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E-News is an electronic newsletter distributed by Hardwood Floors every other week. Current and previous issues are archived and can be requested electronically. You also can subscribe to E-News, and submit a news item for publication.

Issue Date:9/30/2003

Hardwood Floors E-News: Monday, September 30, 2003

Hardwood Floors E-News
Monday, September 30, 2003
Issue 221
Next issue published October 13, 2003
Deadline for items: October 8, 2003
Send news to editors@hardwoodfloorsmag.com

NWFA Visits Seattle with Installation and Sand & Finish School
NWFA held its Installation and Sand & Finish School Sept. 16-19 in Seattle. Led by NWFA Technical Director Steve Seabaugh, the following volunteer instructors taught students the ins-and-outs of wood flooring installation, sanding and finishing: Glenn Werneke and Dennis Plaut, 3M; Tony Pantoja and Brent Sorbet, Basic Coatings; Mike Rocher and Tony Huston, BonaKemi USA; Don Smithson, Clarke American Sanders; Craig McIntosh, Dura Seal; Richard Bean, Glitsa American Inc.; Mike DeFriese, Norton Abrasives; Tom Peotter, Oshkosh Floor Designs Inc.; Randy Moore, Powernail Co. Inc.; Brett Wheeler, Precision Technology LLC; Yvette Monroe, R&R Hardwood Inc.; Alan Blake, Stauf-USA Adhesive LLC; Matt White, Tom Duffy Co.; Dave Stark, Virginia Abrasives Corp.; Vikki Johnson, Wagner Electronic Products; and Jim Goss, Woodwise/Design Hardwood Products. The sponsoring distributors for the event were Kelly-Goodwin and Cronin Co.

Columbia Acquires Millwood Specialty Flooring
Columbia Flooring (Danville, Va.) has completed the purchase of Millwood Specialty Flooring Inc. (Ellijay, Ga.), a manufacturer of 3/4-inch solid hardwood flooring. The purchase price was not disclosed. "This acquisition will enable us to expand the geography of where we acquire our raw materials and allow us to increase the volume of unfinished strip available for finishing at our other facilities," said Columbia President David Wootton. Columbia plans to increase the size of Millwood's current lumberyard and lumber-drying facilities. Mike Millard will continue to run the Millwood operation, and Preston Millet, president of Millwood Specialty Flooring, will leave the company to focus on his distribution company, Millwood Flooring (Knoxville, Tenn.), which will distribute Columbia's line of hardwood flooring products.

Hardwood Flooring Industry Sees Spike in Flooring Prices
The price of hardwood flooring is on the rise. Armstrong World Industries (Lancaster, Pa.) and Harris Tarkett (Johnson City, Tenn.) both announced within the last few weeks plans to increase prices; and now Columbia Flooring and Medallion Hardwood Flooring (Linden, Ala.) have announced they too will be instituting price hikes. Columbia will increase prices by up to 10 percent on its 3/4-inch prefinished solid oak hardwood flooring products in response to a long-running industry trend of rising hardwood lumber costs, the company says. The new pricing, effective Nov. 1, applies only to Columbia's prefinished oak collection. Meanwhile, Medallion has raised prices by 12 percent on most of its solid hardwood products. The company says its price hike is due primarily to dramatic increases in the cost of raw materials, as well as soaring insurance and transportation costs. Medallion also is raising prices on its engineered products by 3 percent.

Manufacturer News
Timbergrass LLC (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) has changed its name to Teragren LLC in order to address the company's plans to expand its product offerings over the next several years while maintaining the TimberGrass brand. Company executives plan to offer a wider range of price points and new products made out of bamboo and other sustainably harvested hardwoods. TimberGrass will continue to be marketed as Teragren's flagship flooring brand. .

Dri-Eaz (Burlington, Wash.) is expanding its company headquarters to support its commitment to delivering high-quality products and customer service, the company says. The 46,000-square-foot addition, which will expand the Dri-Eaz campus by 70 percent, will house additional manufacturing, storage and office spaces. With the added manufacturing space, the company will increase its in-house plastics manufacturing capabilities. The new construction will double Dri-Eaz's current warehouse space, allowing the company to respond quickly to more customers needing equipment in water damage and flood situations. The expansion is connected to the existing Dri-Eaz manufacturing and warehouse space and will be operational by November 2003. .

