Shaw Completes South Pittsburg Manufacturing Facility Expansion
DALTON—Shaw Industries has completed the expansion of its hardwood flooring manufacturing facility in South Pittsburg, Tenn., to meet the growing demand for its engineered hardwood flooring products.
According to the company, the $40 million investment adds more than 60% capacity to the existing hardwood manufacturing facility, as well as dozens of jobs over the past several months as new equipment and production lines have come on line.
“The expansion of our South Pittsburg engineered hardwood facility is a prime example of our continued investment in new product development and advanced manufacturing practices,” said Vance Bell, Shaw’s chairman and CEO. “Hardwood is important to Shaw’s business growth strategy.”
The announcement represents the company’s ongoing alignment with market demands and preferences. In 2006, Shaw transformed this former yarn plant into one of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced hardwood flooring manufacturing facilities across Shaw’s entire portfolio. In 2015, the company introduced a significant product innovation with Epic Plus built with Stabilitek, a next generation engineered hardwood that offers superior performance on high-moisture concrete slabs often found in today’s homes as a result of rapid construction schedules.
Additionally, in recent years, the company has invested in technology, innovation and automation to improve efficiency, product performance, cost, safety, material yield and waste reduction at its hardwood facilities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.
For more, call (800) 441-7429 or visit shawfloors.com.
Haines to Distribute Q.E.P.’s Harris Wood, Cork and LVC Lines in Florida
BOCA RATON, FLA.— Q.E.P. Co.’s long-term partner, Haines, will now take the Harris Wood, Harris Cork and Harris Luxury Vinyl Cork (LVC) product lines into Florida.
“This territory expansion with Haines is part of a valued long-term relationship and essential to the continued growth of Harris Wood products in our focused markets,” said Jamie Clingan, senior vice president of marketing for Q.E.P. “The superior American-made collection of Harris Wood, the unique aspects of the Harris Cork and Harris LVC lines and the enthusiasm and market knowledge of the Haines team is a combination for success for both companies.”
For more, call (561) 994-5550 or visit qepcorporate.com.
Novalis Recognized at DACF for Sustainable Product Development
SHANGHAI, CHINA—Novalis Innovative Flooring was recognized for its work in environmentally friendly, sustainable product development with a Green Product Honorable Mention at Domotex asia/ChinaFloor (DACF) for the third year in a row.
“We developed a lighter weight, warmer feeling and more resilient luxury vinyl tile (LVT) by dispersing cork granules into a PVC compound,” said John Wu, president and CEO of Novalis. “This results in a whole new set of attributes and benefits for LVT that we are pioneering at Novalis.”
The base layers of the new LVT are where the cork granules are fused with the PVC compounds offering thermal and acoustical performance. According to Wu, Novalis will launch a cork-based LVT collection in glue-down, click and loose lay formats.
For more, call (905) 886-3461 or visit novalis-intl.us.
Shannon Floors Introduces Vinyl Flooring Uncovered Education Course
MILWAUKEE—Shannon Specialty Floors has released a continuing education course titled “Vinyl Flooring Uncovered.”
The course provides an overview of vinyl flooring, its manufacturing process, testing standards and performance characteristics. The course also discusses the environmental impacts of vinyl flooring throughout its lifespan and its contributions to meeting green building codes and standards.
“The course was designed to be thoughtful, interesting and educational,” said Jeff Collum, president of Shannon Floors.
According to Collum, the course will be presented in both face-to-face and online formats.
For more, call (414) 771-9166 or visit shannonspecialtyfloors.com/sustainability/continuing-education.
Preverco Expands Canadian Team
SAINT-AUGUSTIN-DE-DESMAURES, CANADA—William Dove, Ryan Smithdorf and Sebastian Lukasik are Preverco’s newest Canadian representatives.
“British Columbia, Alberta/Saskatchewan and the Greater Toronto Area are all large and growing markets,” said Etienne Chabot, Preverco’s vice president, marketing. “With the demand for Preverco products rising steadily, adding representatives to these three geographic regions makes good business sense.”
Dove has more than 25 years of experience in the sales and distribution of hardwood floors as well as in sales management. Smithdorf brings to Preverco experience in many facets of the floor covering industry in Alberta, Canada. Lukasik has worked in the hardwood flooring industry for more than 18 years. Prior to joining Preverco, he was an account manager for a hardwood floor distributor, where he specialized in sales for major commercial projects.
For more, call (418) 878-8930 or visit preverco.com.
Urban Floor Donates Flooring to Habitat for Humanity LA
LOS ANGELES—Urban Floor has donated European Oak wood flooring and moldings to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles as part of a gift-in-kind partnership now in its second year.
