Armstrong Names 2015 Elite Retailers of the Year

LANCASTER, PA.—Armstrong Flooring has announced its 2015 Elite Retailers of the Year. The award is based on a variety of factors including sales, lead conversion rates, overall program support, showroom quality and website excellence.

2015 winners are: Gold: AJ Rose Carpets and Flooring; Silver: Long Island Paneling, Ceilings & Floors; and Bronze: The Floor Store.

“With 170 Elite showrooms nationwide, we wanted to recognize and thank the best of the best for their continuing excellence and commitment to the Armstrong Flooring Elite Program,” said David McClatchy, national sales manager, retail strategic accounts (RSA). “These annual awards give us the opportunity to do just that and we are grateful for our partnership with these outstanding retail locations.”

This year’s Honorable Mentions are Dalene Flooring Carpet One for Showroom Experience and Carpet King for Lead Conversion.

“All of this year’s winners are consistently on the forefront of our industry and have been a valuable partner in their areas,” said McClatchy. “Each exceeds every criterion for the Elite Retailer of the Year award.”

For more, call (717) 672-9611 or visit ArmstrongFlooring.com.

Beaulieu Introduces Incentive Program

DALTON—Beaulieu’s new b.rewarded incentive program offers retail sales associates points toward rewards such as reloadable cards, merchandise and trips for every square food/yard sold of eligible Beaulieu flooring products. The company is also offering rewards for the completion of training modules and surveys.

For more, call (770) 938-6203 or visit beaulieurewards.com.

Officials Report Record Attendance at DACF

SHANGHAI—This year’s Domotex asia/ChinaFloor (DACF) trade fair was a resounding success, according to show organizers. The number of visitors was up by just over 9%, setting a new record. A total of 1,303 companies from 39 nations showcased the latest products and trends to an audience of 50,389 industry professionals from more than 110 nations at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC).

“These figures once again confirm the leading position DACF enjoys in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Martin Folkerts, director of global fairs at Deutsche Messe. “The feedback we received from our exhibitors this year was resoundingly positive, with many emphasizing the high quality of the visitors and buyers who attended the show. DACF has consistently grown both in terms of size and quality, and we are committed to ensuring this development continues.”

Visitors to this year’s fair discovered the latest technologies and innovations and were able to forge new contacts and conduct business in 12 exhibition halls. They were also able to take part in more than 30 conferences, events and workshops run by flooring professionals and designers on the latest practices, applications and challenges in the flooring industry.

Each year, companies use the InnovAction platform to showcase their latest products. This year, 30 companies were awarded for their products, although only three made it to the top of the list to take the “Best of the Best” award: Wuxi Fuxing Carpet in the carpet category, Hangzhou Dasso Technology in the parquet flooring category, and Zhejiang Hailide New Material in the resilient floor coverings category. 

For more, visit domotexasiachinafloor.com.

QFloors Adds New Hires and Positions

SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH—According to Trent Ogden, CEO of QFloors, the company has doubled in size in the past three years. In response, QFloors has undergone some restructuring, adding new positions and employees.

“This rapid growth has caused us to restructure in order to meet the needs of our flourishing customer base,” he said. “It’s important to us that we put in place the right structures and the right people, so we can continue to deliver the same high level of customer service that has helped set us apart.”

New hires in the past few months include Von Packard, B2B specialist; Kristy Soto, customer support; Shawn Moss, major account executive, sales; and Tasi Cluff, junior software engineer.

Additionally, new positions within the company include Ron Cluff, director of training; Kevin Cox, manager, professional services; Colten Gines, manager, customer support; Ted Schultz, director of sales; Tony Fabrizio, director of product development; and Licia Bailey, web design/developer. Aerin Ogden has also taken on an expanded role in the advertising department.

Customer support manager, Colten Gines, feels these changes are just another example of how the company continues to evolve and improve. He says, “One thing I love about working for QFloors is the incredible team that surrounds me. The honest, hardworking attitude of each person is represented by the products and services we offer. We are constantly improving.”

For more, call (801) 563-0140 or visit qfloors.com.

Nourison Partners with City of Hope

SADDLE BROOK, N.J.—Nourison has launched a charitable campaign in partnership with City of Hope called Time to Help. The campaign allows participants to purchase stylish fashion watches from Nourison. The company then donates $100 from the sale of each watch to City of Hope.

