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Starnet Worldwide Commercial Flooring Partnership has announced the winners of its 2009 Starnet Design Awards competition. Aimed at honoring the best and most creative designs in commercial projects involving Starnet members, the awards were presented recently at the co-op’s annual meeting in Palm Desert, Calif.

San Diego, Calif.-based J.H. Freed & Sons is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a range of sales specials and discounts throughout June. Specials include “Milliken Mondays,” “Click 2sdays” (for Marmoleum Click 2 products), “Wild Card Wednesdays” (for accessories), “Thirty Thursdays” (a $30 delivery charge on orders) and “Flexitec Fridays.”

Welcome to Good News & Bright Ideas, a new feature aimed at showcasing the brighter side of the current economic climate. While few would argue that business today is more challenging than ever before, successful companies are finding innovative ways to meet the bottom line while making inroads toward long-term growth. The section will highlight their stories, as well as news briefs that point toward a larger recovery in the housing market and the economy.

NFT’s 11th annual directory is the industry’s definitive source for listings of everything from products to manufacturers, as well as distributors, associations, retail groups and more. No matter what segment of the industry you work in, this is the guide you’ll want to refer to all year long. See it at www.ntlfloortrends.com/buyingguide.

Mirage, one of North America’s largest prefinished hardwood flooring makers, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. All Mirage employees received special commemorative items decorated with flames meant to symbolize the company’s spirit by evoking Mirage reopening for business just three months after being gutted by a fire in 1984, only a year after it opened. Pierre Thabet, the company’s president, joined employees for special activities aimed at honoring Mirage’s history.

J & J Industries and Invision recently merged their brands under one name: J+J/Invision. NFT spoke with Mark Clayton, the company’s vp marketing, about what this change means for the company and its customers.

The National Wood Flooring Association’s upcoming 24th annual Wood Flooring Expo and Education Conference will be a milestone for the trade group. The late April gathering set for Long Beach, Calif. will be the first major event for NWFA since it consolidated its efforts with the 100 year-old wood flooring manufacturers’ group NOFMA.

Between its residential and commercial divisions, Mannington Mills took home five first place 2009 National Floor Trends Styling Excellence Awards. Not only did Mannington win more awards than any other company this year; it was also the only company to garner more than one first place nod.

A closer look at the category showed that the residential replacement portion captured 54% of 2008 sales, more than twice the 22% for the builder/new construction category. The contract/commercial segment followed at 17% with Main Street commercial at 8%.

Much like the products they create to keep flooring in place, adhesive makers say they are not going anywhere. While the economic climate has led to consolidation of some businesses and a contracting of the market, manufacturers say using the proper adhesive remains a cornerstone of a professional installation and sees continued demand for their products.