Mannington Opens Atlanta Commercial Design Center

ATLANTA—Mannington recently celebrated the opening of its 15,000-square-foot commercial design center.

Designed by the Dallas office of Corgan, the center features three conference rooms, an innovation room with virtual reality, a double-sized training room, kitchen and pantry, materials library and dedicated seating areas and offices.

Located in Stockyards Atlanta, the design center is housed in a historic building, and its exposed beams and ducts and an open-plan layout provide ample working space for employees, clients and guests. Custom fabricated steel storefronts allow for an abundance of natural light to flood the showroom. Historic elements are incorporated throughout the interior and connect visitors to the brand story and manufacturing process.

“We were drawn to the idea of making something old new again and finding a way to tell the Mannington story through the design and layout of this industrial-era space,” said Jack Ganley, president of Mannington Commercial. “Our goal is that designers will have a means to engage with materials and develop a better understanding of our capabilities here in Atlanta as well as the depth of our manufacturing.”

Product is displayed in an artful way, similar to a gallery, throughout the design center. According to the company, the goal is to enable architects, designers and clients to experience Mannington product in an inspired setting. 

In addition to offering ample space for Mannington’s sales, marketing and design teams and for hosting seminars, trainings and entertaining, the design community is encouraged to visit and make use of the space as needed.

For more information, visit manningtoncommercial.com.
 

Fishman Expands Operational Footprint

BALTIMORE—Fishman Flooring Solutions has opened a branch in Nashville, Tenn., which will serve customers in central and western Tennessee, as well as northern Alabama and southern Kentucky.

With this expansion of Fishman’s operational footprint, the Nashville branch will meet three marketplace needs based on feedback from flooring installation contractors in the area, which include an easily accessible pickup location, an expanded, ready-to-purchase product line and a reliable supply of products.

“As part of our strategic plan, we are constantly evaluating opportunities to grow our business organically,” said Bill Mabeus, Fishman executive vice president. “Our due diligence indicated that there is a significant need for a full-service distributor of flooring and flooring installation products offering a range of services in Nashville and surrounding areas and we will be filling that void.”

Staffing the Nashville branch will be Tim Bammon, territory business manager; Kevin Carlton, branch manager; and Guy Haynes, customer service representative, who collectively have more than 65 years of flooring installation industry experience. Bill Morgan, architect, design, and facility representative, with more than 40 years of flooring industry experience, will also be available to work with architects, designers, facility managers and others in the area to recommend products and facilitate the flooring installation process.

For more information, visit lfishman.com.
 

Leggett and Platt Carpet Cushion Rebranded as Leggett and Platt Flooring Products

CARTHAGE, MO.—Leggett and Platt Carpet Cushion recently rebranded under the name Leggett and Platt Flooring Products. According to the company, the division sought to have a name that encompassed all of the products it offers for various floor types, not just carpet.

“With our expansive line of products, we thought it more representative and strategic to have a name that included the non-carpet products we have to offer,” said Erik Kempf, vice president of sales, Leggett and Platt Flooring Products.

In addition to carpet, the products that are encompassed under the new name include ACI-125 for ceramic tile, WhisperStep for luxury vinyl flooring and acoustical underlayments for laminate, engineered wood and floating hardwood.

For more information, visit leggett.com.
 

Step Ahead Awards Recognize Women for Excellence in Manufacturing

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Manufacturing Institute has awarded Armstrong Flooring’s Amy Costello, sustainability manger; Lisa Buice, commercial human resources director; Annie Cowart, client contact center director; and Brooklyn Lynam, process engineer, of Shaw Floors with the Women in Manufacturing Science, Technology, Engineering and Production (STEP) Award.

Honoring women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, STEP Awards winners are selected from hundreds of applicants from manufacturers across the country, reflecting the diversity of manufacturing sectors and positions.

“The women who we are celebrating represent the exciting career opportunities available in manufacturing,” said Natalie Schilling, 2018 chair of STEP Ahead and vice president of human resources at Arconic. “The STEP Ahead Award honors successful women in this industry for their significant achievements and the positive impact they have made on their companies, their communities and the industry as a whole.”

As a licensed environmental engineer with more than 25 years of experience, Costello is responsible for driving sustainability for Armstrong Flooring in operations and on the product side. Buice is honored for her vision in creating the company’s first associate resource groups; Cowart is honored due to her work establishing an innovative road to success for Shaw’s inside sales team; Lynam is honored for her use of Shaw’s MakerSpace to solve issues in the manufacturing process and pioneering an automated system of pod testing. Each is recognized for her demonstrated leadership within Shaw.