“City of Hope is an internationally recognized cancer care and research center that has helped improve the lives of so many cancer patients and their families,” said Alex Peykar, principal at Nourison. “Their incredible efforts and passion for helping people have inspired us at Nourison, and we feel grateful to be able to help them raise funds to aid in their future efforts.”

Two watch styles are available and both sell for $150 each. Each purchase also includes a handsome gift box and a City of Hope pin.

For more, call or visit (800) 223-1110 or visit nourison.com/timetohelp.

Mannington Uses New Technology to Showcase Products

SALEM, N.J.—Mannington Mills is using 360-degree photography technology from Virtually Anywhere to showcase its latest product introductions.

This virtual tour was first done at the Mannington booth at The International Surfaces Event and captured the new products showcased in the 9,000-square-foot display. While the conference only ran for three days, Mannington is using the BoothView 360 tool to extend the investment they make in the show, providing a new sales tool that helps engage customers in a new way.

The BoothView 360 virtual booth features all the displays on the show floor and is enhanced with embedded hotspot links, intuitive navigation, downloadable brochures and a digital photo gallery covering the 100-year history of the company.

Betsy Amoroso, senior director of corporate communications for Mannington, said this digital marketing tool helps sustain and enhance the company’s tradeshow investment for the remainder of the year.

“We make a substantial investment in a three-day event,” she said. “This virtual tour technology allows us to extend that investment in a new way. We are always looking for innovative new ways to tell the Mannington story and this certainly fit that description.”

For more, visit mannington.com or call (800) 356-6787.

Laticrete Breaks Ground on Grand Prairie Facility Expansion

GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS—Laticrete announced the expansion of its manufacturing and distribution facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, with a ground-breaking ceremony.

Construction of the 70,000-square-foot addition to the existing 100,000-square-foot facility will begin immediately and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2017. The Grand Prairie facility is the company’s largest manufacturing and distribution center outside of its headquarters in Bethany, Conn.

“This year Laticrete celebrates its 60th anniversary, and there is a no more fitting way to celebrate than with a ground-breaking to serve unprecedented growth,” said Henry Rothberg, co-owner of Laticrete. “This major expansion is necessary to serve our Texas-region customers, maintain stock and distribute high-volume items and other specialty products.”

The Grand Prairie facility services the customers in the Texas sales region and serves as a national and international distribution hub for Laticrete. The expanded space will be used immediately for warehousing and will position the facility to meet potential future manufacturing needs.

For more, call (203) 393-0010 or visit laticrete.com.

Nydree Awarded First-Ever ANSI/HPVA EF Certification

FOREST, VA.—Nydree Flooring has received the first-ever certification from the American National Standard for Engineered Wood Flooring (ANSI/HPVA EF).

HPVA Laboratories awarded the certification to the commercial wood flooring manufacturer for its commitment to quality control procedures that enable its products to consistently meet the ANSI/HPVA EF specifications.

“It is an honor to be named the first-ever recipient of the ANSI/HPVA EF certification because of its rigorous standards and respect in the industry,” said Jason Brubaker, Nydree’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Our goal is to provide the highest-quality products for commercial spaces, and third-party certifications affirm our commitment to that at every step of our manufacturing process.”

To meet the rigorous ANSI/HPVA EF standard, Nydree products were evaluated on moisture content, bond durability, product tolerances, formaldehyde emissions and a number of other specifications as outlined in the standard. The certification requires manufacturers to verify the plywood’s formaldehyde emissions by ensuring its unfinished and pre-finished products exhibit emissions below 0.05ppm.

For more, visit nydreeflooring.com or call (800) 682-5698.

Pergo Updates Website

DALLAS—Pergo’s updated website makes shopping easier than ever before, according to the company.

“Consumers conduct extensive research online before ever entering a flooring store,” said Asi Peres, senior digital marketing manager, Mohawk North America, laminate and hardwood. “After they return from the store, the consumers go online again to continue their research, refine their thinking and move along the purchasing journey. A strong website is one that facilitates conversion and helps create a seamless transition for consumers down the purchase path. Our new Pergo website does just that by providing easy access to Pergo’s retail partner websites.”

The updated website is responsive so users can easily browse at their convenience using their preferred device.

