The World Floor Covering Association has launched
www.wfca-pro.org, a site for flooring professionals designed to offer “industry
information, news, updates and advice for the professional.” Both WFCA members
and the general public can access the site, though certain sections are locked
for members only.
Carpet
maker Bentley Prince Street said it will donate carpet for 30 new “green” homes
as part of a Habitat for Humanity project in Los Angeles. Now through Nov. 2,
more than 55 Bentley Prince Street employees will work alongside low-income
families and other volunteers to build environmentally friendly homes. The
weeklong event marks the first time that a Habitat for Humanity project has
sought LEED certification, Bentley Prince Street noted.
A new “Room Maker” tool that allows consumers to draw up
floor plans of their rooms is slated to launch on the World Floor Covering
Association consumer website during the Surfaces show in January. According to
Mike Vogel, president and CEO of website design company Creating Your Space,
the tool is one of many new features aimed at enhancing the WFCA’s consumer
site at www.wfca.org.
Faus and
Unilin said they have signed a licensing agreement allowing the companies to
use each other’s respective laminate flooring technologies. Specifically, Faus
can now use Unilin’s glueless locking system and Unilin can feature Faus’
surface technologies on its products. Unilin, which Mohawk bought two years ago,
is widely known for its Quick-Step brand of laminate flooring.
Surfaces 2008 is set to include the most new products in
the show’s history. That is the consensus of show organizers based on interest
in a New Product Preview brochure. Offering a sneak peak of the newest designs
and trends from exhibiting manufacturers, the brochure is slated to feature
more than 200 new products, which represents “a 17 percent increase [in
participation] over 2007 and a 14 percent increase over 2006.”
Coverings is heading westward with
a new edition, Coverings LA Boutique, set for Nov. 19-20, 2008, at the Long
Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA.
Flooring professionals can now begin registering
to attend Surfaces 2008. Slated for Jan. 29 through Feb. 1 at the Sands Expo
& Convention Center in Las Vegas, Surfaces is geared to be the industry’s
“one-stop shop” for new products, services and technologies, according to Surfaces
spokeswoman Kelly Cooper.
With an eye toward enhancing its product development process,
laminate flooring maker Faus Group has launched a Design Advisory Board. Culled
from a pool of Faus distributors, retailers, and R&D and sales representatives,
the board recently held its initial meeting at Faus’ Calhoun, Ga.-based
headquarters. Faus noted that input from these meetings will help the company make “better informed product development decisions,
reduce development costs and continue to bring the latest, most fashion-forward
products to the market in a more efficient manner."
Mannington
has named the winners of its 2007 Stand on a Better World Awards. With an eye
toward honoring women who make a difference both in their communities and the
world at large, Mannington selected the three finalists from a pool of entries
sent to the competition’s website earlier this year. The winners include women
involved in founding a pediatric care center for at-risk infants, a literacy
group for blind children and an aid organization for impoverished families in
Latin America. The entries were judged by a panel including famed athlete
Billie Jean King, television journalist Deborah Roberts and Olga Murray,
founder of the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation and grand prize winner of
last year’s award.
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