“Our customers are designing buildings with a steadily increasing focus on innovative and sustainable products,” said Don Maier, Armstrong Flooring CEO.  “Thanks to the work and ingenuity of Amy and engaged employees around the world, we have relentless focus on ways to reduce energy usage, manage water usage and minimize waste.”

“We celebrate the accomplishments of Lisa, Annie and Brooklyn and appreciate their contributions to our company and community,” said Vance Bell, chairman and CEO of Shaw. “These three women represent the diverse talents of our organization. They are leaders within Shaw and the manufacturing industry.”

For more information, visit armstrongflooring.com and shawinc.com.

Metroflor Supports Business Growth with Leadership Changes

NORWALK, CONN.—Metroflor has implemented changes to grow its business, provide its distributors with better service, and achieve a more concentrated focus its commercial businesses. These changes include promotions, role changes, and territory adjustments in its sales organization.

In his new role as vice president of new business development, Paul Eanes will discover new customers and channels of sale for Metroflor that could involve OEM customers as well as private label opportunities with new and existing customers.

“Paul was instrumental in the launch of Aspecta and its growth over the past four years,” said Russ Rogg, president and CEO of Metroflor. “We are excited that he will now direct his unbridled enthusiasm towards new and alternative business opportunities for our company.”

With Eanes’ transition, Keith Kannapel, formerly Midwest district sales manager, has become director of sales for Metroflor. In this role, Kannapel will be responsible for directing all sales efforts for Metroflor luxury vinyl tile (LVT), Artistek LVT, Konecto, Engage, Engage Genesis and Engage Inception brands. Kannapel will also lead the district sales manager team and work closely with distribution to garner additional market share through promotional activities, sales training, merchandising placement, aligned dealer engagement, and new product launches. 

Alan Rowell, formerly southeast district sales manager, was appointed director of sales for Aspecta, Metroflor’s commercial product range. He will lead the commercial sales manager team, working in concert with Aspecta distributors to focus on the right customers and ensure that salesforce.com and Reed Construction Data are used to their fullest capabilities.

Metroflor’s Kevin Parker was promoted from his role as a technical specialist to the position of southeast district sales manager, where he will lead sales efforts with William M. Bird, Mastercraft Flooring Distributors and L. Bornstein.

For more information, visit metroflorusa.com.
 

Tarkett Sponsors Day of Volunteering in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS—During its national sales meeting, Tarkett sponsored a day of volunteering, where its North American sales team volunteered at five New Orleans-area nonprofits as part of the Tarkett Cares corporate volunteering program.

“Tarkett Cares is our corporate volunteering program that mobilizes teams worldwide to share their time and talents with local communities to help people live better,” said Jeff Fenwick, president, resilient, Tarkett North America. “New Orleans is serving as the host city for Tarkett’s 2018 North America sales meeting, and this day of giving back is the company’s way of thanking and honoring the city for its hospitality.”

Nearly 350 Tarkett team members focused on assisting the families and children of New Orleans by supporting the following agencies: St. Bernard Battered Women’s Program’s Domestic Violence Shelter, Arise Academy, Hoffman Early Learning Center Head Start, LowerNine.org and Boys & Girls Club of New Orleans.

“Year after year, we rely on volunteers to help us with things that can’t be covered by grants,” said Gail Gowland, executive director of the St. Bernard Battered Women’s Program. “That includes teams of volunteers coming in and repairing our shelter. The work Tarkett’s volunteers are doing will help in the daily lives of those living in our emergency shelter.”

In addition to employee time, Tarkett also donated flooring, paint, landscaping supplies, and other building materials to complete projects such as installing flooring, painting murals, creating playground areas, building group dance spaces, creating outdoor picnic and exercise areas and installing kitchen cabinets and countertops.

“We couldn’t serve the homeowners of the Lower Ninth without the help of volunteers like those from Tarkett,” said Emily Steiber, volunteer coordinator of Lowernine.org. “Because of generous volunteers, we’ve been able to rebuild 87 homes and complete 250 home repair projects for people who lost their homes to Katrina. One family will have their home project completed by the Tarkett team.”

For more information, visit tarkettna.com.