Blog

Ringgold, Ga.—Shaw Industries is further enhancing its domestic resilient flooring manufacturing capabilities with a $90 million investment in Plant RP here, which makes SPC and LVT resilient flooring. This latest phase of investment will more than double the...

Anne Funsten of Tom Duffy Company Los Angeles—Transom Capital-backed Artivo Surfaces has  acquired top 20 distributor Tom Duffy Co., its third major acquisition of a flooring distributor within the last 12 months. “For over 70 years, Tom Duffy has earned its place as...

NAFCD keynote speaker, Michael Brown, delivered a spirited motivational speech about the true nature of heroism and leadership.  New Orleans—The 2024 North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) and North American Building Material Distribution...

Warren Avery Altamonte Springs, Fla.—Kährs Americas announced the addition of Warren Avery to its team as the new business development manager for national accounts. In this role, Warren will drive customer development with national accounts, collaborate with regional...

Boston—Sika is set to showcase its comprehensive grout solutions at Total Solutions Plus 2024 in Boston Marriott Copley Place next week. Visitors to Booth 518 will be able to see firsthand how the SikaTile solutions are designed to eliminate unwanted jobsite...

Be the expert. It’s sage advice meant to help the retail community not only differentiate from the competition but to level up when it comes to service. And it’s true across all areas of business. Where it’s perhaps most impactful, at least in the flooring retail...

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) released a new “Tuesday Tips” this week. In the series, WFCA experts presents short video tips for improving customer service and optimizing staff performance. In the end, it’s all about understanding the importance...

Manchester, N.H.—Flooring America welcomed four new members to its advisory council: Linsey Kimbrough, Gary Johnson Flooring America in Tacoma, Wash.; Dan Ginnaty, Flooring America, Great Falls, Mont.; Dan Hussey, Totally Floored by Flooring America in Prescott...

Dalton—Southwind Floors recently announced it was sending a truck to assist the recovery effort for Hurricane Helene. Five days later, it delivered. According to Robert Gillean, vice president of operations for Southwind Floors, the 53-foot Southwind Floors trailer...

Dalton—Zeftron nylon, a leader in premium nylon 6 solution-dyed yarn systems for commercial carpets, has announced its newest resource: the Zeftron ColorMatch app. Developed for carpet mill customers and commercial interior designers, the platform provides a way to...

Dalton—J+J Flooring has expanded its Kinetex line with the launch of Synergy. Providing the performance attributes of hard surface with the softness and warmth of carpet, Kinetex is billed as a go anywhere, do anything flooring solution. “Luminescent is the best way...

AB 863 will have implications that haven’t been considered, CRI said. California AB 863, which makes changes to the state’s existing carpet recycling stewardship program while drawing the ire of the flooring industry, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom late last...

New York City—Consolidated Flooring, a commercial flooring contractor, hosted its third ConsoCon show recently at Glass House Union Square here. AHF Products picked up 1st place in the “Flooring as Art” competition for its vibrant and buoyant design, paying homage to...

Calhoun, Ga.—In a joint effort to promote environmental stewardship and community involvement, Mohawk is teaming up with One Tree Planted, Food Well Alliance and local retail partners to break ground on a new orchard at Tara Elementary School in Morrow, Ga. “Mohawk...

The Powerhold brand has operated rather stealthily since being founded in 1999 by some of the largest floor covering supply distributors as a way to thwart the predatory practices of the big boxes. Known as the F.C.D.A. (Floor Covering Distributor Alliance), these...

Sarah Schmelzel with Steve Kleinhans. Her bag is adorned with the Big D logo. Most professional golfers promote brands like Callaway, Titleist and TaylorMade on their golf bags. Not Sarah Schmelzel. This tour member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)...

The resilient category may very well be the hottest product segment right now, thanks to the popularity, affordability and accessibility of SPC and WPC offerings. However, that doesn’t mean specialty flooring retailers and distributors aren’t excited about the slew of...

Mountville, Pa.—AHF Products was named a “Vendor of the Year” by Do It Best, a U.S.-based, member-owned comprehensive and fully integrated hardware, lumber and building materials buying cooperative, in the flooring category. “We are excited and grateful to be...

Every two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. This week, we asked: What are your expectations for the fall? Here are their responses: We are working with CFI to host classes here in Somerset for...

Cartersville, Ga.—Shaw Contract announced its latest innovation in resilient sheet, TractionSAFETY. TractionSAFETY is a collection of slip-resistant flooring products created for spaces that require additional slip resistance. Falls are the number one cause of...