Mirage/Boa-Franc Inc. (Saint-Georges, Quebec) has launched its Maple Fall Promotion 2003. Called Sweet, the theme of this promotion has been developed around the maple species for its look, as well as for its sugared use. For nine weeks starting Sept. 29, Mirage will offer specials on selected maple flooring. The promotional kit includes posters, floor stickers, advertising material and more. In addition, all MDP dealers will have the opportunity to participate in a contest by clicking on www.boa-franc.com.

Distributor News
Tembec's Muskoka (Huntsville, Ontario) recently added two distributors. All Tile Inc. (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) will serve the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, northern Illinois, eastern Nebraska, northwest Indiana and Michigan. Interstate Supply Co. (St. Louis)will be responsible for Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and southern Illinois. Erickson's Flooring & Supply Inc. (Ferndale, Mich.) will continue to distribute Muskoka products, serving the states of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. .

Timbermate (Chicago) has added Tom Duffy Co. (Fairfield, Calif.) and Carolina Global Trading (Charlotte, N.C.) to its list of distributors. Timbermate's current distributors include The Cronin Co., Lon Musolf Distributing, Harvester Hardwood Flooring Supplies and Vermillion. For information on becoming a distributor, call 866/563-MATE, or visit www.timbermate.com. Morelock Wood Products (Davenport, Iowa) has added the E.J. Welch Company (Earth City, Mo.) as an exclusive distributor of its products in the states of Missouri, Indiana, Illinois and southern Iowa. To help launch the new product lines, Morelock participated in E.J. Welch's annual open house events held last week in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. .

DC International (Portland, Ore.) has announced its partnership with American Fastening (Little Canada, Minn.) to distribute Eagle Pneumatics, a high-performance hardwood flooring nailer and stapler. For more information about this program, dealers and distributors should call 800/662-0507 or e-mail m3josh@aol.com. .

Derr Flooring Co. (Willow Creek, Pa.) awarded its second annual Scholastic Excellence Scholarships to Beth McDonald, daughter of Sales and Marketing Director Frank McDonald, in the amount of $2,000 toward tuition fees at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and Stephanie Rucier, daughter of Product Manager Ray Rucier, who received $1,000 toward tuition at West Chester State College. McDonald and Rucier each received a plaque to commemorate their achievement, and their names have been added to the official plaque displayed at the Derr Operations office. On hand for the ceremony were company owners Gayle Derr Holden and Chester Derr Jr., whose generosity has made the program possible. .

Southeast Hardwood Flooring Distributors (Mandeville, La.) held its Annual Warehouse Show Sept. 26-27. In attendance were customers from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. The event's vendor showcase included representatives from BonaKemi USA, Lauzon, Maxwell, Century, Norton, DriTac, Stanley-Bostitch, Makita, Harco and Zinsser.

People News
Wood Flooring International (Delran, N.J.) has appointed Cindy Thomas its new executive assistant. Thomas is located in the corporate office in Delran, and can be reached at cindy@wflooring.com or 856/764-2501. .

WD Flooring (Laona, Wis.) has hired Paul Evans, formerly of Robbins Sports Flooring, as plant manager. The company has an expansion underway and, after doubling its sales in 2003, is expecting similar growth in 2004, says Peter Connor, president of WD Flooring, adding that Evans will help the company reach these goals. .

Mirage/Boa-Franc Inc. has added Bryan Whelan and Michael Mooney as sales representatives of the Mirage collections. Whelan has more than 14 years of experience in the flooring industry. He will operate in the northeastern portion of the United States. Mooney has been in the flooring industry for more than 20 years. He has been appointed to the mid-Atlantic region. .

Merle B. Smith Co. Inc. (Burr Ridge, Ill.) has added Michael Woods and Thomas Del Regno to its staff. Woods and Regno bring vast knowledge of wood flooring and customer to their new roles, the company says.

