floorcoveringnewsc919297.r97.cf2.rackcdn.com/lsompmre0uupfqomk9wktu... · floorcoveringnews volume...

floorcoveringnewsvolume 32number 7 I fcnewsnet I the publication more retailers prefer I September 1118 2017 I $200

NEWSPAPER

The toughest of times oftenbring out the best in peo-ple That time-tested

mantra certainly applies tothe flooring industry whichis stepping up in a big wayin response to the naturaldisasters that have strickenHouston and Florida thismonth

The support from theindustrymdashon top of whathas already been pledged byvarious charities associa-tions and independentdonorsmdashis sorely neededTexas Gov Greg Abbott putsthe damage from HurricaneHarvey between $150 billion and$180 billion making it morecostly than Hurricane Katrina orHurricane Sandy MeanwhileKaren Clark and Co a Boston-based firm that analyzes risk esti-mated total losses fromHurricane Irma including theCaribbean at $25 billion Florida

accounts for most of the $18 bil-lion in estimated damages in theUS followed by Georgia SouthCarolina and Alabama

Following are several waysindustry suppliers and individu-als are providing assistance in thewake of the hurricanes

ArmstrongArmstrong Flooring has pledgedto donate 250000 square feet offlooring to support rebuilding

Continued on page 21

Industry lends ahand in providing disaster relief

By Reginald Tucker

IN THIS ISSUE

MFA outlines its roadmap to the futurePAGE 3

Fall promos get retailers revved up PAGE 8

Advances in laminatelocking systemsPAGE 18

Playing for a causeThe 12 teams are set as thefloor covering industry lsquosuitsuprsquo for FCNewsrsquo third annualFantasy Football for a Cause

PAGE 16

Mohawk and Naturersquos Big SpringsWater have teamed up to provide

bottles of water to the Houston area

SPOTLIGHT

NALFA celebrates 20 years of leadership innovationand goals a recap of the state ofthe laminate flooring industryand most importantly theunveiling of a new website moreindicative of 21st centurytechnology

The improved web-sitemdashnalfacommdashsports abrand new look and feelwith updated content andimproved mobile access Itis designed to enhance theexperience of consumerstrade professionals andindustry members

ldquoWe are excited aboutthe redesign of our web-siterdquo said Dan NatkinNALFA president ldquoWehave worked hard to makethe website user friendly forconsumers who are researchingtheir floor options while contin-uing to be the voice for the lam-inate flooring industry We are

proud of the final productrdquoA few highlights of the

revamped site Fresh new look Reflecting a

more modern 21st century feelthe new-look nalfacom sitemdashwhich features the NALFA 20thanniversary logo atop the home-pagemdashprovides easier navigation

NEW YORKmdashCurrent and long-time members of the NorthAmerican Laminate FlooringAssociation (NALFA) convenedhere earlier this month to marka significant milestonemdash20years in the business The eventincluded an update on the stan-dards-setting grouprsquos objectives

By Reginald Tucker


by using the top tabs or clickingon the photos ldquoConsumers canalso view all images on one siteinstead of clicking through to the

various membersrsquo sitesrdquosaid Barbara June who inaddition to handlinglegalmarketing mattersfor Swiss Krono also serveson the website committee

More consumer ori-ented More consumersare conducting researchonline before they buy Tothat end the site reflectsthe customer as opposedto NALFA corporate

Better responsivenessldquoWe didnrsquot have a respon-sive mobile-friendly web-

sitemdashnow we dordquo June stated The next step in the sitersquos

evolution according to Junewill entail a search tool that lists

Dan Natkin NALFA president provided an update on the state of the laminate

flooring industry in the US

Scan this QR code with yoursmartphone to link to our fea-tured site

Autumn often proves to be the ideal time for new prod-ucts and retail promotions to come together This fallselling season is no different as incentive-laden pro-

motions coupled with a slew of new product offerings are hit-ting the market as flooring manufacturers dig deep into theirRampD war chests After what some dealers have termed anuneven year this fall infusion of products may be the catalystfor a strong fourth quarter and positive end to 2017

See pages 10-11 for the preview

Fall Intros

NEW PRODUCTSAIM TO EXCITEDEALER BASE

fcnews September 1118 2017 I 3news

( IN THE NEWS)Karndean named a top place to work in PittsburghEXPORT PAmdashThePittsburgh Post-Gazette has rec-ognized Karndean Designflooring as one of thetop workplaces in the greater Pittsburgh areafor the sixth consecutive year The companyranked 21 out of 50 in the small companies cat-egory which includes businesses with 50 to149 employees and received the overall awardin the benefits category

ldquoOne of the core values of Karndean is peo-ple matterrdquo said Larry Browder CEO ldquoWe viewour employees as family and recognize the hardwork and dedication they bring to the job everyday We are proud to receive these accoladesfrom our employees for the past six yearsrdquo

The annual top workplaces lists are basedentirely on employee feedback compiled byWorkplaceDynamics Employers are rated onfactors such as company alignment effective-ness management and employee engagementin addition to benefits pay and flexibility

Flexco taps Belknap Whitefor Northeastern distributionMANSFIELD MASSmdashThe Belknap White Group(BWG) one of Americarsquos leading full-serviceflooring distributors will be marketing andselling the comprehensiveFlexco line throughout all sixNew England states andupstate New York

ldquoWersquore excited about thisnew relationshiprdquo said Dan Doyle vice presi-dent branch sales and operations BWG ldquoWhenyou work with Flexco yoursquore working with aflooring partner that has the experience deter-mination and dedication to make customersrsquorubber flooring visions become realitiesrdquo

BWG will carry all Flexco vinyl and rubberwall base products and trimmolding acces-sories the complete range of rubber flooring aswell as the entire Flexco stair tread category

Armstrong installation expertearns CFI Chris Davis award LANCASTER PAmdash Rick Herr field installation spe-cialist of Armstrong Flooring was presentedwith the fifth annual Chris Davis Award inrecognition and dedica-tion to quality flooringinstallation The awardwas presented at the 24th

Certified FlooringInstallers Convention(CFI) in Orlando

To qualify a candidate must display attrib-utes of the late D Christopher Davis formerpresident and CEO of the World Floor CoveringAssociation This includes the ability to workwith the flooring industry to build a strongerfoundation and the leadership qualities toachieve goals directly related to the advance-ment of quality flooring installation

Herr recently headed the ArmstrongFlooring Installation School which has beentraining flooring installers for more than 80years The school is recognized for its qualityinstruction knowledgeable teaching staff andcontinued leadership in the development ofnew installation methods and procedures

PHILADELPHIAmdashNeoCon East billed as theNortheastrsquos premier commercial interiorsdesign expo and conference has providedan overview of the sessions that will takeplace during the event sched-uled to kick off Nov 15-16 atthe Pennsylvania ConventionCenter

ldquoOur aim for the NeoCon East educa-tional offering is to inform spark conver-sation and provide professionals acrossdisciplines a way to effectively and effi-ciently earn valuable CEU credits in justtwo daysrdquo said Monica DeBartolo direc-tor of programming ldquoThe 2017 assort-ment caters to varying levels of practiceand covers everything from the applica-

tion of psychology to built projects andarchitecting ecosystems that inspire inno-vation to exploring livable space efficien-cy and best practices in designing for the

federal governmentrdquoIn addition to market-ready

solutions from hundreds ofcompanies across sectors and

valuable networking opportunities thisyearrsquos conference program will round outwhat organizers call the ldquocomprehensiveNeoCon East experiencerdquo The lineupincludes over 25 CEUs offering insightinto whatrsquos next in workplace healthcarehospitality government education andbeyond

Anchoring the program will be sever-

al high-profile keynote speakers includ-ing Suzette Subance Ferrier IIDAdesign director TPG Architecture ZenaHoward AIA LEED AP managing direc-tor Perkins+Will North CarolinaPractice David Insinga AIA chief archi-tect General Services AdministrationrsquosPublic Building Service and AlexGilliam founder Public Workshop

Seminars are $40 each when atten-dees register online before Nov 10 Afterthat date all registration for seminars ison-site subject to availability at a fee of$50 each Special discounts are availablefor students and government employeesThe full list of seminars is available onlineat neoconeastcom

T he Multi-Layer FlooringAssociation (MFA) recently held itsfirst general assembly meeting in

Dalton The event served as a forum forthe group to define the popular but stillevolving multi-layer polymer compositeflooring which includes of course thered-hot WPC segment ldquoThe MFA meetingwas extremely productive with very robustdiscussions highlighting the pressingneed for clear standards and industry ter-minology for all to use in this fast growthcategoryrdquo said Harlan Stone MFA presi-dent and president and CEO ofMetroflor a founding MFA member ldquoItwas hard to believe it was only our firstgeneral meetingrdquo

Peter Barretto president and CEO ofTorlys who doubles as marketing managerfor MFA said the meeting paved the wayfor concrete tangible goals and objectivesldquoThe most critical step is to establish stan-dards beginning with residential applica-tions and then make them legal and pub-licrdquo he told FCNews ldquoIf there are no stan-dards then everybody does whatever theywant but we still essentially call it the sameOnce we establish the base then we can getinto more elaborate goals and discussionsrdquo

Those next steps entail developingstandards for commercial applications (allbased on ASTM guidelines) and setting upindependent third-party verification sys-tems MFA has also created a sustainabili-ty committeemdashwhich is being spearhead-

ed by Metroflormdashthen itrsquos on to environ-mental and safety issues ldquoAt the end of theday we will have residential standardsenvironmental standards certificationprograms and even a budget for market-ingrdquo Barretto stated

The next phase according to MFAwill focus on setting standards for theemerging rigid core class of flooringmdashasegment that has been rapidly rising inpopularity among retailers and con-sumers due to the technology originalityinherent performance qualities and avail-ability However according to MFA thecategory has yet to be defined with crite-ria that adheres to the core compositionand capabilities of the product MFArsquos pri-mary mission is to identify this new cate-gory including various rigid core LVTproducts and set industry standardsregarding performance terminology safe-

NeoCon East previews educational program

ty and sustainability Barretto noted

Building critical mass During the event MFA also welcomednew suppliers bringing to 15 the numberof members MFA now consists ofArmstrong CFL EarthWerks IVCKarndean Mannington MetroflorMohawk MP Global Novalis Pak LitePLI Shaw Torlys and USFloors

ldquoWe needed like-minded people to gettogether to help the industry at largemdasheven though we are competitorsrdquo Barrettosaid ldquoToday MFA members easilyaccount for 80 of the industryrdquo

Current MFA board members are asfollows Harlan Stone (president)Metroflor Philippe Erramuzpe (vice pres-ident) USFloors Jamey Brock (secre-tary) Armstrong and Mark Hansen (trea-surer) Novalis

MFA outlines the pathway forwardBy Reginald Tucker

The Multi-Layer Flooring Association (MFA) recently welcomed new members at its inaugural general assembly meeting in Dalton

CALHOUN GAmdashMohawkrsquos involvement with the Susan G KomenFoundation started out as simple monetary donations and hasgrown into donating cushion for walkers to rest on employeesselling T-shirts and hosting ldquopink-outrdquo events to raise funds andawareness while providing opportunities for retailers to partici-pate during the main event

This year Mohawk is expected to donate 8000 SmartCushionpads and has grown its support of the foundationrsquos popularthree-day event into a retailer activation where its top cushionretailers will be supporting walkers in seven cities

Susan G Komen named Mohawk the 2017 ldquoRising Starrdquo part-ner during the annual partner summit in Dallas Brent Emorevice president of residential finance and cushion general manag-er for Mohawk accepted the award on behalf of the company

( SNAPSHOT)Mohawk and Susan G Komen A solid partnership

Getting social with fcnews

4 I September 1118 2017 fcnews

My updated list of lsquomost annoyingrsquo travelers

my take floorcoveringnews

Copyright 2017 by Roel Productions Inc All rights reserved Printed in the USA Material in thispublication may not be reproduced in any form withoutwritten permission from the publisherThe opinions expressed by columnistsdo not necessarily reflect the views ofmanagement Single copy $2 US sub-scriptions $25yr Canadian subscriptions $50 USyrForeign via air $200 USyrforeign via surface $100 USyr Printed in the USA

postmasterSend address changes to FLOOR COVERING NEWS subscrip-tion Dept151 Fairchild Avenue Ste 2 Plainview NY 11803Floor Covering News (ISSN-10794174) is published biweekly byRoel Productions Inc 550 W Old Country Road Ste 204Hicksville NY 11801 Periodicals postage paid at Hicksville NYand additional mailing offices

member

michael blick presidentceo mikefcnewsnet

steven feldmanpublishereditorial directorstevefcnewsnet

dustin aaronsonassociate publisheradvertising directordustinfcnewsnet

editorial

reginald tuckermanaging editorreggiefcnewsnet

ken ryansenior editorkenfcnewsnet

lindsay baillieassistant editorlindsayfcnewsnet

artproduction

frank notarbartoloartproduction directorfrankfcnewsnet

sales associate

nadia ramlakhannadiafcnewsnet

founderalbert wahnon 1920-2011

correspondentsleah grosskj quinn

nicole murray

columnsjim augustus armstrong marketing masterylisbeth calandrino lisbiz strategies

david romano dear davidscott perron retailer2retailerroman basi financial

fcica installmentsnafcd distributorsrsquo view

headquarters550 w old country road suite 204

hicksville ny 11801tel 5169327860 fax 5169327639cnewsnet website fcnewsnet

T here are times when we all getwriterrsquos block This is one of thosetimes Maybe the ADHD is setting

in More probable is that my difficulty infocusing is due to a couple of hurricanesthat ravaged parts of two of our most pop-ulous states followed by the 16-yearanniversary of 911 So I apologize if myhead is not in the game this week

Rather than dwell on tragedy letrsquosswitch gears and try to find some levity inthis difficult month And that levity comesin the form of one of my favorite topicsmdashair travel If you recall two years ago Iwrote a column about 10 of the mostannoying people you encounter when youfly They included those who canrsquot masterthe art of going through security thosewho congregate at the gate five zonesahead of their assigned group those whomake five trips to the restroom on a two-hour flight those who snore are gaseousor bring the most pungent food on planesand those who try to fit small pianos inthe overhead space to name a few