“Every aspect of the new Pergo site has been thoughtfully designed to simplify the shopping experience and facilitate conversion,” said Peres. The new site includes high-resolution floor swatches and an extensive room gallery to help customers better visualize the products and get inspired to buy. The site lets customers easily share photos, videos and how-to information with friends to seek opinions and reinforcement via their preferred social media channels. Information is easily searchable on the site and customers can compare products with a single click, making selection easier. For project planning purposes, the new site provides downloadable how-to content, making planning, purchasing and installing easy.

For more, call (800) 337-3746 or visit pergo.com.

Shannon Floors Expands Spartan Surfaces Partnership

MILWAUKEE—Shannon Specialty Floors has expanded its marketing alliance with Spartan Surfaces.

Spartan Surfaces, a sales and consulting group specializing in commercial flooring, welcomed Shannon products in Illinois, including the greater Chicago area last November. Effective immediately, the group will now also market Shannon products throughout most of the Eastern Seaboard and throughout Mid-Atlantic and Mid-South states (Ala., La., Miss., Tenn., South Fla., Ga., S.C., N.C., Va., Md., Del., N.Y., Conn., N.J., Eastern Pa, Ill.). This expanded marketing alliance includes the full line of Shannon products with the Teknoflor, Tuf Stuf and barenaked brands.

For more, call (800) 522-9166 or visit shannonspecialtyfloors.com.

FCICA Announces New Members to Boards

WEST BLOOMFIELD, MICH.—The Flooring Contractors Association (FCICA) has elected three new members to the Board of Directors for the 2016-2019 term. Additionally, a new vice chairman of associates was elected to the Executive Board.

For the Board of Directors, James Bissler from Texan Floor Service and Pat Kelly from Synergy Flooring were elected to represent the contractor members and Larry Chandler of William M. Bird Company was elected to represent the associate members. Elected as the new vice chairman of associates is Don Styka of Tarkett.

FCICA board members serve a three-year rotational term and are elected at FCICA’s annual convention by members in good standing. The vice chairman of associates is elected by the associate members and serves a two-year term.

For more, call (248) 661-5015 or visit fcica.com.

WFCA and NAFCD Announce Partnership

DALTON—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) have announced a new partnership.

“This joint program will focus on NAFCD distributors promoting the 2016 WFCA Sales Training Camps to their retailer customers,” said Scott Humphrey, CEO of WFCA. “By tapping into the deep relationships that distributors have with retailers in their regional markets, we expect to enhance growth in retail sales nationwide—providing benefit for the industry at every level.”

WFCA and NAFCD also plan to facilitate and streamline industry communications through both associations, expand support for industry advocacy issues and secure potential new members through their respective member bases.

For more, visit NAFCD.org and wfca-pro.org.

Shaw Selected as a Top Global Learning Organization

DALTON—Shaw Industries ranked 11th on Elearning! Magazine’s Learning! 100. Honored for the sixth consecutive year, Shaw is among the top learning organizations recognized for high performance, organizational culture, innovation and collaboration. The Learning! 100 are comprised of 60 corporate enterprises and 40 public sector organizations.

In 2015, Shaw delivered more than one million hours of training—an average of almost 50 hours per associate.

“Shaw invests millions of dollars in associate training annually,” said Danny Crutchfield, Shaw director of corporate training. “We are committed to providing skills training and professional development at every stage of an associate’s career to help them reach their full personal and professional potential. We continually adapt content and delivery methods to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s workforce and foster a culture of innovation.”

For more, call (800) 441-7429 or visit shawinc.com.

Fuse Launches Experius Distribution Platform

PARKER, COLO.—Fuse Alliance has launched the Experius Distribution Contractor’s eCommerce website.

The Experius Distribution platform provides below-trade pricing to the public and to contractors with a range of high-performing flooring products and materials including adhesives, floor preparation, floor maintenance and more.

“We are thrilled to offer the public special, below-trade pricing on select, quality flooring products and overstock from excess inventory from our member businesses,” said Geoff Gordon, executive director of Fuse. “Our team has built an extremely efficient platform that benefits our members and the public and through this initiative we are changing the way our industry accesses flooring materials as well as the online shopping experience for contractors, customers and the public.”

Additionally, Experius Distribution’s overstock program further supports the network’s Ecollect Program, a reclamation program that diverts carpet and other flooring material from landfills and has been in place since 2008.

For more, call (888) 586-1198 x103 or visit experius.biz.
 

Editor’s note: For complete coverage of these and other industry news stories, visit our website at floortrendsmag.com, where you can also sign up for a free subscription to our daily enewsletter, TalkFloor.