John Rietveldt, the president of Tarkett's residential division for the past three years, is reportedly leaving to join American Standard Co. The Piscataway, N.J.-based bath and kitchen products giant announced that Rietveldt has been named vp and gm for its European operation which is based in Brussels, Belgium. He is slated to begin at the new post at the end of August.

Judy Schwartz of commercial flooring specifier Task Floors has been elected to the board of the Long Island chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. The council is instrumental in establishing LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) ratings for environmentally friendly "green" buildings.

The new housing market began to soften in April, according to figures recently released by the Commerce Department. Total housing starts for the month fell 7.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.849 million units, according to the report. Year to date, new home construction for the first four months of the year were also down, with an 0.8 percent drop compared to the first four months of 2005.

According to the National Association of Home Builders' Remodeling Market Index (RMI), remodeling activity grew in the first quarter of 2006. The current market conditions index rose from 46.6 to 48.1, while the future expectations index moved from 47.5 to 48.9.

With an eye toward increasing the company's presence in the United States, high-end hardwood flooring maker Preverco has added four prominent U.S. distributors to its roster.

Faus Group Inc. has signed an agreement with Hoboken/SPI Floors to distribute the company's laminate flooring to the southeastern United States. Hoboken/SPI Floors LLC is the result of a recent merger between Hoboken Floors and Superior Products Inc. The distributor collectively covers 18 markets from Maine to Texas.

Organizers of StonExpo, a major industry stone show held annually in Las Vegas, are planning to expand the reach of the event to the East Coast with the launch of StonExpo East. Slated for March 23-25, 2007 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, StonExpo East aims to provide a forum for both stone manufacturers and stone professionals who are based in the area and might be otherwise unable to attend.

Andres Faus, the driving force of Faus Group credited with bringing a pioneering spirit to laminate flooring, died yesterday in Gandia, Valencia, Spain due to complications from cancer. He was 68.

Faus Group Inc. has welcomed Butler-Johnson to its family of distributors. Based in San Jose, Butler-Johnson will distribute Fausfloor Masterpieces, Essentials and Classic Americana laminate flooring lines in Northern California and the Greater Reno, Nev., area.

With an eye toward helping needy children in the world's major carpet weaving districts, The Oriental Rug Importers Association plans to hold a silent auction at this year's Atlanta International Area Rug Market. Taking place July 16-17 at AmericasMart Atlanta, the auction will feature 20 to 30 one-of-a-kind, hand-knotted rugs donated by ORIA members, with proceeds going directly to the organization's Charitable Fund Benefiting Children.