A couple of months ago I had thepleasure of meeting a flight attendantnamed ldquoCrystalrdquo (name changed to pro-tect the innocent) We learned that weshared a disdain for selfish or self-absorbed passengers I then forwarded herthe column I referenced above She lovedit so much she asked if she sent me someof her favorites would I write part 2 Sowithout further adieu here is the follow-up to ldquoThe most wanted peoplemdashor at

least they should berdquo with input from thecoolest flight attendant ever

1 Impediments to on-time depar-tures ldquoI canrsquot stand when passengerscome on the plane and put their bags uponly to stand there and take everythingout while holding up the boardingprocess You know what you need to trav-el donrsquot hold my line uprdquo

2 Open seating ldquoSometimes seatassignments preclude people from sittingwith their travel companions They oftenassume other passengers will switch seatswith them so they can sit with their lovedones They sit in whatever seat they wantand tell the passenger whose seat they areoccupying to go sit somewhere elseTheyrsquore putting people on the spot Mostpassengers pick their seats for a reasonrdquo

3 In the zonemdashtheir own ldquoI despisepeople who keep their headphones in dur-ing service and then ask me to repeatlsquopeanuts pretzels cookies or granola barrsquoseven timesrdquo

4 Loud talkers ldquoIrsquom all for conversa-tion but the person in 11F is not interest-ed in what 6D is telling 7C Keep it downCan you imagine if these people wereallowed to talk on the phone during theflightrdquo

And now mehellip5 Anglers Donrsquot you love it when you

are waiting in the gate area for a few min-utes to board they call your zone you getin line and then people suddenly appearout of nowhere and ldquoangle inrdquo Itrsquos like

ldquoYou can wait on line Irsquoll just merge inrdquo6 Middle seat hogs One of the

greatest gifts you can receive in air travelis when you are seated on the aisle or win-dow and the middle seat is vacantHowever some people try to claim thisspace as more convenient storage than thearea beneath the seat in front of them

7 Stuck in time Remember Pan AmTWA They are long gone So are choicesof free meals in coach In fact there areno free meals on 99 of flights You haveto love those people who ask the atten-dant for their choice of free meals incoach

8 Rushers There is a protocol forexiting an airplane Surprisinglymdashormaybe not somdashnot everyone knows itYou allow the people seated in front ofyou to exit their rows before you proceedHow do you like the person in 36D whojumps out of his seat like a jackrabbitwhen the bell sounds trying to get as farfront as possible until someone enters theaisle and blocks his path

9 ClappersWhy do people applaudthe fact we landed safely That is one ofthe few responsibilities that remain forthe airlines Do you applaud the mailmanwhen he delivers your bills On secondthought maybe applause is in orderBecause landing signals my cue to escape

Steven Feldman

fcnews September 1118 2017 I 5

In its 40-plus yearsKarndean Designflooringhas developed and main-

tained a closeness wherebyevery person has a voice Evenas it grew the company neverlost sight of the importance ofempowerment where every-one from CEO Larry Browderto the warehouse worker had asay

That corporate culture ledKarndean to roll out its ldquo4Pillarsrdquo initiative which coversproduct selection service andbrand ldquoEvery company has acorporate mission we want toensure that everyone in thecompany is working toward thesame goalrdquo said Emil Mellowdirector of public relations andcommunications ldquoWe havealways included staff on wherewe are going as a company Yougrow to 172 peoplehow do yougrab everyonersquos opinion Thefact is every employee heretouches all four of these pillarsand is focused on helping usachieve our goal of becomingthe leading global brandrdquo

The spirit of teamwork wasevident at a recent meeting todiscuss product design Awoman who helps produce themerchandising sample boardspresented an idea on how tobetter streamline the produc-tion of the boards ldquoAlthough wehave grown to employ approxi-mately 100 full-time employeesat our Export Pa facility alonethis new initiative makes ourvision for the company clear toall our employees so that we canachieve these shared goalstogetherrdquo Browder said

The pillars in summary Product It all starts and

ends with quality product ToKarndean quality productsmean low callbacks for retailersand low claims As a team theygo through the entire processmdashdesigns color marketing fash-ion trendsmdashoften working twoto three years ahead of a prod-uct launch ldquoThe reason is ittakes time to perfect the tech-nology perfect the designs todeliver a high-quality high-per-forming product at a competi-tive costrdquo Mellow explained Agood example of that is Korlokthe companyrsquos newest LVT line

Selection ldquoWe are solutionproviders that is why selectionis so importantrdquo Mellow statedldquoNo matter your circumstancesthere is Karndean to serviceyour needsrdquo Whether it is float-ing floors for subfloor situa-tions glue-down or LooseLayKarndean strives to pick the

right flooring solution withoutever having to compromise toget a quality floor

Service Karndean keeps itsinventory levels plentifulthrough three distribution cen-ters that provide 48-hour turn-around time on products andPOSmerchandising AsMellow explains ldquoYou cannotbe hard to do business with weare very in tune to this We havemillions of square feet avail-able We have the inventory lev-els to fill the orders and wehave the POS materials to serv-ice our dealersrdquo

BrandWhat does KarndeanDesignflooringrsquos brand repre-sent For many it translates intoa trusted name with 40 years ofexperience ldquoWe are partnerswith our retailers and commer-cial buying groups [ie FuseAlliance]rdquo Mellow said ldquoTo theretail world we are a player abig player In the LVT world weare a known quantity a brandassociated with good design Webelieve we are an industryleader in each of these pillarsNo one has the design compo-nents the stocking levels etcthat we haverdquo

lsquoPillarsrsquo fortify Karndeanrsquos corporate culturenews

By Ken Ryan

A Karndean worker carefully watches an LVT board being cut


( CALENDAR)

In the nearly three decadesthat I have been in thisindustry there have been

tremendous advancements intechnology techniques andcraftsmanship Yet with all theprogress that has been mademany problems still existincluding issues and failuresdirectly related to the lack ofknowledge and understandingof how critical a role propercare and maintenance play inboth insuring a successfulinstallation and maintaining aproducts function and beautyfor the long term

To this point ASTM C1528ndash02 does a great job of framingthis issue as it relates to naturalstone However many of thesame challenges and issues alsoapply to tile As thestandard states ldquoIna high proportionof the cases failureof a natural stonein service is aresult of improperapplication rather than theinherent properties of thestone Placing stones in unsuit-able environments faulty fabri-cation installation or construc-tion practices and incompatibleassociated materials are fre-quent causes of stone systemfailureshelliprdquo

This means it is not typicallythe stonersquos (or tilersquos) fault butrather our lack of understand-ing and knowledge about thematerial what it will do howto install or fabricate it etcthat is leading to failures andproblems Therefore if we takethe time to educate ourselvesemployees customers etcthen we stand a much greaterchance of success

While there are ANSI andTCNA standards guidelines andbest practices for virtually allaspects of installation from sur-face prep to grouting tech-niques none exist for sealersmaintenance problem solvingand prevention That beingsaid it is critical to attend edu-cational sessionsmdashsuch as those

available at TISEmdashto becomeaware of the potential pitfallsand challenges and how toavoid them Topics that will bediscussed at TISE includewhen to pre-seal tile or stonevs using a grout release howhotcold and or wet surfacesaffect the use and performanceof sealers what the function ofa sealer is how using selling orspecifying proper maintenanceproducts and programs can pro-long the sealer the functionand performance of the installa-tion itself and knowing whichtile stone and grout should besealed

While this is very under-standable up front most findproblems on the back end ofthe removing grout haze and

staining sealerresidue stains fromother trades hiringrestoration contrac-tors to refinish thestone and in somecases ripping out the

installation only to have it rein-stalled properly the secondtime What is seldom plannedare the direct and indirect costs(both time and money) associ-ated with not discussing orimplementing a good care andmaintenance programCountless meetings fingerpointing and potential lawsuitsare all real consequences Thedamage to yourself and or yourcompanyrsquos reputation and refer-ral business is never monetizedand factored in

The International SurfaceEvent offers a multitude ofclasses and opportunities toimprove your knowledgeunderstanding and bottom lineThis class is a must for thosewho are looking to give them-selves and or their company anedge over their competition andincrease customer satisfactionWe look forward seeing you Jan29 at 9 am ndash 1030 am ses-sion code MN02 Register todayat tisewestcom to review acomplete list of programs andactivities

ALrsquoS COLUMN

Top 10 tipsfor tile stone maintenance

educating the industry (RETAILERS REACT)

ldquoldquoldquoldquo

ldquoWe went out and recruited two of the best subcontractorinstallers we could find andbrought them on board asemployee installers As

installation problems grow hewho controls installation will

control the business

ldquoPromotions such as ldquoFrazierrsquos Big all Flooring Salerdquo which is marketed across multiple traditional and digital media platforms arealways first Additionally I make sure I am constantly taking down olddisplays and putting up new ones (14 in 2017 so far) In conjunction withthat I change out floor covering in the showroom at least six times a year

mdashSteve Weisberg Crest FlooringAllentown Pa

mdashMike FoulkFoulkrsquos Flooring America

Meadville Pa

mdashKevin Frazier Frazierrsquos Carpet One Floor amp HomeKnoxville Tenn

ldquo ldquo

ldquo ldquo

Reducing the number of brands we display allows us to service the clients who fit our demographic profile the best Like an

Apple store we simplified our branding which in turn allowed us to be more focused with product presentation We are

no longer trying to be all things to all people

Constantly bringing in updated racks and keeping displays fresh is key to not letting your showroom get stagnant If a display is not doing

well we will either try and move it to a different part of the showroom or replace it We also try and have training sessions on topics that areimportant right now For instance we had training sessions on

how to better sell consumer financing this past year

mdashAJ Boyajian AJ Rose amp CarpetsBurlington Mass

mdashBobby Merideth Flooring America OKCOklahoma City

Frazierrsquos Carpet One in Knoxville Tenn turns to big promotions to drive sales and

re-energize the business

What haveyou done inthe past yearto breathe

new life intoyour business

During the past year we took a wing in one of our

warehouses and made it intoa hard surface supply centerwhere we promote not onlyinstalled sales but also to thedo-it-yourselfer We stock anddisplay hardwood laminateand LVT and the increase inbusiness has been outstand-ingmdashespecially with WPC

( REMEMBER WHEN)

Sept 19-21NWFA Intermediate Sand ampFinish + NWFACP Chattahoochee Technical CollegeMarietta GaContact Tricia Swindolltriciaswindollnwfaorg8004224556

Sept 1915th annual Alan GreenbergCharity Golf Tournament Barnsley Gardens Adairsville GaContact Paula Holt 8004666984 ext 1101pholtccaglobalcom

Sept 26NRF Distributors Fall Flooring Market FoxwoodsResort Casino Mashantucket ConnContact 2074302839

Sept 25-282017 NWFACP Inspector SchoolNWFA Training FacilityChesterfield MoContact Sharon Schaller 6367281922sharonschallernwfaorg

Oct 11-12FCICA Mid-year convention SheratonHotel Capitol Square ColumbusOhioContact sarahfcicacom877TOFCICA

Oct 17-19National Floorcovering Alliance Fall meeting Newport Marriott Newport RIContact 9418771632nationalflooringalliancecom

Oct 18-20FEI Group Annual conference JW MarriottSan Antonio Hill Country ClubResort amp Spa San AntonioContact Tonya Land7705284748 tlandfeigroupnet

Oct 20-22Starnet Fall conference Loews AtlantaHotel Atlanta Contact Tricia Ellen 9194261818meetingsstarnetflooringcom

In 2008 adhesives companieswere touting their latest environmentally safe glueproducts as part of an industry-wide green initiativeJoining that group was DriTacFlooring Products whichbrought to market a bevy ofadhesives containing zeroVOCs Pictured is John Lio then marketing director of DriTac standing next to a display bearing new companyadhesives products Today Lio is vice president of marketing for DriTac

BY ROD SIGMAN

Rod Sigman is business development manager at CustomBuilding Products based in Huntington Beach Calif Thecompany specializes in floor preparation products and tileand stone installation systems for residential and commer-cial projects

classic carmdashthe TriumphTR6mdashby selling an order of(greater than one box) BambooHardwoodsrsquo brand flooringthen entering their orderdetails via Bamboo Hardwoodsrsquocar promotion homepageDistributor reps are also eligi-ble for cash prizes ldquoOur overallthought on this program is tobring some additional retailer-level interest toward our amaz-ing bamboo products and havea little fun in the processrdquo saidDavid Keegan president andCEO of Bamboo Hardwoods

Upon completion and veri-fication of qualifying sales viabamboohardwoodscom thecompany will issue the retailsales associate a unique lotteryticket number to be checkedagainst a live drawing on Oct 9where one lucky winner candrive off with the car or takecash equivalent Additionallyevery RSA and correspondingDSR each gets a $50 cashreward for qualifying sales dur-

ing the promotional periodafter their third saleentry

MirageConsumers can save big this fallthanks to the Mirage Fall 2017Rebate Sale taking place acrossNorth America at all participat-ing Mirage dealers from Oct 2to Nov 25 Consumers get a$050sq ft rebate on Mirageflooring during this promotionThis offer is valid on all Mirageproducts regardless of speciescolor or width

ldquoFall is often synonymouswith remodeling projects formany consumers that need tochange their deacutecorrdquo said BradWilliams vice president of salesand marketing at Boa-Francmaker of the Mirage brandldquoThanks to the $050sq ftrebate offered on all our floor-ing during this sales event it isa great opportunity to save bigwhile enjoying the quality forwhich Mirage floors areknownrdquo

Nearly 2000 MirageMaestro Dealers throughoutNorth America are participat-ing in this event For the rulesand a list of participating deal-ers visitmiragefloorscomrebate

