Polley Elected to WFCA Hall of Fame

Anaheim, Calif.—David Polley is the newest inductee to the World Floor Covering Association’s (WFCA) Hall of Fame.

As a “strategic thinker,” Polley has left a trail of success throughout his career. He entered the flooring business almost 60 years ago, and according to the association, has been an industry innovator in retailing, manufacturing and marketing ever since. Polley began at Abraham and Straus, at a time when department stores were the dominant retailers in the carpet industry.

During the span of his career, Polley has served in a multitude of positions, launching David Industries, revitalizing World Carpets, launching the Dixie Home brand and founding VSP Flooring.

Along the way, Polley has lent his knowledge, talents and labors to many in the flooring industry. He has been a member of the board at the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI); chairman of its education market committee and member of its national advertising committee. He has also been a consistent member of the WFCA, NAFCD and now defunct RFI.

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

Attendees and Officials Deem Domotex a Success

Hannover, Germany—Domotex organizers described the 2015 show in three words: Innovations, inspiration and sales.

“The show served once again as a meeting place for a vibrant sector and its clientele,” Deutsche Messe officials noted. They said the event’s highly international mix of exhibitors and attendees as well as the success of the special Innovations@Domotex showcase underscored the tradeshow’s reputation as a global magnet for decision-makers and a prime venue for unveiling new innovations.

“[Domotex] had everything: A highly attractive lineup of exhibitors and products, solid attendance figures, high-caliber trade visitors, a great many innovations and a highly international mix,” said Jochen Köckler, the Deutsche Messe managing board member in charge of Domotex. “This is something which was immediately evident—at every stand, in every hall. This year’s Domotex got international trading off to a splendid start and has given the flooring industry every reason to be optimistic about the year ahead.”

According to Köckler, Domotex’ attracted some 40,000 visitors from 100 countries.

“The focus at this year’s Domotex has been on unconventional materials, newly interpreted designs and state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies. Sustainability has also been a key issue. One impressive trend observed is the comeback of the Persian rug as a trendy, contemporary ingredient of interior design,” added Köckler.

In great demand were the Innovations@Domotex talks and guided tours, and the Carpet Design Awards, which highlighted designer carpets and rugs in eight categories.

The next Domotex is scheduled for Jan. 16 to 19, 2016.

For more, visit domotex.de.

Quick•Step Names Cartwright Distributor of the Year

Dallas—Cartwright Distributing has been named Quick•Step’s Distributor of the Year.

“As our distributor partner, Cartwright continuously excels in its commitment to both Quick•Step and the laminate category,” said Shane Calloway, vice president of North American independent distribution sales for Unilin, Quick•Step’s parent company. “Cartwright is committed to our brand’s products, programs and selling message. It has also excelled at placing Quick•Step products in the right places with the right people. Quick•Step products are exclusively sold through a network of the flooring industry’s strongest distributors and Cartwright is an outstanding partner.”

Cartwright is the exclusive distributor of Quick•Step in Colorado.

For more, call (888) 387-9882 or visit quickstepstyle.com.

Fishman Named FCDA Distributor of the Year

Baltimore—Fishman Flooring Solutions has been named Distributor of the Year for 2014 by the Floor Covering Distributor Alliance (FCDA) and the Alliance’s Powerhold brand of flooring installation products. A founding member of FCDA, this is the second consecutive year Fishman has been recognized with the award.

“Winning for the second year in a row speaks volumes about the hard work of the entire Fishman team and their dedication to delighting our customers every single day,” said Bill Mabeus, Fishman’s vice president of sales. “It also underscores the value the professional flooring installers, contractors and retailers who are our customers have for the Powerhold brand.”

Candidates for the Distributor of the Year award are evaluated on several criteria, including the number of FCDA manufacturer members whose products it sells, growth in sales of Powerhold products and average sales of Powerhold products by branch. In addition, the award recognizes a company’s level of involvement with the FCDA board and committees, as well as its participation in annual meetings and marketing initiatives.

