
Florida Tile’s Sean Cilona, director marketing, and Dan Tuzik, independent commercial sales specialist, with the new Berkshire collection of tile that emulates the look of hand-scraped hardwood.
Business was brisk at NeoCon 2011, held June 13-15 at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. The show for commercial furnishings and interiors attracted nearly 43,000 industry professionals, a 4 percent increase over the previous year. The mood on the show floor was optimistic, with many exhibitors happy to see an increase in the number of visitors.

Showgoers mingle at Flexco’s exhibit.

Laurey Banker, Johnsonite’s director product management - commercial, and Diane Martel, Tarkett vp environmental strategies and planning, at the Johnsonite booth.

Showgoers browse Mannington Commercial’s Vivendi collection, a collaboration with HOK Product Design and Pallas Textiles.

David Duncan, vp marketing, Mohawk flooring division, said the company was proud to win a Best of NeoCon Gold award for its new SmartStrand Contract with DuPont Sorona product.

The BPS showroom featured new products set in frames like a gallery.

Jeremy Whipple, Roppe marketing manager, with the company’s new Northern Leathers premium vinyl tile line.

Mark Brunelle, USFContract national sales manager, with some of the latest additions to the Cork Decor line, which won the company a Best of NeoCon Gold award.

Terry Mowers, Tandus Flooring’s sr. vp product development, with the Change collection which is offered in modular formats and Powerbond hybrid resilient sheet flooring.
She noted that high-luster yarns are also important. “With these types of yarns, you can keep a neutral color to the product but have some sort of excitement.”

David Portales, ASCER foreign trade and export promotion, at the Tile of Spain exhibit.

Laurie Lyza, Crossville’s dir. marketing, shows off the new Ebb & Flow wall tile program. The booth also commemorated Crossville’s 25th anniversary.

Peter Greene, InterfaceFLOR’s vp marketing, holds up a binder featuring the company’s Creation line.
The Mohawk Group used their space to show off a wide range of new products across their brands, including SmartStrand Contract with DuPont Sorona carpets. The company’s theme for the show was “What Moves You.”

J+J/Invision welcome showgoers to a cocktail party at its showroom.
Tandus Flooring showed its Powerbond hybrid resilient sheet flooring and formally introduced its Sero design technology. According to Terry Mowers, Tandus Flooring’s sr. vp product development, Sero allows Powerbond products to feature large, uninterrupted floor patterns in both sheet and modular tile.

T. Fred Roche, Parterre Flooring Systems president, spoke about the company’s 20th anniversary.
Mannington Commercial unveiled products including its Vivendi collection of resilient flooring, a collaboration with HOK Product Design and Pallas Textiles. According to company spokesperson Caleb Ludwick, “This collection is very exciting because it shows off a much softer look, with a distinct healthcare influence.”

Shaw Contract Group held a press breakfast to introduce its latest collections, which included The Music Project and On the Edge modular carpet tiles.
Centiva debuted its new First Step app for the iPad and iPhone. “You can choose one of our product series, select the products you want and see them in a full sample size, then easily submit an e-mail to our sample department,” noted Leigh Wright, Centiva sr. designer. “It cuts down on waste and is extremely cost-effective.”

Visitors to the Antron booth entered a showroom designed to evoke the inside of a carpet.
Several companies also used NeoCon as a forum to promote their anniversaries. Crossville’s exhibit featured a sign proclaiming the company’s 25th year in business. “We are still owned by the same company that we were in 1986,” said Laura Lyza, dir. mktg. “Back then, an 8” by 8” tile was considered large format.”

Jeff West, Patcraft vp marketing and product development, with the company’s Cool Rain pattern.
NeoCon 2012 will be held June 11-13, 2012, at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. For more information, visit www.neocon.com.