This donation, totaling 9,000 square feet, will provide flooring for approximately nine Habitat LA homes.
“At Urban Floor, we’re always striving to do better for our customers, company, employees and community,” said Rachel Rueda, vice president of Urban Floor. “One of the ways that we do this is by partnering with Habitat LA, our No. 1 charity of choice, and making a product donation that will help them carry out their mission of building decent, sustainable and affordable homes.”
In addition to positively impacting Habitat LA’s bottom line, Urban Floor’s donation of wood flooring provides enhanced stability, as well as resistance to daily wear and tear, that will benefit Habitat LA homeowners for years to come.
“[Urban Floor’s] partnership will allow us to provide nine families with beautiful flooring while also saving us thousands of dollars in construction costs that can instead be invested into building homes for more families,” said Erin Rank, Habitat LA’s president and CEO.
For more, call (323) 890-0000 or visit urbanfloor.com.
Stoehr Flooring Revamps Website
CINCINNATI—Stoehr Flooring’s, a division of Robbins, updated website is mobile friendly and features new solid hardwood product collections consisting of new colors, species and a wire brushed product line.
The updated site also includes an online cart feature which allows customers to order color and specie samples at no cost. High-quality product photography was also incorporated into the redesign to allow for better imagery of the hardwood floor products, as well as room scene photography, according to the company.
In addition, customers can also use the new virtual room designer to upload photos of the rooms in their own home for floor customization. An account can be created to save and edit customized designs. Customers can choose a print out of their selected products and visit a local retailer to speed up the buying process.
“The goal in redesigning the website was to provide a better experience for our customers and simplify the floor selection process,” said Jamie Darpel, Stoehr’s marketing manager. “The new product photography and virtual room designer really highlights the natural variation and beauty of our floors and will allow our customers to get a good visual of how a new solid hardwood floor will look in their home.”
For more, call (877) 525-4632 or visit stoehrflooring.com.
T&L Now Distributing IVC Products
DALTON— T&L Distributing is now distributing IVC US’ Flexitec fiberglass sheet vinyl, Balterio laminate and Moduelo luxury vinyl tiles and planks in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Western Tennessee.
“T&L has proven successful with our Moduelo collection, and we are eager to see what they can accomplish with our Flexitec and recently launched Balterio collections,” said Jim Chepalis, IVC’s director of distribution and strategic accounts.
Bob Eady, president of T&L, said, “Our relationship with IVC has continued to grow and strengthen over the years, and we’re looking forward to exploring this new venture and what successes lie ahead for us together.”
For more, call (706) 529-2600 or visit ivcfloors.com.
Dal-Tile Hosts Houzz University
DALLAS— The Dal-Tile Design Studio in Dallas hosted Houzz University training sessions led by Houzz specialists.
The sessions guided local design professionals through the extensive website offerings and provided tutorials and best practices on how to promote a design business through the platform.
For more, call (214) 398-1411 or visit daltile.com
Bonitz Opens Pittsburgh Commercial Flooring Operation
COLUMBIA, S.C.—Bonitz Flooring Group has opened its newest commercial flooring operation in Pittsburgh. This new location will be led by flooring industry veteran, Colleen DeFilippo.
“I have worked many years in this industry and have developed a strong understanding of what it takes to build a successful team,” said DeFilippo. “I am pleased to join Bonitz and their commitment to making a positive impact inside and outside of projects. By understanding the value of relationships and continually looking for ways to better serve our clients, we will be successful.”
DeFilippo worked with Shaw Industries for 20 years, and she has earned multiple Chairman’s Club awards from the company. She served on the International Facility Management Association board for 10 years, and spent two of those years as its president. Previously, she served as president of Spectra Contract Flooring in Pittsburgh.
“Colleen is committed to offering our clients total project solutions while also bringing our vision to the Pittsburgh market—to positively impact and enhance the lives of our associates, associate family members and our customers in a unique, fun and profitable work environment,” said Pete Larmore, Bonitz’s CEO.
For more, call (803) 799-0181 or visit bonitz.com.
Metroflor Streamlines and Rebrands LVT Portfolio
NORWALK, CONN.—Metroflor has streamlined and rebranded its portfolio of luxury vinyl tile (LVT) brands under the umbrella tagline “The LVT Specialists.”
According to the company, the strategy narrows the focus to five core brands, creating synergy between them: Metroflor LVT, Konecto, Engage, the new Engage Genesis and Artistek. Together the brands provide a comprehensive portfolio of LVT products that can accommodate the needs of virtually every flooring environment at all price points.