Shaw FloorsShaw Floors announced thatregistration for its fall nationalpromotion the Shaw Friendsand Family Sales Event is nowopen to Shaw FlooringNetwork aligned retailers whoparticipate in the companyrsquosconsumer financing programRegistration must have beencompleted by Aug 25 and thepromotionmdashwhich includes abroad assortment of ShawAnderson and Tuftex stylesmdashwill run from Oct 1 to Nov 11

Specific details of the pro-motion may be found online atshawnowcom Benefits includea downloadable coupon of up to$1000 in savings and 24months special financing Shaw

Floorsrsquo Spring Anniversary Salesaw record retailer engagementand aligned retailers who tookadvantage of the special financ-ing option reported increasedaverage ticket sales andenhanced customer retention

ldquoThe coupon was the pri-mary trigger in this offer andhad a big impact with con-sumersrdquo said John Staff ownerof Staff Carpets ldquoThe salehelped us exceed daily salesgoals and our business is cur-rently up 40 compared to lastyearrdquo

TarkettTandus Centiva a Tarkett com-pany is promoting the launchof its completely new area rugcollection by giving away a freearea rug Between now andmidnight Oct 6 Facebook fol-lowers of Tarkett Contract canenter for a chance to win a cus-tomized 6-foot x 10-foot arearug The contest can be foundat gvwyiomckgo0f

T he autumn season isupon us and for manyflooring manufacturers

that means itrsquos time to unveilfall promotions to acceleratebusiness and excite the cus-tomer base

Here are some recent fallsales

Armstrong FlooringArmstrong Flooring announcedldquoThe New Look of Toughrdquonational retail promotion tocorrespond with its new nation-al TV and digital advertisingcampaign on HGTVConsumers can receive 10 offqualified Armstrong Flooringproducts for savings up to $500The promotion runs from Sept18 to Nov 13 (redemptionthrough Dec 15) and includessome of Armstrong Flooringrsquosmost popular productsQualifying collections includeArtisan Collective engineeredhardwood TimberCuts engi-neered hardwood WoodlandRelics engineered hardwoodPryzm luxury flooring andvinyl sheet with Diamond 10technology

Consumers who purchase aminimum of four cartons willqualify for a 5 rebate offerwhile those who purchase aminimum of 16 cartons canqualify for a 10 rebate Thepurchase must be made duringthe promotion period from aparticipating Elevate retailerThe maximum discount is $500in the form of an ArmstrongFlooring Visa Prepaid card

Bamboo HardwoodsBamboo flooring just got a littlebit ldquoracierrdquo as in car racingBamboo Hardwoods is offeringa 2017 industry incentive pro-gram for its retailer and distrib-utor partners via a ldquoSellBamboo Win a Triumph TR6rdquopromotion

Running now through Sept30 retail salespeople qualify towin a classic 1970s-era British

One lucky retail sales associate will drive away with this Triumph TR6 courtesy of Bamboo Hardwoods

fall promos

M ohawkrsquos AnniversarySale which beganSept 17 and runs

through Oct 28 offers itsFloorscapes and ColorCenterElite dealers a veritable smor-gasbord of discounts rebatesrewards and digital tools to gen-erate store traffic and convert ahigher rate of sales

Among the selling incen-tives a $500 instant rebatecoupon offer 50 off sale onpromotional products andtriple advantage reward points

The $500 instant rebate hasproven to drive retail traffic pri-marily through online leads andcan also be leveraged in localadvertising or used in-store tohelp close a sale

Mohawk offers a variety ofprograms and tools in supportof the anniversary promotionAmong them

Consumer financ-ing The benefits of con-sumer financing havelong been documentedCardholders reportedspending $416 more onaverage than non-card-holders on recent floor-ing purchases

As it has done in thepast Mohawk providesretailers with strong con-sumer finance offers thatenhance close ratesConsumers can get whatthey want while freeingup cash and regular cred-it for other needs

Mohawk supports itsAnniversary Sale on anational level throughdigital and social initia-tives that are proven to gener-ate in-market leads Retailershave access to an extensive

offering of ready-to-go advertis-ing materials that are easy tocustomize

Lead booster searchadvertising Are youreaching your target mar-ket If not Mohawk pro-vides the industryrsquos lead-ing full-service lead-gen-eration program The LeadBooster program opti-mizes SEM activities bymaximizing a dealerrsquoslocal market reach and byleveraging mohawk-flooringcom qualityscores to drive more quali-fied leads

Lead managementThe Mohawk Lead Centergives complete visibility toconsumer informationcaptured throughMohawk lead generationactivities and provides

dealers with the tools to trackthe lead through the salespipeline in real time

Sales incentives usher in new selling season

Mohawk anniversary event supports dealers

Mirage is looking to motivate consumers to buy wood flooring this fall by offering discounts through its Maestro dealers


Flooring dealers hope to cash in onMohawkrsquos anniversary sale this fall


Armstrong campaignreaches for the stars

For its latest consumer campaign Armstrong selected performers that personify theArmstrong brand From left Martha King world champion chopper Nastasya Generalova

US national rhythmic gymnast and Yolo Ono DJ and tastemaker

LANCASTER PAmdashArmstrongFlooring announced the launchof a new consumer campaignldquoThe Floor is Yoursrdquo kicking offa multi-year effort to bring theArmstrong story to life to a newgeneration of floor buyers anddrive shoppers into independ-ent flooring retailers nation-wide

Armstrong said it is taking adifferent approach than what isnormally expected in the floor-ing category by injecting funmdashalong with eye-catching visu-alsmdashto drive brand preferenceand deliver qualified traffic toits dealer partners Using acombination of paid ownedand earned media ArmstrongFlooringrsquos campaign whichdebuts Sept 18 aims to lever-age the power of up-and-com-ing influencers from seeminglydivergent parts of lifemdashforexample Martha King worldchampion chopper NastasyaGeneralova US nationalrhythmic gymnast and YoloOno DJ and tastemaker Eachone of these star performershelps to personify theArmstrong brand through aunique perspective represent-ing standout and award-win-ning products

ldquoThe Floor is Yours cam-paign is unlike any other initia-tive in our categoryrdquo saidEbeth Pitman director ofbrand marketing ldquoIt is full ofscenarios that strike a chordwith consumers and retailersand bring out the most impor-tant aspect of any flooring pur-chase the seamless blendingof beauty outstanding per-formance and the consumerrsquosindividualityrdquo

The three star performersrepresent excellence each intheir own way

bullMartha King representsthe tough long-lasting andbeautiful qualities of Armstronghardwoods

bullNastasya Generalovareflects Alterna engineeredstone showcasing its warm tothe touch flexible strong andelegant qualities

bullDJ Yolo Ono stands for thefresh modern innovative andstylish qualities of LVT and vinylsheet with Diamond 10 technol-ogy

One of the most excitingcomponents of The Floor isYours campaign includes a part-nership with HGTV which aimsto help Armstrong capture 64million impressions over aneight-week period The cam-paign entails 30-second televi-

sion ads on HGTV digital adver-tising an Armstrong Flooringhub on hgtvcom and socialvideos which HGTV will pro-mote on its Facebook page

The campaign is integratedwith a promotion for Elevateretailers called ldquoThe New Lookof Toughrdquo which also kicks offSept 18 Tools include a cam-paign toolbox for retailers largeand small including videosocial content photographymerchandising brochures andother promotional materials


Fall products to close out a profitable year

Ardex X 90 Outdoor90 Outdoor is a MicroteC3 rapid set flexible tile andstone mortar Featuring weather-proof innovation inmortar technology Ardex X 90 Outdoor is formulatedwith specialty high-performance Ardex cements poly-mers and microfibers It delivers maximum protectionagainst the harshest weather conditions and providesthe highest levels of efflorescence resistance for exteri-or tile and stone installations

Armstrong F loor ing PryzmPryzm offers the waterproof rigid performance thathas made WPC so popular and adds a commercial-grade VisionGuard AC4 wear layer that resists scratch-es and abrasion better than vinyl It offers the ultimateprotection from dents water scratches and stains

Columbia Enhanced engineeredThe latest Columbia Wood launch features five newcharacter collections Branson Carver Holden Warren

and Emery The lines fea-ture a mix of wire-brushed soft scrapedchatter marks and sand-blasted texturesAvailable species includeoak hickory and satin wal-nut All products featureNaturaFinish treatment arich matte oil-look finishwithout the maintenance

The collection is included in Columbiarsquos enhanced engi-neered platform and can be glued floated or stapled

DriTac 83018302 underlaymentDriTac Flooring Products has introduced a line of eco-friendly acoustical abatement underlayment for resi-dential and commercial flooring applications DriTac8301 Impact 1mm for resilient flooring installations andDriTac 8302 Double Impact 2mm for wood and laminateflooring installations These lightweight flooring under-layments incorporate DriTacrsquos Total Sound ReductionSystem (SRS) complete with a lifetime warranty

DuChacircteau Vinyl DeLuxe GrandFeaturing LuxCor construction DuChacircteau VinylDeLuxe Grand collection authors a new chapter in thestory of the companyrsquos luxury resilient click flooringOffered in 22 colors this ultra-resistant vinyl flooringfeatures a hard-wearing ceramic-reinforcedpolyurethane finish and a 20-year residential and a 10-year commercial warranty The line utilizes a LuxCorengineered construction for a 100 waterproof floor

EarthWerks Core The Core collection encompasses EarthWerksrsquo water-proof multi-layer clic products With this new catego-rization the company will put all of its WPC and HDC(high-density clic) items in the same waterproof seg-ment New to the collection this fall is Noble ClassicPlus a 12-SKU assortment of EIR high-density clic prod-ucts The color range boasts a vast array of high-dimen-sion oak patterns in 8 x 48 or 95 x 60-inch planks

Engineered F loors PentzThe Pentz collection offers technologically advancedcommercial products in broadloom or modular tilesRevival and Revolution feature the companyrsquos Apex SDPcommercial polyester which offers proven stain protec-tion and durability at an affordable price

Forbo F lotexForbo Flooring Systems has introduced a new collec-tion of high-performance Flotex modular tile creating anew era for interior design in commercial and residen-tial interior environments Flotex modular tile com-bines the function and durability of a washable water-proof stain-resistant carpet with the beauty and versa-tility of a 10 x 40 modular tile Flotex is available in awide range of organic and contemporary designs

Inhaus SONOInhausrsquo SONO is the German-made innovation in water-proof dimensionally stable flooring It features HDdirect-to-core digitally printed visuals and a ceramiccomposite core thatrsquos free of PVC formaldehyde phtha-lates and plasticizers SONOrsquos homogeneous makeupensures dimensionally stability even in extreme indoorenvironments The ceramic composite core allows forlarge room installations without transitional moldings

Johnson Hardwood Floor ing Jockey HollowJohnsonrsquos Jockey Hollow series features six distinctivewide-width European Oak floors that capture the lookand feel of an early American floor Using a variety ofsurface treatments including hand sawn surfaces opengrain brushing and subtle water marks each JockeyHollow floor is unique and one of a kind The look of yes-teryear built with todays technology

fall intros

By Ken Ryan


Johnsoni te I D Inspirat ionThe update to Johnsonitersquos well-received LVT includes30 colors and 24 new wood plank designs from a classi-cally trained European woodworker as well as six newtiles The six tiles feature all-new designs bringingabstract stone and woven patterns to the once all-woods collection Tarkettrsquos advanced engraving tech-nique used to make the LVT film and embossing pro-vides realistic design texture and color

Karndean Kor lokKarndean Designflooring introduces Korlok the pre-mier rigid-core locking floor that hides subfloor imper-fections Korlok features a 5G vertical locking mecha-nism a proprietary waterproof K-Core technology thatallows for installation over most existing hard floorsand a pre-attached acoustic foam backing that reducesnoise transfer to rooms below

Merc ier ElementBeauty can be found even in imperfection and eachboard can be unique Thatrsquos what Mercier had in mindwhile creating Element Inspired by major designtrends Mercier Wood Flooringrsquos 2017 introductions aremeant to evoke style character and softnessMercierrsquos Element products offered in hard maple andhickory are rich and full of personality The black andblonde nuances add depth and dimension

Mohawk Boardwalk Col lect iveMohawkrsquos Boardwalk Collective laminate flooring fea-tures the beauty of wood designed to endure by captur-ing on-trend high-styled visuals inspired by the naturalcharacteristics of hardwood The companyrsquos new prod-ucts lend the freedom to bring inspiration into thehome by featuring color palettes with high shade varia-tions and the dramatic craftsmanship of textures toshowcase the homersquos true creativity

Mull ican Wexford EngineeredInspired by the great castles and villas of EuropeWexford offers a classic wide-plank farmhouse style ina 7-inch thickness with a low-gloss finish TheEuroSawn process combines the best of the three tradi-tional North American sawing techniques The result isa wider plank with a plain-sawn look near the centerflanked by unique rift and quarter sawn on the edges

Phenix Cleaner Home Phenix Flooringrsquos Cleaner Home collection is a newassortment of ldquosmarter carpetsrdquo crafted to target con-sumers who want a cleaner home to support a healthylifestyle The collection features built-in Microbanantimicrobial technology providing 247 protectionagainst the growth of stain- and odor-causing bacteria

Quick-Step Matr ixThe Quick-Step Matrix module is the ultimate multi-product merchandising platform This display allows

flexibility in showcasinglaminate LVT and hardwoodspecific to the retailerrsquosdesire single double or tri-module They can focus onlaminate LVF Q-Wood or acombination of these

Moving forward this display is adaptable to newlaunches and combinations of product features

Shaw F loor teacute PROShawrsquos new patent-pending Floorteacute PRO collectionboasts the industryrsquos first direct-glue rigid product withattached Soft Silence acoustical pad for a healthy doseof noise reduction Its superior dimensional stabilityreduces telegraphing solves the issues of expansionand contraction and is twice as dent resistant as tradi-tional LVT Floorteacute PRO provides expected dependabili-ty engineered for higher performance and high style

