Donny F. Philips, an Atlanta area retailer with
24 years of industry experience, has been elected chairman of the board of the
World Floor Covering Association. Set to begin his duties July 1, Philips said
he plans to promote the Floor Covering B2B protocol as well as other industry partnerships.
He succeeds Robert A. Hill, CEO of Floor Covering Associates of Shorewood, Ill.
who is completing his one-year term.
The American Institute of
Architects and U.S. Green Building Council are among five organizations
partnering with the EPA to develop “improved indoor air quality” standards for
builders and designers. The effort, which includes an educational course and
guidebook, is designed to “assist building professionals in implementing
high-performance designs and IAQ performance in a broad range of buildings.”
The project is expected to be completed in mid-2009.
Having finalized a management buyout, Jerry Thomas has reinstalled
himself as ceo and chairman of the carpet maker and fiber supplier that carries
his name. The 30-year-old company, Thomas Industries, features a portfolio of
brands that includes Templeton Hospitality Carpet, Monticello Floors, Mattel
Carpet and Rug, and Superior Yarn Technology. Thomas, who served as co-chairman
prior to the buyout, says he is eager to get back at the helm of his family
business.
Home sales are expected to remain sluggish most
of the year and show “a gradual upturn”
leading into 2008, according to a recent forecast by the National Association
of Realtors. The trade group expects sales of new and existing homes to pick up
next year, but acknowledged they will most likely remain lower than 2006.
In a bid to increase the design flexibility of its
carpet fiber, Invista unveiled a major expansion to its Antron commercial brand
during NeoCon. The company more than doubled the number of colors in the Antron
Lumena solution dyed nylon line to 200. The new options use “a broader,
brighter, deeper and richer color spectrum,” according to the company.
Opinions were mixed on the health of residential
sales and largely positive about commercial sales, according to a new survey of
World Floor Covering Association members. The portion of members who said their
residential business was down from one year ago-about 40 percent- was equally to
those reporting an up tick in the segment. On the commercial side, however, 46
percent of those polled said that sales were up while 29 percent noted that
sales were flat. Eighteen percent reported a drop in their commercial sales.
Shaw said that all carpets made using the
company’s Anso nylon now contain recycled content from its Evergreen Nylon Recycling
plant in Augusta, Ga. The move is part
of an aggressive push for the company’s Shaw Green Edge marketing initiative.
The Evergreen plant, which recycles post-consumer carpets made using Nylon 6
fiber into the raw materials needed to make new nylon, is a cornerstone of the
company’s environmental efforts.
James T. Lucke has joined Mohawk Industries as
vice president and general counsel. He succeeds Sal Perillo, who is retiring. Lucke
most recently served as senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of
Spectrum Brands (formerly Rayovac) in Atlanta, an organization with $3 billion
in worldwide sales.
With a vow to “build a beach house and goof
off,” flooring veteran Brian Radditz has announced his retirement after 30
years as president of the distributor Wanke Cascade.
Sales of new single-family homes jumped 16.2
percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 981,000 units,
according to a recent U.S. Commerce Department report. According to the
National Association of Home Builders, a spate of builder discounts and
“substantial non-price sales incentives” helped fuel the increase in sales.
Additionally, the NAHB reported that buyers are seeking out lower-priced homes.