow and FCI columnist Roy Reichow, from 3:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

BNP Media-Sponsored Events

BNP Media, the parent company of Floor Trends, FCI, TILE Magazine, Contemporary Stone & Tile Design and Stone World, will be sponsoring several events on the show floor.

Floor Trends will sponsor the Social Learning Lab, discussing the latest in social media.

FCI will sponsor CFI’s certification program with a reception for all installers, as well as Tool Alley—showcasing the latest tools with live demonstrations—in partnership with TILE.

TILE will sponsor the ACT/CTEF demonstrations with a special reception for all tile installers.

Stone World will sponsor the 2015 Fabricator of the Year Award presentation, including free beer.

All five brands are set to sponsor the New Product Pavilion, a special area of the show floor dedicated to sneak peeks of some of the latest products that attendees can vote on as the best new product of the show.

BNP Media’s exhibits will include Booths B956, S6471 and PM.

For more information on TISE WEST 2015, visit tisewest.com.

Shaw Unveils Floorvana App

Dalton—Shaw Industries has launched the Floorvana app, which let’s the consumer capture her inspiration anywhere and transform it to the floor, noted Misty Hodge, Shaw’s director of digital platforms.

According to Kit Yarrow, award-winning consumer psychologist and author of “On the New Consumer Mindset,” three-quarters of shoppers would rather use their smartphones than consult store associates for simple tasks, and almost half of smartphone owners have downloaded retailer apps.

So imagine having an app that helps her select flooring while she’s in your store. “Floorvana is an app that connects her inspiration to Shaw flooring in a revolutionary way,” Hodge said. “Have you ever had a customer struggle to find just the right color that complements her space? Have you ever wanted to show her how easily she can connect her inspiration to a product so she can truly see what it would look like in real life?”

With Floorvana, she explained, a consumer can take a photo she’s always loved or spontaneously capture a new photo in the moment. “She could even just start with her favorite color. Her browsing experience will be ignited by her inspiration as she sees flooring options drawn directly from the essence of her photo. Plus, it will help her understand how she can connect her own inspiration to the flooring in her home.”

Here’s how Floorvana works:

• First, the consumer takes a photo. “She can capture moments of calmness, excitement, or whatever she wants to feel when she enters the room,” Hodge said. “Let Floorvana draw from your inspiration and recommend flooring options that matter most to you.”
• Next, browse the selection: Floorvana helps find the right flooring based on what inspires her. She can customize her color palette and filter flooring types to fine tune Floorvana’s recommendations. And, the app allows her to easily compare options to make sure she makes the perfect choice.
• There’s more. “Don’t stop with just one project,” Hodge said. With Floorvana, she can create, store and share different ideas with different points of inspiration. Floorvana can be used to help her share ideas and opinions with her friends and family.”

Her floor is no longer just a foundation, it’s a memory of that trip to Africa, Hodge concluded. “It’s the mood of a romantic dinner out in the city. Show it to her while she’s in store if she hasn’t seen it yet. It’s an experience that will bring a personal and special meaning to her home.”

The Floorvana app is free and works on both iPhone and Android devices.

For more information, call (888) 742-9932 or visit shawfloors.com.

WFCA Takes MFA to Congress

Anaheim, Calif.—On behalf of the World Floor Covering Association’s (WFCA) members, CEO Scott Humphrey—along with key representatives of the association—recently met with the staffs of members of Congress about the proposed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) and other issues of importance to flooring industry retailers.

“The Marketplace Fairness Act will force online sellers to collect taxes on their retail sales,” said Humphrey. “That will be a vital step in leveling the playing field between those who sell flooring on the Internet, many of whom advertise that they do not charge sales tax, and WFCA’s brick-and-mortar members.”

WFCA is encouraging retailers to contact their federal and state representatives immediately to urge them to support the MFA.

For more, call (714) 978-6440 or visit WFCA.org.

Dixie Forms Hospitality Division, Discontinues Carousel Line

Chattanooga, Tenn.—The Dixie Group has formed Masland Hospitality, which will be led by Elizabeth Moore, vice president.

With Dixie’s recent acquisition of the assets of Burtco, a comprehensive offering of products will be available from Masland for the hospitality market. According to Moore, the product portfolio will include large-scale public space patterns utilizing CYP technology, a complete guest room offering, modular carpet and area rug capabilities.

