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Issue Date:7/22/2002

Hardwood Floors E-News
Monday, July 22, 2002
Issue 190
Next issue published August 5
Deadline for items August 1
Send news to editors@hardwoodfloorsmag.com

People News
Don Conner has been appointed technical and product development director for Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.). He will be based at company headquarters. Prior to joining Mullican, Conner served as national training director and vice president of technical services for Harris-Tarkett

Penn Wood Products Inc. (East Berlin, Pa.) has appointed Kraig Coxon, Nancy Markle and Don Wendell as West Coast sales manager, inside sales manager and eastern sales manager, respectively. Coxon will represent Pennwood products in major western U.S. markets and will work to expand the company's distributor base in the region. Markle is responsible for coordination of sales efforts, customer service and marketing. Wendell represents the company in eastern markets of the United States and will expand the company's distributor base.

Merle B. Smith Co. Inc. (Burr Ridge, Ill.) has appointed Barry Bossier and Scott Hayn to its team. Bossier brings more than 20 years of hardwood flooring experience to the position. Hayn has dealt with dealers, contractors and builders for more than 15 years and has experience in customer service and sales.

Floors Inc. (Birmingham, Ala.) has appointed B.J. (Joe) Beck as its architect and designer consultant for high-profile hardwood flooring applications.

Premier Tape Products and Accessory (Dalton, Ga.) has appointed George Myers engineering department manager and APAC's plant project engineer. Myers was formerly with W.F. Taylor and XL Corp.

Leggett & Platt (Carthage, Mo.) has appointed Glenda Lusk regional vice president of sales, flooring displays. Lusk has served the flooring industry in various merchandising roles over the past 20 years.

Manufacturer News
Mullican Flooring has opened a new manufacturing facility in Holland, N.Y. The new plant joins the growing company's facilities in Norton, Va., and Ronceverte, W. Va., and its headquarters in Johnson City, Tenn. The new facility has the capacity to produce 15 million square feet of hardwood flooring annually and is slated to open this month. The facility will produce 2 1/4-, 3-, 4- and 5-inch premium red oak.

SwedeCo Wood Floors (Silverdale, Wash.) has announced its membership in the Certified Forest Products Council. "Our interest is in being effective stewards of our resources," says Gerald Perlot, the company's president and CEO."We are not interested in political correctness, but rather environmental sensitivity along with effective, responsible industrial global development."

Redifill (Coopers Plains, Australia) is seeking distributors across the United States to sell Redifill water-based wood filler. The product is used by floor sanders for filling nail holes and voids. For more information, contact Gavin Budd by mail at 335 Musgrave Road, Coopers Plains, Australia 4108, or by phone at (07) 3276-7861 or (04) 1470-3169.

Distributor News
Goodfellow Inc. (Delson, Quebec) has declared a dividend of $0.24 per share payable Aug. 15, 2002, to all shareholders of record on Aug. 1, 2002. Goodfellow's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: GDL). In other Goodfellow news, the company has announced record third quarter results. The company says its performance marked the best operating results achieved for an individual quarter. Net earnings for the quarter ended May 31, 2002, rose to $4.3 million, compared with $1.7 million a year ago, and included a reversal of a provision for softwood lumber duties of approximately $620,000 after tax. Sales for the third quarter increased 14 percent to $144.7 million from $126.6 million last year. Net profit jumped 95 percent from $2.8 million to a record $5.6 million.

Floors Inc. (Birmingham, Ala.) announces its Incentive Rewards Program. Points may be used for everything from leisure, exotic or adventure travel to a wide variety of merchandise, from jewelry to electronics.

On the Web
Floors Inc. (Birmingham, Ala.) has launched its Web site at www.floorsincorporated.com.

National Hardwood Flooring & Moulding (Van Nuys, Calif.) has updated its site:www.nationalhardwood.com.

USF Surface Preparation Group (Lakewood, Colo.) debuts its site: www.surfacepreparation.com.

By the Numbers
Following a strong performance in May, the pace of nationwide housing starts slipped by 3.6 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.67 million units, according to the Commerce Department. Single-family housing starts fell 2.9 percent in June to a 1.35 million-unit rate, equivalent to the average monthly rate for the first half of the year. Regionally, overall starts were down across all areas except the Northeast.

At 61 in July, the National Association of Home Builders' Housing Market Index (HMI) was up a single point from June. The index gauging sales expectations for the next six months rose one point to 69. Registering the most movement this month, the index gauging traffic of prospective buyers rose four points to 48.

Job Watch
Mistral Hardwood Floors Inc. (Ville De La Baie, Quebec), www.mistralhardwoodfloor.com, now is interviewing for three U.S. sales agents/representatives (West Coast, Midwest and East Coast). Candidates with three or more years of hardwood flooring sales experience should fax their resumes in strict confidence to 717/273-9518.

Millers Flooring (Arnold, Calif.) is seeking personable craftsmen. Based in Northern California, Millers Flooring is a full-service flooring company specializing in custom wood flooring. Pay is based on skill level ($8 to $50/hour). Interested applicants can fax resumes to Lori or Aaron Miller at 209/795-1307. Alternatively, applicants can apply in person at 3022 Highway 4, Arnold, CA 95223.

Mark Your Calendar
The National Floor Show will be held Sept. 5-8, 2002, at the Harrogate International Center, Harrogate, U.K. The show will showcase wood, laminate, rugs, underlays, tools and accessories. Last year, 4,408 buyers visited the show. For more information, call Paul Sweeney at 020-7579-4326 or e-mail him at psweeney@cmpinformation.com. Alternatively, visit the show's Web site at www.nationalfloorshow.co.uk.

Exhibitor registration applications for the Floor Coverings 2002 exhibition in Beijing, China, to be held Sept. 25-28, 2002, now are available on line at www.davespreen.com/china/fc2002. The exhibitor registration deadline for the show is Aug. 15, 2002.

Member Services
NWFA dealers and contractors give your consumer and business customers more buying power. Ask NWFA for a Preferred Floor Covering Credit Card Program Enrollment Kit. This program is offered by GE Card Services. You can also contact GE for full details at 800/244-7354.

Photo Search
The editors still are looking for some of the photos to illustrate floor problems in the update of NWFA's Problems, Causes, Cures Technical Manual, specifically: buckling, chatter/wave marks, normal gaps (uniform and throughout), insects, sticker stain, alligatoring, bleed back, cloudy finish, iridescent finish, pin holes, sticky board syndrome and uneven gloss levels. Any help in finding photos is appreciated. Photos should be sent to: Kim Wahlgren, Hardwood Floors, 4130 Lien Road, Madison, WI 53704; or high-res images may be e-mailed to kim@hardwoodfloorsmag.com.