J&J/Invision recently received an American
flag and a message of thanks from U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. The company donated 50 rugs to the soldiers
to help keep them warm during the winter months. The flag will be displayed in
the front lobby at the company’s corporate office in Dalton, Ga.
Bridgeport, W. Va.-based distributor Abraham Linc is now marketing and distributing the IVC US line of glass-back vinyl products in the Virginias, Pennsylvania and western Maryland. According to Abraham Linc, the partnership with the resilient maker is a "good fit."
The National Tile Contractors Association reported a 29 percent increase in attendance at this year's Total Solutions conference in National Harbor, Md., near Washington, D.C. The two-day show, which included a range of presentations, hands-on demonstrations and manufacturer exhibits, "enjoyed some of the best participation we have ever experienced," said Bart Bettiga, executive director of the NTCA.
Hardwood remains an
area of flooring where creativity abounds and boundaries are continually
toppled. How else to explain the bumper crop of flooring creations vying this
year for the National Wood Flooring Association’s coveted Wood Floor of the
Year Awards? At the trade group’s annual meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, 232 entries
were offered for consideration-the most seen in the competition’s 18-year history.
Retailers in the
flooring business can be forgiven if they cringe a bit when they hear Green
these days. They are not opposed to being environmentally responsible; it’s
just that they keep hearing it over and over. It seems everyone touts it,
embraces it and tries to leverage it to their advantage. Companies are bending
over backwards to out-green each other and consumers love the concept-as long
as it doesn’t cost extra. Meanwhile, with sales slumping, many dealers wonder
if the whole saving-the-planet thing can wait until business picks up.
At the Certified Floorcovering Installers’ 15th Anniversary Celebration held recently in Kansas City, Mo., Sam Allman of Allman Consulting presented a rousing Leadership Conference to installers on hand. Sponsored by Mohawk and the World Floor Covering Association, the conference aimed to give attendees tips on energizing their business.
Apprentices of INSTALL's New Jersey program
recently showed off their skills (and their patriotism) during a skills
contest. Among the highlights were an American flag depicted using VCT, and a
tribute to prisoners of war using Forbo linoleum. The work was done by apprentices
Andrew Miller and Sean Quinn.
Laminate
flooring may be easy to install, but as a piece of the floor covering puzzle it
is hard to pin down. While the products in the category have seen steady
advances in performance and design, specialty retailers are reporting a sharp
drop in annual dollar volume from laminate sales. Four years ago, those
participating in our survey said they averaged more than $327,000 in sales for
the category. Those responding to this year’s survey said the average was
$100,411. The falloff is widely seen as a byproduct of laminate sales shifting
to big box stores.
Consumers
shopping for new flooring agree that four store visits is probably too many,
but one is seldom enough. A solid majority of consumers-60%--say they visit two
or three stores before pulling the trigger on a flooring purchase. Also, while
a store’s reputation, its prices and the level of service it provides are
important, shoppers said their No. 1 concern is the quality of the flooring
offered and the range of products available.
Faced
with a sharp increase in the cost of petrochemicals and other raw material,
carpet fiber makers are turning to Plan B: Mother Nature. By including natural
materials or recycled content, manufacturers are finding that the payoff
reflects on their image and their bottom line. Still, suppliers note that,
while “Green” is still mostly a commercial concern, the consumer mindset is
beginning to shift to environmentally friendly products.
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