Dixie also announced it is discontinuing its Carousel custom manufacturing line of products. The mill anticipates it will complete all customer orders by the end of the second quarter.

For more information, call (866) 873-2875 or visit thedixiegroup.com.

Shaw’s Farris First Woman to Receive Smrekar Award

Dalton—Susan Rich Farris, director of corporate communications at Shaw Industries, is the first woman to receive the Carpet & Rug Institute’s (CRI) Joseph J. Smrekar Memorial Award.

Established by Milliken & Co., the Smrekar award honors the late Dr. Joe Smrekar who served on a number of CRI committees. The award recognizes individuals who show similar exemplary service to the carpet and rug industry. Recipients of the Smrekar award are chosen by CRI staff members.

For more, call (706) 278-3176 or visit carpet-rug.org.

Fishman Introduces Private Label Brands

Baltimore—Fishman Flooring Solutions has introduced Fishman Carpet Tile and Fishman Sports Flooring, the first two private labeled flooring brands in the distributor’s history.

“We’re confident that linking the highly reputable Fishman brand to our private label carpet tile and sports flooring lines will underscore the value these products will have for our customers in terms of extraordinary product performance at competitive pricing,” said Bob Wagner, Fishman’s president.

For more, call (410) 633-2500 or visit lfishman.com.

NAFCD Celebrates Industry Stand Outs

Chicago—The North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors’ (NAFCD) Leadership in Action and Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates individuals in the floor covering distribution industry who have made a positive impact and contribution to their company’s success.

NAFCD presented the 2014 award to Aaron Hormann of Herregan Distributors, Jim Boyce of Rosel-Heck Co., and Flavia Baggio of IndusParquet, for their demonstrated leadership and contributions as innovators and motivators.

For more, call (800) 383-39 01or visit nafcd.org.

Woelfel NTCA President; Grosser TCNA Tile Person of the Year

Jackson, Miss.—James Woelfel, vice president of Artcraft Granite, Marble and Tile of Mesa, Ariz., has been elected president of the National Tile Contractors Association’s (NTCA). He succeeds outgoing president Dan Welch, president of Welch Tile & Marble in Michigan, who becomes NTCA’s chairman.

Woelfel is the current NTCA technical committee chairman, a member of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook Committee and the ANSI A108 Committee. In 2011, he was the recipient of the NTCA’s Tile Person of the Year award.

In other news, Donato Grosser, founder and president of D. Grosser and Associates of New York, was named TCNA’s Tile Person of the Year. His efforts have led to a large-scale tile exposition open to all, bringing specifiers, distributors, retailers, installers and more to an international tile exhibition. This led to the international tile industry partnership known today as Coverings, which celebrated 25 years of success last year.

For more about NTCA, visit tile-assn.com. For more about TCNA, visit tcnatile.com.

ASTM Supports New Concrete Standard

W. Conshohocken, Pa.—A proposed new ASTM International standard,  ASTM WK47030, would help professionals evaluate concrete floor systems to receive resilient flooring. It features a review of design and construction documents to ensure compatibility with specified floor covering and adhesive manufacturers’ requirements.

For more, call (866) 915-1251, visit astm.org.

DACF Sees Registration Increase

Shanghai, China—Although the 17^th Domotex asia/ChinaFloor (DACF) is not taking place until March 24 to 26, the number of international suppliers registered to participate already exceeds the figure for the previous event, according to show officials. Additionally, the number of wood flooring manufacturers expected to exhibit next time is 50% higher than in 2014.

Last year, DACF attracted 1,177 exhibitors from every segment of the industry, according to show officials. Of these companies, around 22% came from outside China. This year, the trade fair will occupy 12 exhibition halls with a total area of 459,200 square feet.

For more, visit domotex.de.

WFCA Launches Flooring Gallery

Anaheim, Calif.—The WFCA has expanded its social media presence with the launch of its digital and mobile application, the WFCA Flooring Gallery.

 Designed to engage consumers, the Gallery provides access to thousands of flooring room scenes, making it easy and inviting for users to explore flooring options in every category.

Humphrey said images for the Gallery are continually being added. Each image includes the manufacturer’s name and product name—including color and format.

For more, call (714) 978-6440 or visit WFCA.org.
 

Editor’s note: For complete coverage of these and other industry news stories visit our website at floortrendsmag.com, where you can also sign up for a free subscription to our daily enewsletter, TalkFloor.