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The following is an NFT exclusive interview with Brooks Mancini, the newly elected chairman of the board of the World Floor Covering Association and a contractor for nearly 50 years.

A new survey commissioned by the World Floor Covering Association underscores the unmistakable influence of big box stores in floor covering. Consumers who purchased flooring from either a big box or specialty flooring retailer in the past 18 months provided insights into their shopping experience. A finding that is sure to stir uneasiness among specialty retailers: Today’s consumer is twice as likely to rely on a big box store for their initial information as on a retailer devoted exclusively to flooring.    

Ceramic tile remains one of the most desirable types of flooring but, as any installer can tell you, it requires a certain level of expertise to make certain it looks great and performs as expected. The ability to detect, troubleshoot and-most important-solve problems is a major asset for any installer. So let’s look at the issues that most frequently surface with ceramic tile in a residential setting. We’ll break up the discussion into the areas most commonly affected: the bonding of the ceramic tile and issues surrounding the grout.

Shaw has launched the Growth & Sustainability Council. The group, which comprises 15 top executives at Shaw, will focus on long-term business growth and issues surrounding sustainability. “Shaw sustainability is about driving growth, innovation and productivity throughout the value chain and, therefore, better serving our customers, said Vance Bell, Shaw’s CEO and a member of the council.

Shaw Industries and Kruse Carpet Recycling were named Recyclers of the Year during the recent Carpet America Recovery Effort Conference in Clearwater Beach, Fla. The event, which featured updates on carpet reclamation efforts in the industry and a discussion on the role of government procurement activity, marked the second year that the award was given to both large and small companies.

Joe Amato, vp of residential styling for Mannington, said he is proud that his company won five top awards in the recent NFT Styling Excellence competition – more than any other manufacturer this year. Proud, but not surprised.

Alloc says that its commercial business is well positioned to grow during the current economic climate. Though most of its sales volume has traditionally been in residential laminate flooring, Alloc said efforts that began three years ago to bolster its commercial business have led to the company “building a foundation that has readied the brand to tap opportunities in 2008’s challenged economy.”

Editor’s Note: The Retail Groups and Franchises listed below are those that responded to a special questionnaire send by National Floor Trends for our 2008 directory. This is not intended to represent all of the industry’s buying groups and should not be interpreted as such. If you represent  a Retail Group or Franchise organization and would like to be listed in this directory, please let us know. 

LG Floors NatureLife collectionThe price of resilient flooring is rising-and consumers seem willing to pay it. Over the past five years the average resilient flooring transaction grew from under $1,000

Armstrong Commercial has updated its website at www.armstrong.com/flooring with details on how each product can contribute to LEED points and the EcoScorecard tool that allows users to evaluate products under several “green” rating systems.