Tandus Cent iva Area RugTandus Centivarsquos take on woven area rugs is anythingbut ordinary the refined woven area rugs add regalityand luxury to any interior Area rugs by Tandus Centivaallow an area to be reconfigured over time allowing thespacersquos design to be changed at will When trends ortastes change these area rugs provide the classictouches that unify any on-trend pieces that enter thedesigned room

USFloorsCOREtec P lus EnhancedCOREtec Plus Enhanced planks deliver the next revolu-tion in WPC These enhanced visuals feature a four-sided painted bevel for added realism COREtec PlusEnhanced floors can be installed in wet areas and willnever swell when exposed to water Each COREtec PlusEnhanced plank or tile has an attached cork underlay-ment for a quieter warmer vinyl floor that is naturallyresistant to odor-causing mold and mildew

The kids are back to school and the fall selling season is upon us To take advantage of this most crucial season flooring manufacturers are taking the wraps

off new products or line extensions hoping to finish off 2017 on a high note


F irst-time visitors to theHemisphere Importsbooth space at the recent

CCA Global Partners convention(FCNews Aug 1421) found outfirsthand what all the fuss wasabout The focus was on a uniquespecies called kupay a durabledense hardwood sourced fromParaguay While it might not beeasy to pronounce (itrsquos alsoknown by its genus nameldquocopaiferardquo) the allure iscrystal clear

ldquoItrsquos a unique specieswith a look and colorationyou cannot get in Chinardquosaid Hemisphere Imports presi-dent Tom Karol ldquoIt provides anopportunity to sell the featuresand benefits of the product andsell up instead of down Itrsquos theonly product in Paraguay thatrsquosFSC certified and it has thisunique look and is very durablerdquo

The primary goal accordingto Karol is to bring innovationand unique styling to the marketwhile giving retailers a chance tomake more money With a sug-gested MSRP range of $549-$6per square foot the line targets

what Karol calls the ldquohigh mid-dlerdquo of the market ldquoMost of thegood retailers are at about $699so wersquore right in that nice sweetspot of a product that has all thebells and whistles Itrsquos not anentry-level product but itrsquos def-initely mainstreamrdquo

So what kind of margin canretailers make on this lineldquoAbove average profitsrdquo Karolsaid ldquoWersquore giving retailers

something they can trade upbut not a big step upConsumers will spend the extramoney if they like what theyseerdquo

Beyond attractive pricepoints and aesthetics anotherattribute of the kupay species isits rigidity On the Janka scale itrsquosnearly as hard as hickory (1500)and itrsquos also very denseAccording to HemisphereImports this species stays verystable in both dry and moist envi-ronmentsmdasha trademark of many

Hemisphere Importsrsquo not-so-secret weapon tropical species from that part ofthe world

ldquoI wouldnrsquot say itrsquos bullet-proof but for wood itrsquos prettydarn closerdquo said industry veteranDon Finkell who co-founded the

company along with KarolInterestingly the species made itsdebut years ago in one of the col-lections offered by AndersonHardwood Floorsmdasha companyFinkell ran for many yearsldquoWersquove called it different thingsmdashie Spanish hickory Patagonianpecanmdashand now that the Lacey

Act has come on we just call itwhat it is kupayrdquo

To further strengthen theproduct Hemisphere Importsemploys eucalyptusmdashwhich isitself as hard as oakmdashas the core

material According to Finkellthis makes an already stable prod-uct even more sturdy

A rare find Finkell and his team at Andersoncame across kupay when it beganresearching species that wouldnot only excite US consumers

but also offer an alternative toproducts that were linked toexcessive harvesting in that partof the world While it generatedsome interest in the early 2000she said it really took off when a

hand-scraping texture wasapplied ldquoIt wasAndersonrsquos biggest sellerat the timerdquo he recalled

Fast forward to todayHemisphere Importsbelieves kupay perhapsno longer the best keptsecret may be poised for aresurgence ldquoNo one elseis selling this species notthat Irsquom aware and thatrsquoskey to our distributorsrdquoKarol said

Abraham Linc basedin Bridgeport W Va is abeliever Earlier this yearthe distributor rolled outthe Canyon collection

from Hemisphere Imports andthe reaction from retailers wasswift ldquoIt has 10 fantastic colorsand great visuals that are not me-too looking productsrdquo said TerryWarne vice president ldquoTheresponse among our customerswho have seen it has been reallygoodrdquo

By Reginald Tucker

Tom Karol president of HemisphereImports showcasing the companyrsquos latestofferings for CCA Global members Thedurable visually dynamic kupay species

(inset) is featured across the line


A s demand for certainldquotropical exoticrdquo hard-wood floors softens in

the US the popularity of severaldomestic exotic species has beensteadily rising industryobservers say While there con-tinues to be niche market oppor-tunities for tropical species suchas Brazilian cherry Santosmahogany and the like moreAmerican consumers are leaningtoward homegrown species suchas birch hickory and walnutmanufacturers say

One of the primary driversbehind the market shift whichbegan in earnest about 10-12years ago is a change in prefer-ence of wood plank formats andconstruction Many tropicalexoticsmdashknown for their densityand durabilitymdashperform welland look great However trendsin the US have leaned towardmore textured rustic and casuallooks whereas many exotics con-vey a more formal smoothappearance experts say Todaytropical imported exotics tend toperform well in niche regionalmarkets as opposed to national

wide-scale acceptance Observers say the rapid rise in

popularity of wider longer planksalso contributed to increasedconsumption ofdomestic exoticspecies As manu-facturers tell itmany of thesepopular lookssuch as birchhickory and wal-nut lend them-selves to extralong planks andwider boards Thereason beingwider longerboards naturallyshow much moreof the variationand characterinherent in a lot ofthese domesticexotic species Combine that withthe incorporation of various sur-face texture techniques such ashand scraping wire brushing andcerusing and you have a winningrecipe

ldquoConsumer preference con-tinues to move toward wider andlonger on the engineered siderdquosaid Dan Natkin vice president

US lsquodomestic exoticsrsquo broaden their appeal hardwood and laminatesMannington ldquoDemand for thesetypes of products has really driv-en some changes both in terms

of investment in the US as wellas products sold in the marketrdquo

Following are some of theUS domestic exotic productstrending today

American OEMIn keeping with its ldquoMade-in-the-USArdquo mantra American OEMoffers popular domestic species

including hickorymdashboth rotarypeeled and sliced facemdashand wal-nut The company sources classichardwood from sustainably man-

aged forests acrossNorth America Itthen creates floor-ing productsdesigned to show-case the rich naturalcolors textures andfeatures of eachspecies ldquoWhen con-sumers buy ourAmer i can -madehardwood they canbe sure they are buy-ing the best flooringpossible at a valueunmatched in theindustryrdquo said AllieFinkell executivevice president

ArmstrongArmstrong adds engineered hick-ory to its Prime Harvest andAmerican Scrape collectionsFeaturing a range of colors PrimeHarvest easily coordinates withfurniture wall colors and otherdeacutecor elements

Conversely AmericanScrapersquos rustic texture comple-ments hickoryrsquos distinctive grain-ing and knots AdditionalArmstrong hardwood offeringsmdashincluding Rustic Restorationsand Woodland Relicsmdashfeaturehickory andor walnut and birch

Johnson HardwoodPopular species like birch andhickory populate the Frontier andPacific Coast collections fromJohnson Hardwood Frontierrsquosoffering consists of four colors inbirch (Homestead TomahawkDakota and Bison) while PacificCoast features eight colors cover-ing a wide spectrum Both areavailable in 5-inch-wide planks

ManningtonHickory and walnut species per-meate several popular collectionsfrom Mannington including thenamesake American hickoryBlue Ridge hickory Americanwalnut and smokehouse hickorylines Hickory the hardestAmerican wood is known for itsrich character and distinct grain-ing Versatile and adaptable thisfloor is an ideal upgrade or addi-tion to any room Meanwhilewalnutmdasha species found in exclu-sive furniture linesmdashis amongthe most cherished of allAmerican hardwoods

MercierMercierrsquos Element seriesmdashpart ofthe Elegancia collectionmdashhasbeen expanded to includeAmerican walnut The addition

supplements existing domesticexotic species such as hickory andyellow birch By design thespecies highlights the woodrsquos nat-ural random character Theproductrsquos black and blondenuances create highly versatilefloors designed to blend with vir-tually any style

MohawkWeathered Vision one of severalnewly launched products fromMohawk aims to capture classicAmericana and the rustic beautyof old structures such as barnsThe collection which featuresdeep sandblasted texture andheavy wire-brushed plankscharacterize this homage tocountryside living WeatheredVision is available in popularlong wide planks (as broad as 7inches in random lengths up to 6feet) to satisfy consumerdemands

Mullican Flooring Several collections in MullicanFlooringrsquos offering of trendyproducts have been expanded toinclude hickory birch or walnutFor instance the Merion andDevonshire and collectionsmdashboth 3frasl8-inch-thick engineeredproductsmdashfeature hickory whileCastle Ridge also 3frasl8-inches thickis available in birch and sports ahand-sculpted surface textureThe Nature collection a 3frasl4-inch-thick hickory product has a light-ly wire-brushed surface texture

Shaw FloorsThe Epic Plus collection of long9frac14 x 82frac12-inch-wide hardwoodfloors from Shaw Floors isstacked with domestic exoticspecies Landmark walnut fea-tures two colors while Landmarkhickory offers a trio of captivatingcolors that add a multi-dimen-sional time-worn feel By com-parison Landmark hickoryscraped includes a pair of colorscomplemented by soft subtle tex-turing and hand staining LastlyFremont hickory features scrapedtexturing that accentuates andhighlights the woodrsquos naturalgrain knots and rustic characterSix colors are available

Wickham HardwoodMountain Home collection fromWickham offers an authentic dis-tressed look due to hand-scrapingtechniques by the artisans in thetradition of Renaissance-erawoodworking New planks arehand sculpted one at a time tocreate unique custom flooring oftimeless originality and distinc-tion No two planks are alikeSpecies available include birchcherry and walnut

wood

By Reginald Tucker

Mullicanrsquos Devonshire a 3frasl8-inch-thick engineered product comes in several species including hickory


Has the summer beenslow Are you and youremployees enjoying a lazy

time Would you rather not thinkabout the upcoming winter sea-son If so yoursquore not the onlyone Retailers seem to wake up atthe end of November when theiropportunities are gone or slim

If you havenrsquot noticed thebox stores are already showingChristmas trees and other holi-day items If yoursquore pushingagainst the upcoming seasons(ldquoNobody buys flooring for theholidaysrdquo) you might want tostop Now is the time to takeadvantage of the holidays Put aplan in place not only for yourcustomers but also for youremployees

Why not make this time ofyear your season The experienceis alive and well itrsquos up to you todecide what to do with it Itrsquostime to get your creative juicesgoing Itrsquos important for you tocreate a fun holiday for youremployees and the customersJust because itrsquos not your seasondoesnrsquot mean the party is over

Following are some sugges-tions to energize your store dur-ing the holiday season

1 rsquoTis the season for partiesDonrsquot forget ldquoMovemberrdquomdashmenrsquoshealth monthmdashwhich happensin November Research the occa-sion online and have a contestwith your customers and youremployees Yoursquoll have to get invi-tations out fast if you want to geton your customersrsquo calendars

2 This is also the season forbuying presents Find anotherretailer who does business thistime of the year (a florist or partystore) and join forces One goodpartner would be a jeweler sheprobably has a huge mailing listand this is her season Becomethe new gathering place in yourarea Look for unusual and local-made designs If therersquos a localtrade show with holiday itemswhy not attend to get ideas orbuy things you can resell

3 Unusual vinegars olive oiland spices are in this year

Personally I would look for some-one selling holiday wreaths andtrees and set them up outside mystore Donrsquot forget to order aSanta costume

4 This is the season for get-ting dressed up How about afancy party What organizationsdo you belong to that are look-ing for a place to hold their holi-day party Can you hold aChamber of Commerce event oryour networking group at yourstore Have a professionaldesigner come in and decorateyour store for the holidays Takea hint from NYC stores Macyrsquosstill goes all out

5 Host your own happy hourEveryone loves a good drinkCombine it with a unique shop-ping experience and yoursquoll havepeople lining up Show some spe-cial products and a special drink

named after yourstore Sell ticketsfor the event or leta customer in forfree as long as theybring a non-cus-tomer friend Besure to post your

event online6 How about a learning expe-

rience People want to learn howto arrange flowers or cook a spe-cial dinner Can you find a localchef to come in and teach how tomake a special entre or dessert

7 An art and photographyshow will bring in people espe-cially if the artists have a follow-ing and things are for sale

8 What about a block partyor festival This is the season tobring people together so why notbe the catalyst You may need toget permits for your events soyou have to get started

Take photos for your socialmedia presence testimonialsabout your super parties and hotitems for sale This will guaranteean overflowing crowd for yournext event (The best event willbe your anti-Valentinersquos network-ing party)

lisbiz strategies

The holiday season is agreat time for promos

NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE ADVANTAGE

OF THE HOLIDAYS PUT A PLAN IN PLACENOT ONLY FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS BUT

ALSO FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES

LISBETHCALANDRINO

Lisbeth Calandrino has been promoting retail strategies for the last 20years To have her speak at your business or to schedule a consultationcontact her at lcalandrinonycaprrcom

All-TileThe Friendship Circle ofIllinois fcilorg

The Friendship Circle ofIllinois provides assistance forfamilies with special-needs chil-

dren and involvesthem in a fullrange of social andJudaic experi-ences The organi-

zation is committed to creating asupportive Jewish community forspecial-needs children their fami-lies and high school volunteersSince 2006 The Friendship Circle

has developed a network of pro-grams and services for childrenwith special needs as well as pro-vided workshops lectures andprograms for the parents

Americarsquos FloorSourceRetail Lead ManagementIn Christyrsquos Shoes inchristysshoesorg

In Christyrsquos Shoes was createdto honor the life of Katrina LevyZidelrsquos twin sister Christy whowas diagnosed with brain cancerin 2006 The organization is com-mitted to providing awareness and

funds for programs that supportwomen on their journeys of per-sonal growth Events such asannual SoleCelebrationsprovide aid toprograms assisting women experi-encing homelessness unemploy-ment domestic abuse substanceabuse human trafficking andbrain cancer