In late September, Winn Everhart was officially introduced as the new president and CEO of Tarkett North America, succeeding 15-year Tarkett veteran Eric Daliere, who held the position of president and CEO of Tarkett Sports and Tarkett’s North American flooring...

The American Trucking Associations released the results of its latest Driver Compensation Study showing that, despite a currently challenging freight market for motor carriers, driver wages continue to increase post-pandemic. The study provides detailed wage and...

Solon, Ohio—Tarkett is relaunching its Color Play collection. Available on Tarkett’s premium Contour LVT, Color Play offers a design-forward portfolio of dynamic colors across coordinating styles. “From creative energy to introspective tranquility, color impacts the...

Sean Nolan Bloomington, Minn.—All Surfaces, a leading distributor of floor coverings and flooring supplies, announced that Sean Nolan joined the company as its new chief operating officer, effective Aug. 5. Nolan has held operations leadership positions with companies...

Fort Lee, N.J.—Couristan announced the grand opening of a new 2,659-square-foot High Point Market showroom within the IHFC building, space #D335. The company will be celebrating the grand opening of the showroom on Sunday, October 27 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. with a ribbon...

Guelph, Ontario—NFA retailer Sarmazian Brothers Flooring announced the launch of its online store, Sarmazian Shop. The centerpiece of the shop is the Kneeless Carpet Stretcher, an innovative tool that has revolutionized carpet installation since its invention by the...

Manchester, N.H.—Carpet One Floor & Home announced the appointment of four new members to its advisory council. Matt McCarthy, Atlas Floors Carpet One Floor & Home in San Antonio, Texas (Midwest Region); Lauren Allwein-Andrews, Allwein Carpet One Floor &...

One of the benefits to becoming a veteran at anything in life is the ability to foresee the duplication of prior human events or their challenges. Over the last 18-plus months I have been preparing my family, staff and friends for a softening of the market, reduction...

Abraham Linc has leveraged technology to ensure it meets one of its core competencies: reliability. Flooring distributors sit in a unique position in the supply chain—serving as intermediaries between suppliers and retailers—tasked with ensuring that deliveries are...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating unparalleled new opportunities for logistics and supply chain management, recent reports show. However, many organizations remain uncertain about how best to implement it. “AI is a moving target,” said Chris Caplice, executive...

Verona, Italy—At Marmomac 2024, held here, the Natural Stone Strategic Alliance (NSSA) convened natural stone trade associations from around the world to advance sustainability initiatives. Key figures in this effort include Flavio Marabelli (Confindustria...

Dalton—Southwind has launched a new website, which features an enhanced user experience and expanded product offerings designed to better serve its customer base. “We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our newly redesigned website, southwindfloors.com,” said Drew...

Las Vegas—The International Surface Event (TISE) is offering a complimentary tabletop space in the “StartUp Station” Pavilion to companies new to the floor covering, stone and tile markets. To qualify, companies must have been in the industry for two years or less and...

Baxter, Tenn.—Portobello America, the U.S. business unit of Portobello Grupo, is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of its 986,000-square-foot, cutting-edge manufacturing facility here. In this short time, the company has achieved significant...

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) released a new “Tuesday Tips” this week. In the series, WFCA experts presents short video tips for improving customer service and optimizing staff performance. In the end, it’s all about understanding the importance...

Rob and Dori Blitzstein, co-owners of Roesel-Heck, attribute their success to doing the right thing by the customer and working with solid vendor partners. In an age of ongoing industry consolidation where the big firms get bigger, the role of the independent...

Sales trainers teach dozens of tactics to overcome price objections. Here is what most of the tactics have in common: They are only deployed once the price objection is raised. It involves a phrase that’s supposed to either: a) make the prospect OK with a higher...

Naples, Fla.—The opulent Ritz-Carlton Naples set the stage for an elevated convention experience for the 265 attendees at the American Home Surfaces Group (AHSG)/Commercial USA biannual meeting. The alliance of independent floor covering retailers (AHSG) and flooring...

Some industry giants who have spent the majority of their professional lives keenly focused on conceptualizing, developing and marketing groundbreaking products and innovations would be perfectly content to ride off into the sunset after a string of successes. Don...

AHF Products’ ‘Shining Star’ took first-place honors. From left: AHF’s Todd Steele, Tracey Roesch and Tyler Shoemaker. New York—The artistic talents of flooring suppliers were on full display at ConsoCon 2024 as vendors created works of art—in some cases out of...

