Show organizers for Surfaces 2008 are confident that this year’s slate of educational conferences will be the most comprehensive in the show’s long history. In addition to 48 sessions targeted to five industry tracks, show goers, for the first time, will be offered six one-hour “mini-sessions.” The abbreviated presentations are designed to offer an overview of some of the hottest topics in the industry, from design trends to color stories and branding.

With the closing last year of the 102-year-old Memphis Hardwood Flooring, the company’s signature Chickasaw brand of unfinished hardwood flooring had been without a home. Now, former Memphis Hardwood executive Jim Duke is set to resurrect the line. Working closely with Barnes Lumber Group in Hamburg, Ark., Duke has brought the venerable flooring line – and widely recognized Indian head profile logo – back to the industry.

Armstrong took home two first place and two runners up awards during the NFT Styling Excellence competition held earlier this year. Among the products taking top honors was the CushionStep collection of fiberglass-backed resilient flooring. Introduced last year, the flooring has already proved a popular addition to Armstrong’s portfolio.

Jim Gould, a 35-year veteran of the industry and former owner of Midwest distributor Misco Shawnee, has launched a consulting company, Floor Covering Institute LLC. The St. Louis based firm’s focus will include sourcing overseas and exporting from the U.S. Additionally, the start-up firm will consult on mergers and acquisitions.

Nestled on the banks of the South River in Waynesboro, Va., a small town about 100 miles northwest of Richmond, the Augusta Lumber factory seems nondescript from the outside. A visitor could easily pass by the several large buildings without paying a second glance.

The continuing quest for vinyl flooring that captures the look and versatility of hardwood took a new turn at Congoleum’s recent distributor meeting in Princeton, N.J. The company marked its entry into a new area of hard surface with the unveiling of a  DuraPlank line that is designed to be installed the way most hardwood is installed: one plank at a time.

Winning the 2007 NFT Styling Excellence Award for residential carpet, Shaw’s Inspired Spaces collection is a meeting of high technology and good old-fashioned hard work. The flooring was inspired by suggestions from designers invited to the company’s annual Visions designer retreats. In Shaw’s view,  designers are highly regarded  professionals who are on the cutting edge of upcoming trends. Their perspective is invaluable and heir feedback helps set the design agenda at the company, according to  Emily Morrow, Shaw’s director of color, style and design. The sharp focus on design, backed by market research to determine consumer preferences, is why the product has been “very well received in the marketplace,” she said.

A visitor to Cape Cod shouldn’t have too much trouble spotting Steve Luciani, a local flooring retailer who is also a big fan of laminate flooring. They can see him tooling around town in a canary yellow 1934 Ford pickup with gold trim. Luciani, the owner of Coachlight Carpets in Centerville, Mass., says he has driven the vintage truck to jobsites for 32 years. It’s good advertising, he says.

Johnsonite recently won two NFT Styling Excellence Awards for its Integrated High-Performance Flooring. Jeff Krejsa, Johnsonite’s marketing director, said the recognition couldn’t come at a better time for the company.

Shaw recently invited about 25 designers from around the country to its 5th annual Visions Designer Retreat at its headquarters in Dalton, Ga. The two-day event included workshops, discussion, and a presentation of upcoming design trends. Designers on hand were also asked to complete design boards showing regional color trends, which will be used by Shaw in creating future products.