Anonymous Houston Habitat forHumanityhoustonhabitatorg

Since 1987 Houston Habitathas brought people together tobuild homes communities andhope Through shelter the organ-ization aims to empower peopleto build a better future for them-

selves and theirfamilies byc om p l e t i n g

financial and home maintenancetraining building homes withvolunteers and purchasing anaffordable mortgage

Cali BambooLocal Surfrider FoundationSan Diego County Chapter sandiegosurfriderorg

The Surfrider Foundation is anenvironmental non-profit organi-zation dedicated to the protection

of oceans waves andbeaches through anactivist network Thefoundation was start-ed in 1984 by a group

of surfers from Malibu Calif andtoday has over 250000 membersand supporters with 84 chaptersin the US and affiliates in over 20countries Some of the founda-tionrsquos initiatives include beachcleanups Rise Above Plastics dayand a Blue Water Task Force

Floor Covering NewsNorth Shore Animal LeagueAmericaanimalleagueorg

North Shore Animal LeagueAmericarsquos mission is to rescuenurture and adopt animals as wellas educate potential adopters It is

Turn lsquogoodrsquo RSAs intolsquogreatrsquo sales pros

Proven sales strategies from Lisbeth Calandrino How good are your salespeople These days good isnrsquot enoughsalespeople have to be better The customer has changed the wayshe buys has your salesforce changed accordingly Customers arespending more time online making them harder to find Whenyou find them do your salespeople know what to say

30 selling has changed the sales gameRelationships are more important than ever and many of them takeplace online Do your salespeople know how to reach out to thesecustomers and build those important relationships Do they havethe skills to bring the online customer into your store

This three-day course includes self-evaluation customer need assessment tactics for making those all-important online contactsand creating methods of improving follow-up

Product knowledge alone isnrsquot enoughCustomers donrsquot buy products they buy the benefits products provide In order for customers to know what types of product they need the features and benefits must be relevant to the customerrsquos conditions of satisfaction

Online training is also available For training information and pricing call Lisbeth Calandrino at 5184955380 or emailLcalandrinonycaprrcom

The Tremendous 12 __________________________

All-Tile The Friendship Circle of IllinoisAmericarsquos Floor Source In Christyrsquos ShoesRetail Lead ManagementAnonymous Houston Habitat for Humanity Cali Bamboo Surfrider Foundation San Diego County ChapterFCNews North Shore Animal League AmericaMetroflor Crohnrsquos and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA)Mohawk Commercial Susan G KomenMohawk Residential Sunshine on a Ranney Day (SOARD)Nonnrsquos Flooring Blessings in a BackpackRaskin Industries American Red CrossSalesmaster American Cancer Society (ACS)Spartan Surfaces Harford Family House

The Floor Covering News Fantasy Footballfor a Cause league closed this year with 12teams All are playing for worthy causes

as seen in the box belowEach team pledged $5000 for a total of

$60000 which will be divided as followsbull$10000 to the winnerrsquos charitybull$7500 to the runner-uprsquos causebull$5000 to the third-place teambull$4000 to the fourth-place teambull$3000 to the fifth-place team

bull$2000 to the sixth-place teambull$1500 to the seventh- eighth- ninth- 10th- 11th-and 12th-place teams

In addition the top player of every week willreceive $1000 and the runner-up will earn $500The best part is all of the charities are guaran-teed to receive a donation

Following are snapshots of each cause repre-sented by the leaguersquos participants FCNews andall teams encourage contributions from ourreaders to any charity that resonates with them

Fantasy Football for a Cause 12 charities included in FCNewsrsquo annual fundraiser

the worldrsquos largest no-kill animalrescue and adoption organizationand is a leader in the no-kill move-mentmdashrescuing and rehabilitat-ing animals instead of euthanizingthem Since 1944 the organiza-tion has saved the lives of morethan 1 million animals The organ-ization is headquartered in PortWashington NY with 2000 shel-ter partners across the countryand around the globe

Metroflor Crohnrsquos and ColitisFoundation of America(CCFA)ccfaorg

The Crohnrsquos amp ColitisFoundation of America (CCFA)is a non-profit volunteer-drivenorganization dedicated to findingcures for Crohnrsquos Disease andulcerative colitis Since its found-ing nearly five decades ago CCFAhas remained at the forefront ofresearch The organization servesmore than 600000 patientsannually and provides nationaleducation and support programs


Mohawk Commercial Susan G Komenww5komenorg

Susan G Komen has trans-formed how the world treats and

talks aboutbreast can-cer and ithas helped

turn millions of breast cancerpatients into breast cancer sur-vivors Since 1982 the organiza-tion has funded more than $920million in research and upwardsof $2 billion in medical carecommunity education and psy-chosocial support The organiza-tion serves millions of people inmore than 60 countries world-wide

Mohawk Residential Sunshine on a Ranney Day(SOARD)sunshineonaranneydaycom

Sunshine on a Ranney Day(SOARD) is a nonprofit organiza-tion dedicated to renovating

homes forchildren withspecial needsFounded in

2012 by Peter and Holly Ranney

SOARD is a licensed general con-tractor that specializes in wheel-chair accessible bathroomsdream bedrooms in-home thera-py rooms and wheelchairrampslifts SOARDrsquosmakeoversmdashwhich are facilitat-ed through partnerships withlocal companies and donorsmdashareprovided to the families at nocost

Nonnrsquos Flooring Blessings in a Backpackblessingsinabackpackorg

Blessings in a Backpack is anonpro f i torganizationthat coordi-nates com-munities individuals andresources to provide food on theweekends for elementary schoolchildren across America who areat the risk of facing hungerBlessings in a Backpack is cur-rently feeding over 93000 chil-dren in nearly 1100 schools in 45US states and the District ofColumbia According to the non-profit $100 feeds one child onthe weekends for one 38-weekschool year through the program

Raskin Industries American Red Crossredcrossorg

The American Red Crossrsquosmission is to prevent and allevi-ate human suffering in the face of

emergenciesthrough thepower of vol-

unteers and the generosity ofdonors The Red Cross is current-ly providing financial assistanceto Texas households severelyimpacted by Hurricane Harvey aswell as those in areas affected byHurricane Irma In addition tocollecting donations the organi-zation also hosts blood drivesassists members of the militaryand their families responds toglobal disasters and it provideshealthy and safety training andeducation

SalesmasterDistributorsAmerican Cancer Society(ACS)cancerorg

American Cancer Society(ACS) is a nationwide communi-ty-based voluntary health organi-zation dedicated to eliminating

cancer through research educa-tion advocacy and service Withapproximate-ly 25 millionvolunteersACS is able toprovide multiple services to thosefacing cancer Thanks in part toACSrsquos contributions more than15 million lives have been savedin the US in the past twodecades

Spartan Surfaces Harford Family House harfordfamilyhouseorg

Harford Family House helpsfamilies and unaccompaniedyoung adults who are experienc-

ing homelessnesstransition intopermanentsta-ble housing Inaddition to shel-

ter for families the organizationprovides education in life skillsjob readiness and personalgrowth individualized case man-agement to help families over-come the root cause of theirhomelessness referrals to part-ner agencies and personal con-nection to the community



With all the attentionbeing paid to WPC-type floorsmdashand right-

fully somdashone might thinktherersquos not much happening inthe way of innovations withother competing hard surfacecategories

That notion could not befurther from the truth as evi-denced by whatrsquos taking place inthe mature-but-still-evolvinglaminate flooring sector As sev-eral manufacturers continue tofortify their coreboards withmaterials and proprietaryprocesses designed to betterresist water or repel moisturealtogether several companiesresponsible for developing glue-less locking systems are ramp-ing up their own innovations

Following is an overview ofthe latest glueless locking sys-tem developments along with asummary of how several clicksystem licencees are incorporat-ing those technologies in theirrespective products

Innovations4Flooring (I4F)One company at the forefront ofglueless locking systems isInnovations4Flooring (I4F) Itslatest innovationmdash3LTripleLockmdashprovides a uniqueone-piece drop-lock installa-tion system for flooring panelsthat eliminates the need for anadditional insert on the shortside The system works with alltypes of flooring materialsincluding laminate coreboardpanels According to I4F theelimination of the additionalinsert on the short side providesmanufacturers with the possi-bility to improve productivitylevels while at the same time

reduce their costs and car-bon footprintFurthermore the 3LTripleLock click system(see illustration) is suitablefor existing high-speedproduction The goodnews for installers is short-er laying time Accordingto I4F boards featuring 3LTripleLock technology canbe installed up to 30faster than basic click sys-tems Plus there are nospecial tools required forinstallation

While the 3LTripleLock systemaddresses installationissues on the short side ofthe plank I4Frsquos Click4U tech-nology an angle-system takescare of the long side Combinedwith the drop-lock on the shortside the locking strength is veryhigh And just like 3LTripleLock Click4U is suitablefor existing high-speed produc-tion machinery

I4Frsquos technology is alreadybeing used on millions of squarefeet of flooring around theworld ldquoWe believe the globalflooring market is ready forchange and our innovationswill play a significant role in thishuge industry transformationrdquosaid John Rietveldt CEO I4F

Unilin Division TechnologiesUnilin Division Technologies isthe intellectual property unitwithin the Unilin Group thatgrants licenses with regard toUnilinrsquos patent rights

Unilin provides several dif-ferent glueless locking systemplatforms including UniclicUnitFit (Plus and X) andUnipush Uniclic is the indus-tryrsquos traditional glueless locking

technology for installation offlooring and wall panels whileUnifit Plus and Unifit X aredesigned for fold-down installa-tion of flooring panels whichincludes laminates

Lastly Unipush aims tomake push-down installationseven more intuitive and simpleHow it works By angling thelong side of the panel in thepanel can be connected on theshort side simply by pushing the

panel down on the short sideNo additional materials ieinserts or equipment are nec-essary using this system

To date Unilin DivisionTechnologies manages morethan 2000 patents in over 300patent families Several licenseepartners include Alsapan AGTBerry BHK Classen ClarionIndustries Egger Group FausKronotex Mannington PergoShaw Tarkett Uniboard and

Witex among others Classen a Unilin

licensee utilizes state-of-the-art locking technologyin its Megaloc systemManufactured inGermany the Megaloclocking system is DIYfriendly and makes instal-lation simple and seam-less In illustration A lam-inate floor with a Megalocsystem has a lockingmechanism on the shortside The panels are sim-ply dropped down into thejoint of the previously laidrow As planks are low-ered a special patentedinsertlock located on the

short end of the laminate willlock the plank in place (A lock-ing-clip in the short groovesallows the next plank to belocked directly from above)Once the panel is installed intoplace the locking element alsolocks and a stable connection iscreated All the installer has todo is press along the short sidewhen he hears the click

Other lines featuring Unilinclick technology is the Majesticcollection from Quick-Step andMohawk-branded laminatesEquipped with the patentedUniclic system the productsallow a quick and easy installa-tion for floor layers The prod-ucts also score points in the aes-thetics department Majesticfor example comes in a varietyof decors from vintagereclaimed to rustic and smoothand features surface texturingdesigned to mimic real woodfloors The line also touts resist-ance to water and scratching

ldquoBased on original woodenplanks the RampD team usesinnovative techniques to devel-op a product that combines nat-ural beauty with the practicalityof high-end laminaterdquo saidRuben Desmet general manag-er laminate Unilin

Uniboard is another Unilinlicensee The companyrsquos lami-ante flooring product rangeincludes both 12mm and 14mmofferings each featuring theldquoBestlockrdquo glueless lockingtechnology The end resultaccording to the company is astreamlined installationanchored by strong lockingjoints

Vaumllinge Vaumllinge continues to demon-strate its knack for innovationwith the latest iteration of itssignature 5G locking systemKnown as 5G-i the new systemis designed in part to expand

The latest innovations in lsquoclickrsquo technologies

I4Frsquos 3L TripleLock provides a unique one-piece drop-lock installation system forflooring panels that eliminates the need for an additional insert on the short side

laminate

By Reginald Tucker


I4F system benefits consumers and installers alikeInnovations4Flooring(I4F) a technologycompany focused onthe development ofpatents and flooringinstallation solu-tions has more thandoubled its numberof licensees over thelast 12 months Thisgrowth is driven largely by accept-ance of the companyrsquos flagshiptechnologies including 3LTripleLock and Click4U 3LTripleLock provides a one-piecedrop-lock installation innovationand Click4U delivers an angle sys-tem for the long side combinedwith drop-lock on the short side

3L TripleLock is beingacclaimed as the new market stan-dard with more retailers in the USasking their suppliers to switchover to the system Results so farare proving extremely positive withthose implementing the solutionwitnessing a sharp sell-out growthrate that is outperforming the over-all market

According to retailers andinstallers the solution is extremelyeasy to use enabling the place-ment of floors to be much quickerwhile maintaining the highestquality levels The systemrsquos appealis now also extending to consumersas it is suitable for all types of floor-ing and in particular productsmade from new high-demandmaterials

In the US installers are voic-ing their support of 3L TripleLockexpressing how easy and fast it is toinstall floors using the solutionThey especially like the fact that itdelivers tight seams without theinconvenience of any moving partsaccording to I4F 3L TripleLock isup to 30 faster to install thanbasic clicks and doesnrsquot need anyspecial tools including tappingblocks or tool bars In additionreplacing or swapping out planks isstraightforward with its simpleslide and lift system

All this enables installers tomeet and exceed their customersrsquodemands

ldquoOur goal is to revolutionize theglobal flooring industry by bringingmeaningful innovations into themarket and at the end of the daythe customer is kingrdquo said JohnRietveldt chief executive officer ofInnovations4Flooring ldquoPeople willalways choose the easiest andfastest solution and when they canalso use the same technique on thenewest materials their decisionbecomes very clear cutrdquo


the installation options for avariety of new floating plankflooring products hitting themarket