Previously, Metroflor’s collection of brands was presented as standalone, unique and separate. Now, they are integral to each other in telling a good-better-best story, guiding the consumer to the right product for their application within their unique budget requirements.
“The brands work together to provide the largest single assortment of LVT from the company that created the hottest category of product driving growth in the flooring industry today,” said Russ Rogg, Metroflor’s president and CEO.
Dryback LVT products are the primary platform for the Metroflor LVT and Artistek brands. In the floating/click category’s good-better-best continuum, Konecto is good, Engage is better and the Engage Genesis Brand is best.
Logos for Metroflor, Metroflor LVT, Konecto and Engage Genesis have also been redesigned and modernized to be more current with today’s brand-conscious consumers.
For more, call (888) 235-6672 or visit metroflorusa.com.
Mohawk to Expand Dalton-Whitfield County LVT Operations
DALTON—Mohawk Industries announced that it will expand its existing vinyl flooring operations in Georgia’s Dalton-Whitfield County by the end of the year.
According to the company, this project will significantly increase its current U.S. luxury vinyl tile (LVT) manufacturing capacity. The $100 million capital investment in infrastructure and equipment will generate approximately 200 jobs for the region.
“Mohawk’s continued expansion in Georgia underscores how a premier flooring manufacturer helps Georgia’s entire floor covering industry remain competitive,” said Gov. Nathan Deal. “This is a great indicator of the resilience of the carpet and floor covering industry. We look forward to Mohawk’s continued job creation and investment in our state.”
The project will increase Mohawk’s production of flexible and rigid LVT wood plastic composite (WPC) products for both residential and commercial applications. Mohawk currently employs more than 34,000 individuals worldwide and approximately 10,250 in Georgia.
Mohawk acquired the IVC Group in 2015, positioning the company at the forefront of the global vinyl flooring market. The acquisition added state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities in both Europe and North America.
“This is the third major investment on this site, and this expansion will complete the build-out of the property that we prepared for IVC back in 2010,” said Mike Babb, Whitfield County commission chairman. “This is proof that the economic development process works and that the effort was worthwhile. We are very pleased that the company continues to grow and thrive and we appreciate all that Mohawk does to help our community.”
For more, call (706) 629-7721 or visit mohawkind.com.
Ferro Named President of Tarkett’s Tandus Centiva Division
SOLON, OHIO—Len Ferro has been named president of the Tandus Centiva business division of Tarkett.
Ferro succeeds Glen Hussmann who announced his retirement in January.
Glen Morrison, president and CEO of Tarkett North America, expressed his gratitude to Hussmann, “for his leadership and many contributions to our Tandus Centiva organization. His commitment to the development of his team has made our organization stronger. We thank him and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Ferro brings expertise, knowledge and experience to this role, having served most recently as COO of the company since 2013, and previously as CFO from 2004, when he joined Tandus Centiva. In his roles, he has worked extensively with all aspects of the Tandus Centiva business. As COO, he led the sales organization during which time the team expanded the business and achieved record sales, according to the company.
Prior to Tandus Centiva, Ferro worked 17 years in various financial and controller positions with organizations such as Ernst & Young and Swift Galey.
For more, call (610) 266-5504 or visit tarkett.com.
Denver Retailer Wins Shaw’s ‘Capture the Spirit Awesome Dream Car Giveaway’
DALTON—Josh Cooper from Denver-based flooring retailer, Carpet Exchange, is the winner of Shaw’s “Capture the Spirit Awesome Dream Car Giveaway.”
Created in 1998, Capture the Spirit (CTS) is Shaw’s rewards program that is designed specifically to incentivize floor covering retail sales associates to sell better-end Shaw flooring products. Last year, Shaw announced its plans to run a year-long, nationwide CTS Awesome Dream Car Giveaway promotion, with the winner promised a Cadillac CTS sedan. Thousands entered, hundreds qualified to win, but only Cooper walked away with the luxury vehicle.
“I was so shocked to win,” said Cooper. “This experience was one of the biggest surprises of my life. I thank everyone at Shaw for giving me all the tools I need to succeed in my business. Winning this promotion really shows that hard work pays off and I want to thank Shaw for being a great partner.”
Aaron John, director of the Shaw Flooring Network and Retail Programs, added, “We couldn’t be happier for Josh. He is an amazingly talented retail sales associate who continuously strives to better serve the consumer. By actively participating in our Capture the Spirit platform, Josh and hundreds of retailers just like him, have honed their craft and have been lucratively rewarded for their efforts. We invite all retail sales associates to sign up for [the] CTS program and start earning money for selling products they already know and trust.”
For more, call (800) 441-7429 or visit shawcts.com/giveaway.
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