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Web Exclusives
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Retail Group Directory
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.
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 | Armstrong Commercial site takes the ‘LEED’
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.
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The ‘greening’ of laminate
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.
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 | BPS goes ‘Boom’ at recent design show
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.
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 | Shaw’s Design Is … Awards seeks best and brightest for 2008 contest
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.
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 | Armstrong product preview ‘08: Company beefs up existing lines, plans more U.S. production
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.”
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 | Milliken recognized for ‘Making the Shade’
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.
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 | BR-111 Foundation: Hardwood, and heart, in Brazil
Exotic hardwood flooring maker BR-111 and its supply
partners say they are doing their part to expand social programs and brighten
the lives of children in Brazil through its BR-111 Foundation. The programs
offer education and social services to impoverished children in the areas that typically
produce BR-111 flooring. According to BR-111 CEO Daniel Pagano, “We have a
social responsibility to give back to the communities that produce our flooring
products.”
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 | Brintons helps recreate original carpets for historic mansion
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.
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Two rug companies expand showrooms as AmericasMart grows
AmericasMart
Atlanta is set to add an additional 250,000 sq. ft. of space for furniture,
home furnishings and area rugs in time for the January ’08 Atlanta Rug Market.
The expansion in Bldg. 1 follows a planned 1.5 million sq. ft. addition to
Bldg. 2 slated to open in 2009. When completed, the new wing in Bldg. 2 will
create one of the largest assortments of high design, garden and gourmet
products in the U.S., according to the company.
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WFCA offers Window Coverings course through Trainingspace
Online training group
Trainingspace now offers a course on window coverings. Topics include selling
window coverings, window coverings types, and measuring, installing and
maintaining the product. The window coverings class marks the first course from
Trainingspace that moves beyond the traditional areas of flooring and
countertops.
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 | At recent convention, CFI celebrates industry ‘challenges’ and ‘changes’
“Change! Challenge! Choice!” was the theme of the 14th
annual Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI) meeting in Kansas
City, Mo. With an eye toward arming CFI members with the latest tools and
techniques to combat the recent downturn in housing, the recent event included
educational sessions and hands-on workshops designed to take a hard look at the
business.
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‘A logical next step’: Intertech opens Rio Grande branch
Full-service commercial flooring provider Intertech Flooring,
with offices in Austin and San Antonio, recently opened its third office.
Located in Mission, Texas, in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, the branch
location will serve the Rio Grande with the company’s blend of commercial
flooring products, installation expertise, design consultation and maintenance
services.
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Solutia picks judges for 2007 Doc Award contest
Solutia’s Ultron carpet fibers business has named its judges
for the upcoming 2007 Doc Award Competition in New York. Set for Nov. 28, the
contest aims to honor outstanding achievement in contract interior and product
design. The awards honor not only architects and designers and their projects,
but carpet mills for creating aesthetic and durable contract floor coverings
using the company’s fiber.
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Armstrong gets highest LEED approval for Lancaster HQ
Armstrong World Industries said it has received Platinum
Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system for its
Lancaster, Pa.-based headquarters. Built in 1998, the location is only the
sixth existing building and the first outside of California, to achieve USGBC’s
highest certification, according to Armstrong.
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 | CMI’s Summer Splash sample sale aimed at rug dealers
Colonial Mills Inc. is hosting its annual Summer Splash Rug
Sample Special event, now through Aug. 31. Featuring savings of up to 60
percent for dealers on the company’s Rug Sample Centers, Swing Arm Systems,
Fabric Rug Customizers and Custom POM Sets, the sale is designed to help
dealers get the most up-to-date samples and selling tools at deep discounts.
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 | CRI certifies latest cleaning solutions, extractors for Seal of Approval status
Six carpet cleaning solutions and eight extractors recently
earned the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval certification. Seal of
Approval products meet the highest standards of effectiveness and quality in
carpet cleaning, according to CRI. Products must pass a series of stringent
tests based on strict criteria in order to receive the certification.
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 | Shaw Learning Academy’s Floor Tech course includes training, mill tours
Shaw Learning Academy, the training arm of Shaw Industries,
said that flooring professionals who completed the company’s Floor Tech class
in the last three years have increased their sales volume by more than 20
percent. The course remains one of Shaw’s most popular offerings, according to
the company.
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 | Colin Powell gives keynote at first Hunter Douglas dealer event
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell gave a rousing
keynote address on leadership and how it can be applied to everyday
circumstances during Hunter Douglas’s inaugural International Alliance
Conference. The July 25-27 event in Denver brought together dealers, fabricators
and manufacturing partners, and included presentations on consumer habits,
fashion trends and product rollouts.
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 | Atlanta Rug Market to feature greener rugs, retailer awards
The Atlanta International Area Rug Market
will be getting more green this year with the introduction of the AmericasMart
Green Product Showcase. The showcase, running through the second day of the
July 15-18 market, will include more than 300 products, including eco-friendly
area rugs, furniture, apparel and gifts. In addition, more than 140 exhibitors
are planning to exhibit their latest handmade and machine-made rugs, many of
them environmentally sound.
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