Industry News
Seven companies within the floor covering industry are the newest members of the International Standards and Training Alliance (INSTALL). Couristan, Desso Carpets USA Inc., Milliken, Para-Chem, Southland Flooring Supplies, Sponge Cushion Inc. and W.F. Taylor Co. join the 13 existing flooring industry leaders supporting INSTALL.

By The Numbers
Strip shipments totaled 51,590,000 board feet in August, down 4 percent from the 53,611,000 board feet shipped during the same month in 2002, according to figures from NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association. For the first eight months of 2003, strip shipments numbered 406,092,000 board feet, a decline of 1 percent from the same period last year. .

Higher interest rates on home mortgages likely caused builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes to dip slightly in September, according to the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Housing Market Index (HMI). Builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes dipped slightly in September, dropping to a reading of 68 from last month's 71. Despite this, building expectations for the next six months held firm at 78. The index gauging traffic of prospective buyers fell five points to 50. .

Homebuilders began work on new homes and apartments at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.82 million units in August, according to the Commerce Department. This marked a 3.8 percent decline from July's upwardly revised number, which was the highest in 17 years. A 4 percent decline brought single-family starts to a 1.48-million-unit rate. Regionally, starts fell in all but the Midwest, where a 1 percent gain was registered. Wet weather in the Northeast likely contributed to a 23.3 percent decline from an exceptionally fast construction pace in that region the previous month, while the South and West posted more moderate 2.7 percent and 1.8 percent declines, respectively. In addition, sales of new single-family homes rose 3.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.15 million units in August, the second fastest pace for any month on record, according to the Commerce Department. This was only slightly off the all-time record pace of 1.18 million units set in June. The inventory of new homes for sale rose about 2 percent to 347,000 units in August. Regionally, all but the South reported substantial home-sales gains. Sales rose most in the Northeast and Midwest, where 12.5 and 12.9 percent gains were recorded, respectively. The West posted a 2.4 percent gain, while the South showed a 1.1 percent decline.

Product News
National Hardwood Flooring (Van Nuys, Calif.) now carries a complete line of cork underlayment. The cork is available in 1/8-, 1/4- and 1/2-inch thicknesses. For samples, fax 818/988-4955 or e-mail info@nationalhardwood.com.

On the Web
Oshkosh Floor Designs (Winneconne, Wis.) has added a Frequently Asked Questions page to its Web site. The page includes questions and answers about pricing, ordering, products, custom work and the company. The FAQ page can be accessed from the home page at www.oshkoshfloors.com or directly at www.oshkoshfloors.com/faq.html. .

Sekulik International Trading Co. (Los Angeles), an importer of bamboo and distributor of other hardwood flooring, has launched a Web site at www.specialflooring.com.

Mark Your Calendar
Lon Musolf Distributing (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) will hold a workshop on Oct. 29, which is the final workshop in a series of five held in conjunction with the company's 50th anniversary. During the workshop, Lon Musolf raffle off a 2003 Polaris 500 Sportsman ATV and celebrate its 50 years in business. .

NWFA (Chesterfield, Mo.) will hold its Expert Installation (Oct. 2-4) and Expert Sand & Finish Schools (Oct. 6-8) in St. Louis. Also in October, NWFA will hold its comprehensive four-day Introduction to Wood Flooring Installation School in Toronto, Canada (Oct. 21-24) and the Installation, Sand & Finish School in Anaheim, Calif. (Oct. 21-24). For more information, contact NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local & international), or register online at www.nwfa.org.

Job Watch
National Hardwood Flooring (Van Nuys, Calif.) is looking for a sales agency that currently operates throughout the U.S. market. Interested parties should fax a résumé to 818/988-4955 or e-mail info@nationalhardwood.com.

NWFA Member Services
NWFA members can access Al Bates' Profit Improvement Report "Where Will You Be in Five Years?" on the NWFA Web site. Aimed at distributors, Bates provides a review of the two-tiered industry by looking at two specific issues, a Five-Year Projection and The Improvement Challenge. To find the report, visit www.nwfa.org, click on "Membership Services" then "Statistical Reports." Members also can get a free copy of the report by calling NWFA at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local & international).