Abbey Carpet and its Abbey Carpet and Floor, Floors
to Go and The Floor Club stores have signed on as partners in the World Floor
Covering Association’s recent certification initiative. The Bonita Springs,
Fla.-based company joins other industry heavyweights CCA Global Partners,
Armstrong and Mohawk in an effort to increase professionalism and knowledge through
WFCA-certified training.
Smith & Fong Plyboo said it has begun converting its
plants in Taiwan and China to use formaldehyde-free manufacturing processes.
Plans call for the new, greener Plyboo bamboo flooring to be available to the
U.S. market by the end of the year.
The Aldo Leopold
Foundation won the third annual Designing and Building with FSC Award from the
Forest Stewardship Council for the construction of a center honoring its
founder. The award, which was presented yesterday during the U.S. Green
Building Council’s Greenbuild meeting in
Chicago, honors projects that are built with responsible forest management in
mind.
Mirage has named Wheeler its newest
distributor covering Florida. Based in Orlando, Wheeler will offer the full
line of Mirage prefinished hardwood floors.
Northeast distributor Belknap White Alcco has been named
Mirage’s newest distributor for New England and upstate New York. The company
will serve offer Mirage’s complete line of prefinished hardwood floors.
Ark Floors, a year-old wood flooring
manufacturer located about 16 miles east of Pasadena, Calif., recently hired
former Hoboken Floors president Ira Lefkowitz as CEO. Under his leadership, the
company is planning a huge product push at the upcoming Surfaces show with a
rollout of 40 new exotic and distressed products. The move is set to more than
double Ark Floors’ hardwood flooring line.
BR-111
Exotic Hardwood Flooring has named Apollo Distributing Co. its exclusive
distributor of the New York Tri-State area. Based in Fairfield, N.J., Apollo has
been a BR-111 distributor for the area for close to a year. Until recently the
company shared territory with Hoboken Floors of Wayne, N.J., which recently announced
plans to close.
Hoboken Floors, a 77-year old
distributor based in Wayne, N.J., is closing its doors, according to New Jersey
newspaper The Record. In a letter
to employees, CFO Lawrence Grossman noted that the company’s decision to
shutter its business was based on an “inability to acquire additional funding
which we believe would have avoided the need for a facility closing,” the paper
reported.
Dr. Neil McMurdie has been tapped to head MAPEI’s R&D
efforts for the Americas. A graduate of Yale University with a Ph.D. in physical
organic chemistry, McMurdie will be responsible for developing new products
that both perform and offer real green benefits.
Jim Gould, a 35-year veteran of the industry and former
owner of Midwest distributor Misco Shawnee, said he has started a new
consulting company for flooring professionals. The company, Floor Covering Institute
LLC, focuses on both domestic and international business, including sourcing
overseas and exporting from the U.S. Additionally, the St. Louis-based firm
will consult on mergers and acquisitions.
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