How it works Slits under-neath the groove side of thepanel provide flexibility so thetongue sidemdashwhen presseddownward in a single-actionmotionmdashclicks into place

While the system is new itdoesnrsquot represent a difficultlearning curve for installers Infact floor layers donrsquot have tolearn a whole new procedurewhen installing the panels at allInstallers can take it apart thesame way they would with thetraditional 5G the companysaid Another advantage of thesystem is it reduces costs (noneed for plastic tongues orinsertion machines)

Vaumllinge Innovationrsquos patentportfolio comprises more than1600 granted patents and aglobal license base of over 200licensees The companyrsquos rangeof locking systems provides anindustry standard for installingfloating floors Valinge licenseeholders include ArmstrongAbel Laminati Alloc BerryFloor BHK CFL Classen

Faus Mannington PergoShaw Floors Swiss Krono andTarkett Uniboard and Witexamong others For instance allof Manningtonrsquos current lami-nate collections (RestorationRevolutions Coordinationsand Value Lock) can be laiddown via a click-lock mecha-nism for fast secure installa-tions While the companystrongly recommends usingtrained professional installersto achieve the best long-termperformance of its variousflooring products it advisesDIYers to follow all directions

contained in the InstallationGuidelines brochure

Shawrsquos VersaLock andLocNPlace patented lockingtechnology securely installslaminate flooring panels on allfour sides This single-actionlocking system enables installa-tion in a snap literally withoutmessy slow-to-dry glue

Swiss Krono which marketsthe American Concepts brandis a licensee of locking systemsdeveloped by both Unilin andValinge The vast majority ofthese systems are designed forprivate-label applications

marketing mastery

(First of two parts)

In 2016 Synchrony Financialdid a major-purchase studythat focused on the path to

purchase consumers take whenthey buy big-ticket items Thecompany found 85 of con-sumers begin their path to pur-chase online 70 then visit abrick-and-mortar store and 82make their purchase in thestore According to GEFinancial this entire processtakes 79 days on average

Therefore if you want towin the path-to-purchase gameyour website should do the fol-lowing

1Create differentiation tomake your dealership over-whelmingly obvious

2Have a strong call toaction that moves prospectsalong the path-to-purchase inyour direction

3Capture prospectsrsquo contactinformation

4Do follow-up marketingand stay in front of prospectsthroughout the path to pur-chase

Letrsquos take a look at why mostflooring websites do not accom-plish these four things

Failure to create differen-tiation How many flooringdealer websites have you seenwith the business name at thetop photos andor lists of prod-ucts (sometimes with teaserprices) and company and con-tact information

I call these ldquoName Rankand Serial Numberrdquo websitesSuperficially these sites varybut most of them say the samething which creates no differ-entiation from competitors

You see all prospective cus-tomers searching online haveone question Why should I buyfrom you instead of your com-petitors Most websites do apoor job of answering this fun-

damental question A weak or non-existent

call to action Most flooringwebsites are basically electronicbrochures They give productand business information butdo not have a strong call toaction Your website shouldcompel visitors to take specificaction that propels them downthe path to purchase in yourdirection and away from com-petitors

Failure to capture contactinformation Yoursquove investedmoney into your websiteChances are you have paid anSEO company to improve yourrankings so people can find youYou have also probably investedlarge sums into pay-per-click

ads However mostconsumers simplypoke around for aminute and thenleave never to beheard from againYoursquore only givingyourself one shot atthese prospectsrsquobusiness so most ofthe money you

invested driving them to yoursite is wasted If you capturetheir contact information youwill have the opportunity tostay in front of them through-out their path to purchase

Failure to do follow-upmarketing The goal with fol-low-up marketing is to trans-form a single website visit intounlimited opportunities to stayin front of prospects and drivethem toward your businessBecause most flooring websitesdo a poor job of capturing visi-torsrsquo contact info there is rarelyan opportunity for follow-upmarketing

What if there was a singlesolution to all four of thesewebsite problems Well yoursquorein luck and Irsquoll reveal it in thenext installment

YOUR WEBSITE SHOULD COMPELVISITORS TO TAKE SPECIFIC ACTION

THAT PROPELS THEM DOWN THE

PATH TO PURCHASE IN YOUR

DIRECTION AND AWAY FROM

COMPETITORS

JIM AUGUSTUSARMSTRONG

Jim Augustus Armstrong specializes in providing turnkey marketing strategies for flooring dealers For a complimentary copy of Jimrsquos book ldquoHowFloor Dealers Can Beat the Boxes and Escape the Cheap-Price Rat-Race ofDoom Foreverrdquo visit beattheboxestodaycom

Winning the so-calledpath-to-purchase game

Continued from page 18Laminate

The Majestic line of laminate flooring from Quick-Step featuresan advanced user-friendly mechanical locking system


efforts after Hurricane Harveyand other natural disasters Thecompany will contribute flooringthrough a new partnership estab-lished with Good360mdasha non-profit group that matches prod-uct donations with communityorganizations many of which areengaged in disaster recovery inlocal communities

The flooring donatedthrough Good360 will be provid-ed to several thoroughly vettednon-profit organizations includ-ing those helping with rebuildingefforts after disasters Good360provides products for all stages ofdisaster recovery and works withits on-the-ground non-profitpartners to assess needs andrespond accordingly

Emser Tile Emser Tile has arranged a com-pany-wide donation program tosupport disaster relief inHouston and southeast Texas inthe aftermath of HurricaneHarvey The program includes asignificant corporate donation tothe Red Cross from Emser Tilealong with a match of all EmserTile employee donations

Emser Tile based in Los

Angeles operates four show-rooms and a major distributioncenter in Houston and employsmore than 200 associates in thearea A separate fund has alsobeen organized to provide finan-cial assistance to those EmserTile employees directly impactedby this disaster

GerflorFollowing the devastatingeffects of HurricanesHarvey and Irma GerflorUSAmdashwhich includes theGerflor Connor Sports andSport Court brandsmdashannounced it will matchemployee donations forhurricane relief efforts Thecompany and its brands arecommitted to helpingrebuild Texas Florida andall communities impactedMatch-eligible donations to sev-eral non-profit organizationsproviding relief to affected com-munities inaround Houston willbe accepted through Oct 11

Karndean DesignflooringAs the devastation wrought byHurricane Irma continues to beassessed Karndean hasannounced plans to expand itsHurricane Harvey relief programto include those affected by

Hurricane Irma as well After offering free freight serv-

ices to its customers in TexasKarndean Designflooring willalso extend free freight toinclude customers in the state ofFlorida through Oct 31 Thecompany is also in the process ofreaching out to dealers through-out the state to assess showroomdamage and provide assistance

In addition to the companyrsquoscurrent Hurricane Harvey dona-tion drive to benefit the HoustonFood Bank and City of SanAntonio Animal Care ServicesKarndean is also accepting dona-tions for United Way of theFlorida Keys which will distrib-ute funds to non-profit groupsthroughout Monroe County Thedonation drive is open toKarndean employees as well asmembers of the general public

MohawkMohawk Industries and NaturersquosBig Springs Water have part-nered to offer a helping hand tothose affected by HurricaneHarvey The two Dalton-basedcompanies teamed up to donateand deliver more than 100000bottles of water to the Houstonarea The companies will splitthe cost of the water and

Mohawk will deploy itstrucking fleet to make thedelivery once the roads arepassable

Mohawk employsapproximately 130 peoplein the Houston areamdashall ofwhom have been identifiedas safe and shelteredalthough some of theirhomes have been severelycompromised In additionto the water delivery the

company will provide furtherassistance to affected employees

PatcraftPatcraft working in conjunctionwith its parent company Shawhas established a donation pro-gram to benefit HurricaneHarvey relief efforts led by theRed Cross Over the next 90days the company will donate2 of every sale of productshipped to Texas to the humani-

tarian organization This dona-tion program was designed toprovide support to the affectedareas and began with purchasesmade on Sept 4 Patcraft is cur-rently exploring opportunities tosupport Hurricane Irma reliefefforts as well

Swiff-Train Texas-based Swiff-Train Co israllying team members from allover Texas to help in multipleaspects At the same time thecompany has established aYouCaring Fundraising accountto aid in the recovery efforts(Visit youcaringcom and searchldquoSwiff-Trainrdquo for details)

To assist their customerswith their showrooms needsSwiff-Train created product dis-play and showroom floor promo-tions The support from its busi-nees partners and vendors hasbeen instumental in its efforts tomeet current supply demands

Swiff-Train itself was heavilyimpacted by Hurricane HarveyThree of its distribution centersmdashHouston Corpus Christi andVictoriamdashwere in the stormrsquospath Despite extensive damage toemployeesrsquo homes and propertyall personnel are safe and distri-bution operations are back tonormal Swiff-Train reports

Continued from page 1Disaster relief

Texas-based Swiff-Train Co is rallying company team members from all overTexas to help communities recuperate

installed ldquoThis includesremoving all dust dirt anddebris by scraping or sandingthe entire areardquo TonyBuckhardt senior certifierCFI explained ldquoConcretefloors should also be flattenedand cleaned However con-crete usually requiresmechanically removing oldadhesives dirt or debrisrdquo

The use of a bead blastersandpaper or concretegrinder is required by mostmanufacturers over the use ofchemical removers which cansoak down into the concreteand cause bond issues

Donrsquot skip proper primingProper priming is typicallyrequired by manufacturers in

order to maintain a productrsquoswarranty As Mark OlsonINSTALL instructor explainsldquoIf a primer is improperlyapplied or even worse notapplied at all this increaseschances of flooring failure andwill void the productrsquos warrantyIn addition the replacement ofthe flooring will be disruptive tooccupants time consuming andcan cost up to 10 times theamount of the original installa-tionrdquo

When choosing the properprimer installers should findout whether or not the floor is

porous ldquoThere are differentprimers for porous and non-porous floors and the primer isimportant for the proper bondfor the self levelerrdquo CFIrsquosBuckhardt added

Furthermore according toDavid Stowell technical direc-tor Schoumlnox HPS NorthAmerica installers shouldalways prime when usingcement compounds over gyp-sum-based materialsmdashand viceversa

Follow company mixingrequirements Manufacturersoften test products in differenttime increments to ensure prop-er performance They also havespecific directions for mixingTo ensure optimal product per-formance installation expertsrecommend users stick to thescript

ldquoIf it is not mixed correctlyor by the manufacturerrsquos recom-mended time it will increasethe chance of installation fail-urerdquo Olson explained ldquoIt mightalso tarnish a contractorrsquos repu-tation and cost future businessrdquo

Adhere to moisture teststandards More subfloor solu-tions depend on moisture testresults To avoid a potentialissue according to SchoumlnoxrsquosStowell installers should per-form moisture tests per ASTMF2170 and ASTM F1869 stan-dards

Use the right product forthe job According to GregHunsicker category businessmanager ndash flooring amp finishingsegments Ardex Americas it isvital for an installer to select thebest moisture remediation lev-eling and patch system for thejob ldquoIn addition the properpreparation of the substrate isimportant to be certain youobtain a clean sound solid basefor your prep materialsrdquo

Repair moving joints andcracksWhen an installer uses aself-leveling product for sub-floor prep he should alsoaddress moving joints andcracks in the substrate ldquoIf not

addressed and repaired movingjoints and cracks can transfer upand cause cracks in the finishrdquosaid Dean Cunningham techni-cal service manager LaticreteldquoTo allow for natural buildingmovement against restrainingsurfaces Laticrete also recom-mends that installers evaluateand isolate the area aroundwalls columns penetrationsand other building elementswhere movement may be antic-ipatedrdquo

Contact manufacturerswith application questionsAllinstallation experts agree aninstaller should speak with themanufacturer if there are anyquestions regarding mixing orusing the product In additionthe installer should allow thetechnical services team to walkhim through the installation

Itrsquos important to note thatrequirements and methods varydepending on the type of floorcovering specified ldquoFor exam-ple some floor coveringsrequire a light grind or shotblast to a specific concrete sur-face profile while othersrequire a more aggressivemechanical surface prep inorder to achieve a tenaciousbondrdquo Laticretersquos Cunninghamexplained ldquoIn addition slabmoisture conditions such as rel-ative humidity moisture vaporemission rates and pH must betaken into consideration andmeasured in order to properlyprepare a concrete floor for fur-ther treatment and ensure asuccessful flooring installationrdquo

Dress for success Beyondthe technical aspects of subfloorpreparation experts suggestinstallers wear proper cleats foreach job ldquoEvery flooringinstaller who works with self-leveling product will need towork directly with the prod-uctmdashblending pours as well asdistributionrdquo INSTALLrsquos Olsonexplained ldquoWearing cleats alsoensures the primer that wasinstalled beforehand will not bedisturbedrdquo

The success of any flooringproject begins with theproper substrate prepara-

tion Thatrsquos according to expertinstallers and manufacturerswho say any mistakes during theearlier stages of installation cancause trouble for all involvedmdashconsumer retailer and contrac-tormdashyears down the road

FCNews rounded up severalinstallation experts who provid-ed helpful guidelines to consid-er when preparing a subfloor

Clean the area prior toinstallation With hardwoodsubfloors in particular the areamust be cleaned and flattenedbefore underlayment can be

Installation expertssuggest following eachmanufacturerrsquos stepsfor optimal productperformance

By Lindsay Baillie

installation22 I September 1118 2017 fcnews

Subfloor prep tips from the trade

INSTALL continuously looks tosolve industry problems especiallyin regards to elevating trainingstandards As a key initiative in2017 INSTALL increased its focuson substrate preparation by creat-ing a certification program to setthe foundation to directly address

and eliminate substrate flooringfailure The program is a collabora-tive effort between INSTALL and itsmanufacturer partners includingAC Tech Ardex Americas CMPSpecialty Products HB FullerTecLaticrete MAPEI Schoumlnox SIKAUfloor Systems and USG

