Tool and accessory maker Q.E.P. and the laminate floor company, the Faus Group Inc. were among the companies honored by The Home Depot at the retailer's supplier of the year awards. Q.E.P., which has been a supplier to Home Depot for 25 years, was named winner of the floor covering product category supplier of the year award. Faus was recognized for its DuPont Real Touch Elite laminate flooring, which was named as the runner up in the annual Innovation Award. (The award was won by Techtronic Industries Co. for its ONE+ System cordless tools and AIRgrip laser level, which are both sold under the Ryobi brand name.)

A web-based education tool developed by CCA Global Partners to teach retailers how to generate more business from builders has been praised by a group that advocates using computers for interactive learning. Members of the e-Learning Guild-which includes designers, developers and managers working in the field- voted the course, "You Make the Call" as one of the top tutorials of its type.

Lured by a number of new incentives, more than 1,600 dealer locations are set to participate in Anso Nylon's "Harvest of Color," carpet sale, set to run Sept. - Oct. 15. The figure is the highest number of participants in the four history of the event and represents a jump of 45 percent over last year, according to Anso manufactuer, Honeywell Nylon which is coordinating the promotion.

The International Design Guild, a division of CCA Global Partners, is seeking entries for its 8th annual ASID Student Design Contest.

In an effort to attract more Hispanic consumers and build traffic for retailers, Armstrong is making its website - Armstrong.com - available in Spanish. Visitors can go to the Spanish language content using a prominently placed link on the homepage, or go directly to www.Armstrong.com/espanol.

The frequency of home remodeling projects through April, May and June continued to out pace last year's rate, according to the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB). While the trade association noted that the second quarter figures indicate a slight dip from the first three months of the year, it said remodeling is still a growth area that is likely to positively affect key categories including floor covering.

According to the National Association of Realtors, total existing-home sales continue to break records.

Columbia Flooring announced that it has completed the acquisition of Malaysia Wood Industries Sdn. Bhd. (MWI), an engineered hardwood flooring manufacturing operation with two plants located in Sungai Petani, Malaysia and sales offices in the U.S., Europe and the Far East.

Aiming to enhance operations and provide better service to customers, Mohawk Industries has realigned its Mohawk residential and commercial flooring businesses into two strategic business units (SBUs) which will be headed by Mohawk Group president Monte Thornton.

In what the flooring maker called a move that helps "verify its efforts" in creating environmentally friendly products, Tarkett Commercial has earned FloorScore certification across all of its product lines throughout North America and Europe.