A new Member Center highlights
the recently revamped website of the National Association of Floor Covering
Distributors. The section features a membership directory which allows members
to find colleagues and NAFCD business partners. Additionally, the Center gives
members online access to the group’s newsletter.
After
less than three months as CEO of Amtico International’s North American
division, Chris McKee has resigned. The company noted in a brief statement that
“Chris started several important changes that we will continue to implement.”
In a related announcement, the resilient flooring maker said it will
restructure its sales and management staff to provide “a more efficient and
effective alignment of talent and responsibilities.”
With an eye toward meeting increased demand for
its exotic hardwood products, Elegance Exotic Wood Flooring is moving. The Rancho
Cucamonga, Calif.-based distributor said it is relocating roughly nine miles
east to a facility that will more than double the company’s current capacity. Located
at the corner of Baseline Rd. and McGuire Ave. in Fontana, the new distribution
center will include 460,000 sq. ft. of warehouse and office space, as well as
70 docks.
Alarmed by “rampant deforestation,” Norway has banned the
use of certain species of hardwood in its public buildings. The new law, which was
approved last week by Norwegian lawmakers, prohibits tropical wood from being
used as building material, including flooring. The northern European nation,
which has a population of about 4.6 million and is roughly the size of Montana,
said the move is aimed at strengthening its environmental and social profile
within public procurement.
Product planning veteran Jeff Leone has been
named MAPEI’s director of strategic marketing. Previously, he helped establish
an automotive business for BASF/Basell in China. This included overseeing the
creation of a production facility and setting up a technical and sales
organization for the mainland.
Alloc Inc. has announced that Claes Wennerth has resigned
his position as president of the company. Bengt Rasin CEO of the Alloc
group,
will take over as president. Additionally, Kevin Murphy, vp of
residential
sales will assume responsibility for commercial sales The company
announced Wennerth's departure with a brief news
release that said he was stepping down “to pursue other interests.”
Wennerth established the company’s North American operation in Racine,
Wis., in
1997 and has served as president since.
Tate Access Floors, a manufacturer of modular
flooring designed to offer easy access to underfloor wiring, cooling and data
systems, has purchased Oakville, Ontario-based ASPmaxcess. Plans call for the
Oakville, Ontario-based company, which like Tate makes raised access floors for
the commercial market, to rebrand itself as Tateasp. Additionally, the Canadian
company’s signature Woodcore product line will now be made available to Tate
dealers for the first time.
Doug Amundson, widely known for his tireless
efforts in promoting the needs of installers through the Certified Floorcovering
Installers organization, died July 3 in South Dakota following a long illness.
He was 60.
With an eye toward better serving the needs of
regional markets, Tarkett has reorganized its management structure. The company
will now operate its residential and commercial business within three regional
divisions: North America, Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Jeff Buttitta,
president and CEO of sister company Johnsonite, has been tapped to head the
North American unit.
In a move expected to position Mohawk Industries as the
biggest supplier in hardwood flooring, the company has bought the Columbia
Flooring brand and is set to acquire four pre-finished plants that together
average nearly $180 million in sales. The Columbia Forest Products plants,
including sites in Holden, W. Va.; Danville, Va.; Melville, Ark.; and Malaysia,
have been Mohawk’s largest suppliers of hardwood. Mohawk said it plans to “support the Columbia brands sold through independent
distributors and enhance the product portfolio.”
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