A higher standard

We all know the old say-ing ldquoLeave it to theexpertsrdquo Well several

recent estate tax cases clearlyshow us individuals who set upestates but are not specialists cancreate a lot of problems for theirclients Attorneys accountantsand other professionals that donot specialize in this area of thelaw are warned their actionsmight hurt clients instead ofhelp them

In illustration A recent IRScase said a family member whohad a power of attorney couldnot change a revocable trust andset up a limited partnership oneweek prior to the death of thefather to remove the value of theassets out of the fatherrsquos estateThe court held the transactionwas illusory and the full value ofthe business would be includedin the estate With an estate taxexemption of $5490000 at thefederal level and potentially sig-nificantly lower ones at the statelevel this can result in an estatetax that puts the business intobankruptcy or into a forced saleIn particular estates in New

York Illinois MassachusettsNew Jersey and Connecticut arereportedly where the greatestamount of estate tax is paid

Another case involved anattorney who didnrsquot comply withdeadlines in filing estate taxesThe tax court held that relianceon the attorney was reasonableand no penalty or interest wouldbe due The attorney even hadthe estate pay more taxes thanwere due on the tax return

Remember this Just becauseyou get advice doesnrsquot mean youare going to get away with anunreasonable position Take forexample the case where anestate was liable for late filingand late payment penaltiesbecause it relied on an attorneywho had committed malpracticein representing the estate Thecourt held that reliance on suchan attorney was not reasonable

cause for late paymentsAttorneys are not the only

ones who have erred Anaccountant handling an estatefor someone who did not oweestate taxes failed to file a taxreturn As a result the qualifiedelection for property to a spousewas lost In the end the courtgranted extra time to make theelection so the surviving spousedid not have to pay extra taxes

In another case involvingtaxes a father had his sons cre-ate a new business that sold theequipment the fatherrsquos companymanufactured The ldquoexpertrdquo inthis case advised the sonsrsquo com-pany should hold the technologyfor the manufacturing Howeverthe expert advisor did not followup and see that legal documents

were created to actuallytransfer the technologyto the sonsrsquo companyAccordingly the taxcourt concluded thetransfer did not reallyexist and the expertrsquosopinions were summarily

disregarded The result was avery high value on the fatherrsquosmanufacturing company whichwas determined to own the man-ufacturing technology and thisraised the total value of thefatherrsquos estate

This is a very common prob-lem I see in estate planningwhereby plans are created butthe actual transfer of legal title ofthe assets does not always occurIn fact Illinois recently passed alaw that allowed for a trust to bethe constructive owner of aproperty that was not actuallydeeded into the trustmdashso long asthe intent was to transfer theproperty into said trust It hap-pens so often that Illinois had tocreate a law to help advisors whodo not follow through

In my next column I willdiscuss other implications ofpoor estate planning

financial

Estate planning Leave it to the pros

JUST BECAUSE YOU GET EXPERTADVICE DOESNrsquoT MEAN YOU AREGOING TO GET AWAY WITH AN

UNREASONABLE POSITION

Roman Basi is an attorney and CPA with the firm Basi Basi amp Associatesat The Center for Financial Legal amp Tax Planning He writes frequentlyon issues facing business owners

ROMANBASI


all certified laminate installersby state

ldquoI would like to thank all themembers for their time andinput especially Dan [Natkin]Travis Bass [executive vice pres-ident Swiss Krono] and RogerFarabee [senior vice presidentlaminate and hardwoodMohawk] They went above andbeyond the call of dutyrdquo

State of the industry In his address tomembers and guestsin attendance Natkinprovided an overviewof the laminate cate-gory in the US ldquoIn 20years it has become a$1 billion-plus indus-try Members in thisindustry employ hun-dreds of people whoare involved in theproduction of lami-nate flooring and the retailers andinstallers employthousands who serv-ice the end customerrdquo

He also remindedattendees how thecategory has withstood intensepressure from competing floor-ing segments particularlywood LVT and now WPC

ldquoPeople forget laminate isone of the most environmentallysound productsmdashand thatrsquos com-ing from a wood guy Laminatecomprises 95 renewable con-tentrdquo

More importantly Natkincited the high level of coopera-tion of NALFA membership

which includes the likes ofArauco Armstrong DMXUnderlayment IVC USKronospan MP Global ProductsMannington Mohawk Pak-LitePergo Quick-Step Sealed AirFloor Care Products Selit FoamSolutions Shaw Floors SwissKrono and Torlys These compa-nies he said represent the vastmajority of laminate flooringsold in North America

ldquoThere is a higher level ofengagement in NALFA thanany other trade organization in

which Irsquom involvedrdquo Natkinstated ldquoAnd as we enter ourthird decade of existence wersquorecontinuing to serve as thepolice of the industry Wersquoreunique in that we are led by themembers The individual voicescome together as the collectivevoice of NALFA Each leader inthis room dedicates an amazingamount of time effort energyand passion toward advancingour message around the goals of

standardization and the bene-fits of laminate flooring to boththe consumer and the industryrdquo

Not the same old laminate ldquoBoth regular and associateNALFA members are continu-ing to invest millions of dollarsin the production of laminateflooring in support of contin-ued demand among con-sumersrdquo Natkin said He cited anumber of innovations includ-ing water-resistant coreboardtechnologies improved visuals

and surface tech-nologies ldquoItrsquos notthe laminate floor-ing of 20 years agordquohe told attendees

Mohawkrsquos Fara-bee agreed addingthe group is focus-ing on building aplatform for thefuture ldquoItrsquos our jobto remind people ofthe incredible bene-fits this categoryoffers Itrsquos a wood-based product itrsquosthe most durablehard surface prod-uct outside ofceramic itrsquos the easi-est to install itrsquos the

most cost effective product onan installed basis and it offersthe most realistic visuals of anylsquoreplicarsquo product on the marketFor consumers today thepotential for future sales isgreater particularly as we focuson new aspects such as mois-ture resistance Therersquos a rolefor the laminate category toplay with respect to the newproducts that are starting toemergerdquo

Continued from page 1NALFA

The new look of nalfacom was designedwith consumer research needs in mind

NEW YORKmdashThe 20th anniversary celebration ofthe North American Laminate FlooringAssociation (NALFA) came to a close with atouching tribute to Bill Dearing the man whoserved as its president from the grouprsquos incep-tion in 1997 until his passing in late 2016Dearing who not only presided over NALFArsquosevolution but was also instrumental in bringingthe Pergo brand to the US market lost his bat-tle with cancer at the age of 75

ldquoWe are members today because of Billrdquo saidPeter Barretto president of Torlys a long-timeNALFA primary member ldquoHe was a class act andgave to everyone in this room He was the gluerdquo

Dan Natkin current NALFA president whoalso serves as vice president of hardwood andlaminate at Mannington concurred ldquoBill wasalways there for you if you needed anything Iconsidered him a colleague and a good friendrdquo

Natkin credited Dearing for bringing stan-dardization to the laminate industry eliminat-ing the ldquoWild Westrdquo mentality that existedaround claims ldquoHe lived and breathed laminateflooring he was passionate about it He became

synonymous with laminateflooringrdquo

Jack Boesch marketingdirector for MP GlobalProducts a long-timeNALFA associate memberrecalled his early interac-tions with Dearing ldquoWewere the first company outside the flooring man-ufacturers to get involved with NALFA so natu-rally I asked a lot of questions about the laminatecategory Bill welcomed me with open armsldquo

Lars von Kantzow former CEO of Pergohired Dearing in 1990 to help launch the Pergobrand in the US ldquoDearing was literally Pergorsquosfirst sales rep for Pergordquo he said (FCNews Oct2431 2016) ldquoHe mapped out our distributionstrategy and made the first contacts He broughtin retailers Carpet One and Color Tile and thendistributors such as Misco Shawnee Bayard andWilliam Bird He was absolutely instrumental inputting Pergo on the maprdquo

Many industry members and associates wereon hand for the tribute including RoulaDearing Billrsquos wife of many years

Bill Dearing

Tribute to a colleague and a friend

w CAN The Floor coHow CAN The Floor co ering Industrvw CAN The Floor co y Foundationering Industry Foundationw CAN The Floor coHo

Help Me

w CAN The Floor co

e amplesare a fxe e a fHerarHere a feamplese e a f

ering Industrvw CAN The Floor co

amplesamplese a fee a famplesHere Here a f

y Foundationering Industry Foundation

Equipment

Rent MortgageRent Mortgage Emergency careEmergency care Food

syX-Ra

Doctor VisitsUtility bills

sical Therapsical TherapPhyPhyTransportation

yysical Therapsical TherapTransportation

TestingTesting

Medical CareyHospital StaHospital Sta

Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies

hOUSE ModshOUSE ModshOUSE ModshOUSE Mods

Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies

hOW CAN I QUALIFY FOR ASSISTANCE Life-Al1

Prescriptions

hOW CAN I QUALIFY FOR ASSISTANCEtering Medical ev

5+ YEARs IN fLOOR cOVLife-AlLife-Altering Medical ev

3

hOW CAN I QUALIFY FOR ASSISTANCEent

5+ YEARs IN fLOOR cOVtering Medical ev

MEdical Supplies

hOW CAN I QUALIFY FOR ASSISTANCEMEdical Supplies

ERING iNDUSTRY 5+ YEARs IN fLOOR cOV

financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies


ERING iNDUSTRYfinancial crisis

call 7062171183 or email infwnload an applicaoD

w someone in need Knocif

5+ YEARs IN fLOOR cOV3

ofofcifcall 7062171183 or email infcall 7062171183 or email infoforcifcifort ft fciftion awnload an applica

w someone in need

5+ YEARs IN fLOOR cOV

gorcifcifor gor

ERING iNDUSTRY 5+ YEARs IN fLOOR cOV ERING iNDUSTRYERING iNDUSTRY


Floor Covering News550 W Old Country RdSuite 204Hicksville NY 11801

FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan

nadiafcnewsnet Call 5169327860Fax 5169327639floorcoveringnews

f c n ew s n e t September 1118 2017

1 CENTSF FLOORING ESTIMATINGFast amp Accurate - Callidus Takeoffs

commercialflooringestimatingcom

MONTANA FLOORING STORE FOR SALEIrsquove been in the flooring business in the bitterroot Valley of Montanasince 1977 and built a store in 1996 that I have sold and installed

flooring from It has worked well relying on repeat and referrals If thisis a fit for you I would help in the transition Contact Dallas for more

details candocarpetoutlookcom

FLOORING BUSINESS 4SALEBY THE BEACH IN DE

for details visit

Landmark-Commercialcom

Are You StuckAt $400K to $800K in Sales

How Would You Like to Break

$1Million in SalesIf This Is You We Should Talk24 Hour Recorded Message

480-499-4266

FOR SALE FLOORINGBUSINESS amp REAL ESTATE

Asking $4250000West of Chicago Suburban Location

2016 Gross Sales ndash Over $25 million 18000 sq ft

BRAND NEW building consisting of retail showroom and warehouseOwner retiring

Call Sam Shah broker 847-477-1477 samshahsvncom

VINYL SALES AGENTSATM Floor Covering a major vinyl distribution company is seeking experienced and goal-driven vinyl sales

agents in several states This is an excellent opportunity for you that pays top commission rates

If you are interested in growing your career with us call 8008682194 x301 or email your resume to kyleatmfloorcoveringcom

TERRITORY MANAGERWell-known Flooring Distributor for Engineered Solids LVT

Laminates Rigid Core and Installation Supplies is seeking aTerritory Sales Representative for Central Texas Must have 5+years of Floor Covering Experience Existing retail contacts are

highly beneficial Distribution experience strongly desired Email resume cover letter and salary expectations to

floorcoveringdistributorgmailcom

NATIONAL FLOORING FRANCHISE FOR SALEbullLexington Kentucky

bull2800 square feet 4 offices showroom and warehouse

bullFunctioning turnkey operation

bullEstablished install crews and employee production mgr

bullOwner retiringCall Jonathan at 859-887-0007

BUSINESS FOR SALEbull18000 square feet bull12 years in business

bullNorthwest Indiana bullOwner retiringbullAsking $900000

Please contact Jean at jeanfashionflooringyahoocom or 2194064155

OUTSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVENaturally Aged Flooring has an opening for an energetic self-motivated Outside Sales Representative to grow our Missouri

and Kansas area markets This is a real opportunity to have yourexperience in the flooring industry pay off The Ideal candidate is

familiar with the Missouri and Kansas areas and will have contacts with retail flooring accounts Flooring industry experienceis required hardwood flooring sales experience is a plus For over30 years Naturally Aged Flooring has been servicing retail flooring

accounts across the US and Canada Our company is built on acommitment to gain market share through innovative style and

unsurpassed customer service We offer a competitive base salary plus commission car allowance company provided iphone

and ipad travel expenses and benefits Interested applicantsplease forward your resume to Mikenaturallyagedflooringcom

4 SALE FLOORINGBUSINESS

CENTRAL MASSbull$2 million volume

bullState-of-the-art showroom

bullOver 60 years in business

bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet

Contact edjseisaolcom

WE HELP DEALERSPrivate labels specialty mills amp etc

Call us now at 800-228-4632 wwwcarpetbrokercom

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER IN WEST COASTMIDWEST AND EAST COAST

DampM Flooring is seeking experienced and highly motivated RegionalSales Manager in the West Coast Midwest and East Coast

Must have strong relationships with key customers (FlooringDistributors Retailers Builders AampD etc)

-Health benefits-IRA

-Base salary + commission-Earning potential $100000 plus

Please email resumes to hrdm-flooringcomwwwdm-flooringcom

OUTSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVESFERMA FLOORING is a growing importer and national distributor for

flooring of hardwood (solid ampengineered) luxury vinyl amp bamboo laminate based in New Jersey We are looking for Sales Representatives covering territories of NY NJ CT and MDampVA respectively

for B2B sales Related knowledge and experiences are required Please fax resume to 732-225-5290 or email to salesfermaflooringcom or hrfermaflooringcom

INDEPENDENT MFR REPS WANTEDTerritories available throughout the United States and Canada

Experienced and Established Agents needed to represent Urban City Designs Mosaic and Laserjet productsContact Michael MichaelKUrbancitydesignscom