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

Empire Opens First Retail Stores

Fairfax, Va.—Empire Today, the nation’s largest shop-at-home flooring company, has opened its first retail stores in Fairfax, Va., and Long Island, N.Y. in the communities of Commack and Westbury.

“Empire Today is using its 55 years of shop-at-home experience to create a better kind of flooring store,” said Keith Weinberger, Empire’s CMO. “Empire Today wants to take the stress out of getting new floors. Empire’s new stores will have a personal flooring specialist who collaborates with customers throughout their project, a hand-selected product assortment, special warranties and Empire’s great pricing and specials.”

In addition he said the retail stores are designed to make shopping easy for customers including all-inclusive pricing displayed on products and customer service and satisfaction.

For more, call (800) 588-2300 or visit empiretoday.com.

TISE East Dates and Location Announced

Dallas—The International Surface Event East 2015 (TISE East) dates have shifted to Nov. 2 to 5 and the location is moving to Orlando, Fla., at the Orange County Convention Center.

According to show organizers, these dates and new location will more aptly serve the industry, from both an attendee and exhibitor standpoint, creating a vibrant yet cost-effective experience while maintaining the convenience of an international hub.

“We had no question there was a significant need for an East Coast event and the positive response generated from TISE East 2014 reinforced this theory,” said Amie Gilmore, director of TISE.

TISE East exhibits will be open from Tuesday, Nov. 3 through Thursday, Nov. 5. The comprehensive education program will be held Nov. 2 to 5, and will feature more than 45 continuing education sessions combined with numerous industry certifications, show floor tours and demos.

For more, call (866) 563-7612 or visit TISEeast.com.

Metroflor Partners with Shnier in Canadian; Honors Distributors

Norwalk, Conn.—Metroflor Corp. has partnered with Shnier, a Canadian floor covering solutions company, to distribute Aspect, Metroflor’s global contract brand, to the Canadian A&D community. Aspecta will be Shnier’s exclusive commercial luxury vinyl tile (LVT) program in Western Canada, and expands Shnier’s LVT opportunities in Eastern Canada.

In other news, the company named its 2014 Performance Award winners, which are given to its top distributors.

Tri-West hit the trifecta, receiving three accolades: Distributor of the Year for Metroflor’s dryback LVT, Engage and Prevail brands. Other Brand Distributor of the Year honors went to William M. Bird & Co. for Konecto and Reader’s Wholesale Distributors for Artisek. Adleta was given the President’s Award.

In addition, Craig Folven of Herregan Distributors received the Visionary Award, while the wholesaler itself won the Paramount Award.

Finally, Justin Fajota of Tri-West was honored with the Distributor Sales Champion Award.

Russ Rogg, Metroflor’s president and CEO, noted, “Our success depends heavily upon our distributor partners. They outdid themselves in 2014 and it’s an honor to acknowledge their role.”

For more, call (866) 882-4407 or visit metroflorcorp.com.

Engineered Floors Enters Nylon Arena

Dalton—Engineered Floors has entered the nylon field with the introduction of PureColor Solution Dyed Soft Nylon fiber through its Dream Weaver carpet manufacturing division.

Considering it the “future of nylon carpet,” this continues the same technology and benefits achieved by Engineered with its PureColor Solution Dyed PET and PureColor PureSoft Cashmere Solution Dyed PET fibers.

“We see this as the future of nylon carpet,” said James Lesslie, assistant to the chairman at Engineered Floors. “With PureColor Soft Nylon, the color goes all the way through the fiber, just like a carrot. Our solution dyed technology has revitalized the polyester market producing carpets with industry leading quality, performance and design options. We are now extending our solution dyed manufacturing expertise to soft nylon fibers, but unlike the majority of products on the market, ours has built-in stain resistance throughout the polymer. With stain resistance locked into the fiber, a consumer will never have to worry about the stain protection washing or wearing off.”

For more, call (706) 625-4334 or visit engineeredfloorsllc.com.