When Eternity Flooring first burst onto the scene in the U.S. market nearly 20 years ago, its primary product offering consisted of flooring products made in China: laminate flooring, LVT and engineered hardwood, with WPC and rigid core/SPC added later on. While the...

Huntsville, Alabama—The Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF), in partnership with the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) Innovation Center, Drake State Community College and the Industry Task Force, announced the completion of its first pilot cohort for the...

This year is just blowing by. We’re quickly approaching the end of 2024, and the holiday season will soon be upon us. It all feels a bit overwhelming. I’m also facing another birthday this month, and it’s hard to believe how quickly time has passed. It feels like I’m...

You know, our business and yours are more alike than you may realize. We both have customers and we both have vendors (suppliers). Our success is tied to our reputation, providing value and delivering on our promises. Sound familiar? Your vendors are primarily floor...

National Harbor, Md.—Organizational health remains a continuing theme for FEI Group as it hosted its annual convention here last month. Three specific areas were focal points this year—generational transfer of leadership, data and talent—and this focus extended across...

Orlando–The success of the combined CFI-FCICA annual convention here can be measured in several ways. Start with the numbers: This year’s meeting drew 350 attendees, up from last year, including 82 first-time attendees. What’s more, exhibitor attendance was up 45%, a...

With few exceptions, flooring distributors will close out 2024 on a down note as a confluence of events—inflation, high interest rates, international turmoil and presidential election jitters—combined to suppress business for many top wholesalers. “It’s not overly...

New York, N.Y.—On October 5, the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) held its gala at the magnificent Gotham Hall, where guests were treated to an unforgettable evening of celebration and philanthropy, honoring the lifetime achievements of Sy Cohen, Dan Frierson...

Solon, Ohio—Tarkett Home, the residential segment of Tarkett, launched its first WPC collection, EverGen. This new collection combines realism with durability. EverGen is an 8mm-thick product with a 1.5mm IXPE attached pad for added comfort. Each plank features an...

Melissa Nau Cartersville, Ga.—Shaw Contract has appointed Melissa Nau to the position of vice president of hospitality – global accounts. In this position, Nau will lead the sales strategy and strategic sales team for the brand’s hospitality segment. “Melissa’s...

Texas—Transom Capital Group has announced the formation of Artivo Surfaces, the new parent company for Virginia Tile and Galleher. By consolidating these brands under one entity, the new structure intends to foster collaboration, improves operational efficiency and...

Glen Ellyn, Ill.—The Flooring Contractors Association (FCICA) has announced its new executive board and new director leadership for the 2024-2027 term. During the FCICA annual meeting last week, FCICA chairman Pat Kelly announced the new executive board to begin...

Dalton—PPG, a supplier of custom products, announced that it has signed a strategic agreement with Shaw Industries to offer the PPG Flooring line of resinous flooring products. The products will be available to Shaw’s customers in the commercial property market via...

Chicago—TAJ Flooring, a leading manufacturer of commercial-grade resilient flooring in the U.S., has completed the expansion at its headquarters here. The buildout provides additional warehousing space for a wide variety of commercial flooring products—including...

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) released a new “Tuesday Tips” this week. In the series, WFCA experts presents short video tips for improving customer service and optimizing staff performance. In the end, it’s all about understanding the importance...

Mountville. Pa.—AHF Products has appointed flooring industry veteran Catherine Del Vecchio as its vice president of marketing, where she will be reporting to Jennifer Zimmerman, chief commercial officer. In this position, Del Vecchio will be responsible for the...

Saint-Georges, Canada—Mirage, a hardwood flooring brand renowned for its design and quality, has announced the return of the Mirage Rebate Sale, set for this season. This hardwood flooring sale will be taking place across the United States at all participating Mirage...

Austin, Texas—Why aren’t all educational buildings healthy? That’s the driving question behind the Healthy Building Summit, an annual two-day workshop hosted by Tarkett, a global leader in innovative and sustainable flooring solutions. “We saw a gap in...

Calhoun, Ga.—Mohawk unveiled its latest PVC-free offering, SolidTech R, made with recycled single-use plastic and natural stone. SolidTech R is built for people, pets and the planet with sustainable high performance from bottle to floor. “Single-use plastic is now...

Dalton—Southwind Floors warehouse customer pickup area, at 2202 Industrial South Road, Dalton, Ga. 30721, will be the collection center for desperately needed donations as part of its Hurricane Helene aid initiative. Collections will be received Oct. 7 and 8, from 8...