AGENTS WANTED

Flooring DistributormdashTileEngineered Wood

Experienced agents wanted for the

following territories

bullTexas bullLouisiana

bullMississippi

Please contact Jesy Gonzalez at

Jgonzaleznorthsidedistributorscom

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

DUSTRAMregCONTRACTOR

OPPORTUNITIESDUST FREE TILEREMOVAL TOOLS

YOUR TOTALSOLUTION FOR OSHA

SILICA DUSTCOMPLIANCE

DUSTRAMCOM

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIESBUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIESBUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

CLOSEOUTS WE BUY IT ALLMidwest retailer buying closeout inventories of

laminate tile carpet hardwood stone 1ST amp 2NDSEmail your inventory to jhamamyfactory-surpluscom

816-761-1777 X 10


SENIOR IMPORT amp LOGISTICS MANAGERXL Flooring Ltd and EZ Lay Flooring Ltd ndash North Vancouver BC is seeking a

Senior Import amp Logistics Manager Responsibilities include communication and correspondence with key vendors schedule production and coordinate with shipping brokers

and multiple warehouses in Canada and US inventory reconciliation and road rail freight distribution

To know more about the role send an email to adminxlflooringca

SALES AGENTSGlobal manufacturer Himalaya Carpets ndash US distribution center in Southern Californian seeking

Wool Synthetic Carpet and Rug sales agents across the US

Please email your resume to annhimalayacarpetsusacom

SALES REPRESENTATIVESImporterdistributor looking for sales representatives in the following territories

NC SC GA and VA Please send resume to inforibadaocom

CARPET SHELVING FOR SALESteel carpet shelving

Heavy duty steel pallet shelvingAll shelves in excellent condition Located in Central Long Island

Call Sam at 5169377847

SALESPERSONEstablished carpet amp flooring center (37 years in business) is seeking an aggressive

energetic and motivated salesperson to maintain existing accounts as well as develop new ones Full time position only great opportunity

Commercial and residential in the New York City Metro area and Long Island Candidate must be well-spoken and have experience in sales and flooring

Start immediately Salary plus commission Please contact Karl at 9175605477

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

TERRITORY MANAGER ndash SAN FERNANDOVALLEYVENTURASAN LUIS

OBISPOLANCASTERPALMDALEBAKERSFIELDJ H Freed amp SonsPremier Flooring Solutions a

well-established (38+ years) full line wholesale flooring distributor is seeking a high energy confident independent Sales Professional with outstanding relationship skills and

motivation to join our team and manage an established territoryIdeal candidate is a qualified B2B sales professional with

industry experience who lives within Ventura County Proper SFV or Santa Clarita area We offer a competitive salary plus

commission and bonus opportunities car allowance smart phone 401k (wmatching)

Qualified applicant please send resume tocfreedfreedomcarpetscom

MARKETPLACEMARKETPLACE MARKETPLACE MARKETPLACEMARKETPLACE

WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030

SCHEDULING SIMPLIFIEDIn the flooring industry scheduling is everything WIP is a program designed exclusively for the flooring industry WIP was created by industry

professionals who know exactly what installers andclients are looking for In one hour you can masterthis point-and-click program and begin scheduling

your clients with ease Get rolling with WIP

wwwwipcalendarcom

Phone (404) 850-8386 Email gbaladitechnolcom

AGENTS WANTEDMajor Flooring wholesale for LaminateLVTEngineered Wood

Experienced agents wanted for the following territories bullHouston TX bullOklahoma City bullKansas City bullShreveport LA

Please send resume to asui713gmailcom

fcnews September 1118 2017 I 3news

( IN THE NEWS)Karndean named a top place to work in PittsburghEXPORT PAmdashThePittsburgh Post-Gazette has rec-ognized Karndean Designflooring as one of thetop workplaces in the greater Pittsburgh areafor the sixth consecutive year The companyranked 21 out of 50 in the small companies cat-egory which includes businesses with 50 to149 employees and received the overall awardin the benefits category

ldquoOne of the core values of Karndean is peo-ple matterrdquo said Larry Browder CEO ldquoWe viewour employees as family and recognize the hardwork and dedication they bring to the job everyday We are proud to receive these accoladesfrom our employees for the past six yearsrdquo

The annual top workplaces lists are basedentirely on employee feedback compiled byWorkplaceDynamics Employers are rated onfactors such as company alignment effective-ness management and employee engagementin addition to benefits pay and flexibility

Flexco taps Belknap Whitefor Northeastern distributionMANSFIELD MASSmdashThe Belknap White Group(BWG) one of Americarsquos leading full-serviceflooring distributors will be marketing andselling the comprehensiveFlexco line throughout all sixNew England states andupstate New York

ldquoWersquore excited about thisnew relationshiprdquo said Dan Doyle vice presi-dent branch sales and operations BWG ldquoWhenyou work with Flexco yoursquore working with aflooring partner that has the experience deter-mination and dedication to make customersrsquorubber flooring visions become realitiesrdquo

BWG will carry all Flexco vinyl and rubberwall base products and trimmolding acces-sories the complete range of rubber flooring aswell as the entire Flexco stair tread category

Armstrong installation expertearns CFI Chris Davis award LANCASTER PAmdash Rick Herr field installation spe-cialist of Armstrong Flooring was presentedwith the fifth annual Chris Davis Award inrecognition and dedica-tion to quality flooringinstallation The awardwas presented at the 24th

Certified FlooringInstallers Convention(CFI) in Orlando

To qualify a candidate must display attrib-utes of the late D Christopher Davis formerpresident and CEO of the World Floor CoveringAssociation This includes the ability to workwith the flooring industry to build a strongerfoundation and the leadership qualities toachieve goals directly related to the advance-ment of quality flooring installation

Herr recently headed the ArmstrongFlooring Installation School which has beentraining flooring installers for more than 80years The school is recognized for its qualityinstruction knowledgeable teaching staff andcontinued leadership in the development ofnew installation methods and procedures

PHILADELPHIAmdashNeoCon East billed as theNortheastrsquos premier commercial interiorsdesign expo and conference has providedan overview of the sessions that will takeplace during the event sched-uled to kick off Nov 15-16 atthe Pennsylvania ConventionCenter

ldquoOur aim for the NeoCon East educa-tional offering is to inform spark conver-sation and provide professionals acrossdisciplines a way to effectively and effi-ciently earn valuable CEU credits in justtwo daysrdquo said Monica DeBartolo direc-tor of programming ldquoThe 2017 assort-ment caters to varying levels of practiceand covers everything from the applica-

tion of psychology to built projects andarchitecting ecosystems that inspire inno-vation to exploring livable space efficien-cy and best practices in designing for the

federal governmentrdquoIn addition to market-ready

solutions from hundreds ofcompanies across sectors and

valuable networking opportunities thisyearrsquos conference program will round outwhat organizers call the ldquocomprehensiveNeoCon East experiencerdquo The lineupincludes over 25 CEUs offering insightinto whatrsquos next in workplace healthcarehospitality government education andbeyond

Anchoring the program will be sever-

al high-profile keynote speakers includ-ing Suzette Subance Ferrier IIDAdesign director TPG Architecture ZenaHoward AIA LEED AP managing direc-tor Perkins+Will North CarolinaPractice David Insinga AIA chief archi-tect General Services AdministrationrsquosPublic Building Service and AlexGilliam founder Public Workshop

Seminars are $40 each when atten-dees register online before Nov 10 Afterthat date all registration for seminars ison-site subject to availability at a fee of$50 each Special discounts are availablefor students and government employeesThe full list of seminars is available onlineat neoconeastcom

T he Multi-Layer FlooringAssociation (MFA) recently held itsfirst general assembly meeting in

Dalton The event served as a forum forthe group to define the popular but stillevolving multi-layer polymer compositeflooring which includes of course thered-hot WPC segment ldquoThe MFA meetingwas extremely productive with very robustdiscussions highlighting the pressingneed for clear standards and industry ter-minology for all to use in this fast growthcategoryrdquo said Harlan Stone MFA presi-dent and president and CEO ofMetroflor a founding MFA member ldquoItwas hard to believe it was only our firstgeneral meetingrdquo

Peter Barretto president and CEO ofTorlys who doubles as marketing managerfor MFA said the meeting paved the wayfor concrete tangible goals and objectivesldquoThe most critical step is to establish stan-dards beginning with residential applica-tions and then make them legal and pub-licrdquo he told FCNews ldquoIf there are no stan-dards then everybody does whatever theywant but we still essentially call it the sameOnce we establish the base then we can getinto more elaborate goals and discussionsrdquo

Those next steps entail developingstandards for commercial applications (allbased on ASTM guidelines) and setting upindependent third-party verification sys-tems MFA has also created a sustainabili-ty committeemdashwhich is being spearhead-

ed by Metroflormdashthen itrsquos on to environ-mental and safety issues ldquoAt the end of theday we will have residential standardsenvironmental standards certificationprograms and even a budget for market-ingrdquo Barretto stated

The next phase according to MFAwill focus on setting standards for theemerging rigid core class of flooringmdashasegment that has been rapidly rising inpopularity among retailers and con-sumers due to the technology originalityinherent performance qualities and avail-ability However according to MFA thecategory has yet to be defined with crite-ria that adheres to the core compositionand capabilities of the product MFArsquos pri-mary mission is to identify this new cate-gory including various rigid core LVTproducts and set industry standardsregarding performance terminology safe-

NeoCon East previews educational program

ty and sustainability Barretto noted

Building critical mass During the event MFA also welcomednew suppliers bringing to 15 the numberof members MFA now consists ofArmstrong CFL EarthWerks IVCKarndean Mannington MetroflorMohawk MP Global Novalis Pak LitePLI Shaw Torlys and USFloors

ldquoWe needed like-minded people to gettogether to help the industry at largemdasheven though we are competitorsrdquo Barrettosaid ldquoToday MFA members easilyaccount for 80 of the industryrdquo

Current MFA board members are asfollows Harlan Stone (president)Metroflor Philippe Erramuzpe (vice pres-ident) USFloors Jamey Brock (secre-tary) Armstrong and Mark Hansen (trea-surer) Novalis

MFA outlines the pathway forwardBy Reginald Tucker

The Multi-Layer Flooring Association (MFA) recently welcomed new members at its inaugural general assembly meeting in Dalton

CALHOUN GAmdashMohawkrsquos involvement with the Susan G KomenFoundation started out as simple monetary donations and hasgrown into donating cushion for walkers to rest on employeesselling T-shirts and hosting ldquopink-outrdquo events to raise funds andawareness while providing opportunities for retailers to partici-pate during the main event

This year Mohawk is expected to donate 8000 SmartCushionpads and has grown its support of the foundationrsquos popularthree-day event into a retailer activation where its top cushionretailers will be supporting walkers in seven cities

Susan G Komen named Mohawk the 2017 ldquoRising Starrdquo part-ner during the annual partner summit in Dallas Brent Emorevice president of residential finance and cushion general manag-er for Mohawk accepted the award on behalf of the company

( SNAPSHOT)Mohawk and Susan G Komen A solid partnership







member




editorial




artproduction


sales associate




nicole murray






















Steven Feldman













By Ken Ryan



( CALENDAR)











ALrsquoS COLUMN










Meadville Pa


ldquo ldquo

ldquo ldquo















( REMEMBER WHEN)










BY ROD SIGMAN





















fall promos














































fall intros

By Ken Ryan





































By Reginald Tucker


























wood

By Reginald Tucker




















lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom











member




editorial




artproduction


sales associate




nicole murray






















Steven Feldman













By Ken Ryan



( CALENDAR)











ALrsquoS COLUMN










Meadville Pa


ldquo ldquo

ldquo ldquo















( REMEMBER WHEN)










BY ROD SIGMAN





















fall promos














































fall intros

By Ken Ryan





































By Reginald Tucker


























wood

By Reginald Tucker




















lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom

















By Ken Ryan



( CALENDAR)











ALrsquoS COLUMN










Meadville Pa


ldquo ldquo

ldquo ldquo















( REMEMBER WHEN)










BY ROD SIGMAN





















fall promos














































fall intros

By Ken Ryan





































By Reginald Tucker


























wood

By Reginald Tucker




















lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom






( CALENDAR)











ALrsquoS COLUMN










Meadville Pa


ldquo ldquo

ldquo ldquo















( REMEMBER WHEN)










BY ROD SIGMAN





















fall promos














































fall intros

By Ken Ryan





































By Reginald Tucker


























wood

By Reginald Tucker




















lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom
























fall promos














































fall intros

By Ken Ryan





































By Reginald Tucker


























wood

By Reginald Tucker




















lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom

































fall intros

By Ken Ryan





































By Reginald Tucker


























wood

By Reginald Tucker




















lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom









































By Reginald Tucker


























wood

By Reginald Tucker




















lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom




























wood

By Reginald Tucker




















lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom























lisbiz strategies





LISBETHCALANDRINO


























The Tremendous 12 __________________________




























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom
























































laminate

By Reginald Tucker

















marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom














marketing mastery
























COMPETITORS

















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom
















































By Lindsay Baillie





A higher standard














financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom


















financial





ROMANBASI


























Bill Dearing



Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom






Help Me

w CAN The Floor co





Equipment


syX-Ra




TestingTesting


Medical Caresy

MEdical Supplies


Nursing Care

MEdical Supplies


Prescriptions



3



MEdical Supplies



financial crisis 2

MEdical Supplies







w someone in need


gorcifcifor gor




FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom







FOR A QUOTE CONTACT

Nadia Ramlakhan









for details visit





480-499-4266































bullOwner retiring

-18000 square feet
















AGENTS WANTED





bullMississippi








DUSTRAMCOM




816-761-1777 X 10



























WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom































WE BUYUSED

CARPET

CUTTING

MACHINES

4075093030




wwwwipcalendarcom





floorcoveringnewsc919297.r97.cf2.rackcdn.com/lsompmre0uupfqomk9wktu... · floorcoveringnews volume...

Documents