The U.S. Green Building Council’s annual Federal Summit convened yesterday in Washington, D.C., for a daylong exchange of ideas on how to best meet the goals of increased sustainability in existing buildings and communities. High level officials from throughout the federal sector, including Senior White House Advisor Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, discussed topics such as leveraging the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to achieve environmental goals, implementing technical solutions to meet the energy efficiency goals set out in Energy Independence and Security Act and updates on LEED and other USGBC activities. The summit took place at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

Tom Cosky has been named director of operations for Vitromex USA. A 30-year veteran of the industry; Cosky took his family business, Alpha Tile, and grew it into a highly regarded regional distributor. He also lead the turnaround of Master Tile, where he grew the company into one of the top five tile & stone distributors in the United States. As president of the Central division and later as CEO he oversaw the operation of more than 30 stores nationwide.

Dale Payton-Engle has been named CEO of EcoTimber. He succeeds Lewis Buchner, who is leaving to pursue other interests. The change in leadership became effective on May 1, 2009 and follows a "continued growth strategy that includes emphasis on domestic wood sourcing, ramped-up production, and streamlining of the 17-year-old company’s supply chain," EcoTimber said.

The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) offered tile installers the opportunity to become CTEF Certified Tile Installers (CTIs) during Coverings 2009. Daltile recruited the majority of the candidates to be tested and donated the materials necessary for the hands-on portion of CTI testing, including membranes, backer board, thin-set, grout and flexible sealants.

A four-year-old lawsuit against DuPont Co., claiming the company's non-stick Teflon cookware is unsafe, has been dropped. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Longstaff, presiding on the U.S. District Court in Des Moines, Iowa, signed a dismissal order on May 1, DuPont said. The class action case comprises 22 cases in 15 states.

Mohawk CEO Jeff Lorberbaum and his wife Sarah mingle with members of the company's Floorscapes retailer program at a reception on the final evening of the group's annual convention. The four-day meeting at a resort in Kissimmee, Fla., in early December marked the 10th anniversary of the Floorscapes program.

Taniya Nayak, Mohawk's newly named spokeswoman and the star of the HGTV show Designed to Sell, discusses Mohawk's new CustomWeave boutique with Floorscapes retailer Jim Naccari of Jim Owens Flooring & Cabinets in Mandeville, La. Mohawk set up a demonstration of the new store-within-a-store concept on the show floor of the Floorscapes convention held in Kissimmee, Fla., in early December.  

Floorscapes retailer Dave VanderBogart of Bogart's Carpets & Floor Covering in Ledgewood, N.J.,  gets an update on web-based initiatives from Josh Collins, Mohawk's sr. web marketing specialist, residential. The two met on the show floor during Floorscapes' 10th annual convention in Kissimmee, Fla. 

Nicole Fry, owner of CourtLee Interiors in Tiffin, Ohio, tests an in-store digital kiosk introduced as part of Mohawk's new CustomWeave store-within-a-store program. It was unveiled at a meeting in Kissimmee, Fla., in early December that marked the 10th anniversary of the Floorscapes retail program.

Brent Gould, owner of Mountain Carpets in Auburn, Calif., and a member of Mohawk's Floorscapes program previews a selection of carpet set to be introduced next year as part of the new CustomWeave program.  Mohawk set up a sample of the store-within-a-store concept on the showfloor of Floorscape's 10th anniual convention in Kissimmee, Fla.