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. 

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.

NFT asked laminate flooring manufacturers to weigh in on the issue of sustainability. It is hard to argue that ‘green’ has become an increasingly important aspect of the industry, but how does this translate to a product that is a composite of natural and manmade materials? Here is what they had to say.

At a time when many makers of residential flooring are eyeing the commercial market, Bentley Prince Street is taking a different approach. The company, which is based in City of Industry, Calif., was on hand at a recent design show in Santa Monica to promote bps rugs, a line of upscale area rugs that are designed to expand flooring options for the home.

The 2007 Design Is … Awards hosted by Shaw Contract Group honored six firms from the U.S. and across the world for projects that captured “the challenges, processes and results” of great design using Shaw Contract carpet. The award winners were given $2,000 to donate to schools or organizations of their choice. Winners donated to design education funds, arts colleges, demonstration houses and interior design programs.

Armstrong officials gave a preview of some of their latest products during a press event recently at the company’s headquarters in Lancaster, Pa. The company showed off additions to existing lines and discussed the benefits of its recently launched Migrations BioBased Tile product range as well as several green programs. While the products were eye-catching, it was clear that the company is treading carefully in a softening market that one staffer called “a unique economic situation.”

Armstrong Floor Products president and CEO Frank Ready was even more blunt. “It’s a very tough environment,” he said. “We’re very happy where we’re positioned right now – we feel very good about where we’ll finish in 2007, but the market in 2008 is going to be really tough.”

Milliken was recently honored for “outstanding contributions to urban forestry” by the Georgia Forestry Commission. The flooring maker helped establish the Making the Shade program, which is committed to planting shade trees near elementary school playgrounds to help shield children from high temperatures.

Brintons, widely recognized for its range of Axminster carpets, recently participated in a $20 million restoration of the historic Leland Stanford Mansion in San Francisco. Built in 1856, the 19,000 sq. ft. Victorian mansion originally served as the office of three governors and is today used for the state’s diplomatic and business receptions.  Brintons, which was founded in 1783, provided carpet patterns designed to match the original flooring from photographs taken during the 1870s.