Atlanta, Ga. -- More than 60 vendors rang in the first week of the new year at the Southeast Flooring Market, held at the Cobb Galleria Centre, January 3-4. Hundreds of flooring buyers from the region came to check out 2018 introductions and network with their local sales representatives. Mohawk and Shaw exhibited in their own spaces, kicking off a month of regional shows for the manufacturers.
There was a general consensus of optimism among attendees. Nick Melnyk, vice president of Cain and Bultman, a flooring distributor in Jacksonville, Fla., said he is beginning to see some uptick and business from insurance claims coming from the Hurricane Irma, which hit the state in September 2017. He projected that the company will make up the 10% of business it lost during the hurricane.