Harris Wood Picks Up Best New Product of Surfaces' 'New Product Marketplace'

Harris Wood's Aspen White Oak Castle Creek collection — Harris Wood’s Aspen White Oak Castle Creek collection was voted on by attendees at this year’s The International Surface Event (TISE) in Las Vegas as the Best New Product featured in the New Product Marketplace pavilion.

Cristina Toscano, left, associate editor of Floor Trends and Floor Covering Installer (FCI), presented the New Product Marketplace Best New Product to, from left, Q.E.P.’s Jennie Johnson and Jamie Clingan, and Renee Tester, marketing manger for the Harris Wood brand. Floor Trends, FCI and its three tile and stone sister brands sponsored the New Product Marketplace pavilion.

Las Vegas—Attendees for the SURFACES part of The International Surface Event (TISE) here came, saw and voted for their favorite products at the tradeshow’s New Product Marketplace. The winning product for 2015 was the Aspen White Oak Castle Creek, by Harris Wood, a Q.E.P. Co. brand, which mimics a true weathered and worn wood that includes all the benefits of a low-maintenance, pre-finished floor. Harris Wood officials said the ultra-low gloss appearance of the product coupled with the white oak provides a new visual that can complement many settings.

Sponsored by BNP Media’s family of publications, including Floor Trends, Floor Covering Installer (FCI), Stone World, TILE, and Contemporary Stone & Tile Design, the New Product Marketplace was a central gathering hub for various new products across all industry segments, allowing show attendees the opportunity to see up close how the products work, along with having company representatives on hand to answer any questions, and then letting them vote on the one they felt was the best at the show.

Available in 10 colors, the Aspen White Oak Castle Creek collection is a smooth surface of engineered planks with tongue-and-groove, finished with the company’s FinishLoc for extra protection. The 5-inch wide x ³/8-inch thick planks come in random lengths from 12- to 46¼-inches. Covering 34 square feet per carton, the side and end treatment of each plank is micro-beveled with ultra-low gloss. A lifetime warranty is included and it can be installed using the floating, glue down, nail or staple down methods.

This isn’t the first year Q.E.P. is taking home a prize from Surfaces. In 2014, Harris Woods’ parent brand also won the New Product Marketplace’s Best New Product for its QEP 900XT Pro Tile Saw.

Leonard Gould, Q.E.P.’s president, said, “It feels great to win this award for the second straight year. It validates our efforts, and is very meaningful to our employees, especially our flooring team, who worked very hard on this new set of SKUs.”

He added, “Our customer partners are the real winners here. All companies ‘talk’ innovation, but we live it, and this is the second year in a row we have been rewarded for it.”

Jamie Clingan, Q.E.P.’s senior vice president of marketing, noted despite this being consecutive years for the company to win the award, “it was still unexpected. Plus, it’s always an honor [to win].”

Knowing its Harris Wood division hit the mark in terms of on-trend designs with this collection is also gratifying, she said, as “many brands [at the show] seem to definitely be aiming to look more natural,” noting how collections with low-gloss and natural looks are what are trending in flooring.

For more about Harris Woods and the Aspen White Oak Castle Creek, visit harriswoodfloors.com.