St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital recently honored Florida Tile via the company’s Columbus Ohio branch for its time and material in support of the nationwide Dream Home fundraiser project, the most recent of which raised more than $700,000 to fight cancer in children.

Hazleton, Pa. – Forbo Flooring Systems is pleased to announce the launch of its new interactive online Floor Planner. Available on Forbo’s website, the new design tool allows users to get creative by selecting a room scene and changing the flooring material and wall color. The tool features Forbo’s full collections of Marmoleum sheet and tile, Flotex sheet and tile, and Eternal project vinyl, along with a broad selection of commercial and residential room scenes.

Milliken’s floor covering division has relaunched its website, www.MillikenCarpet.com, to reflect a robust, international resource for the architectural and design community – and its many customers around the world.

Laticrete Supercap, manufacturer of the revolutionary self-leveling Supercap System, announced today D3 Surface Systems is now a Laticrete Supercap Applicator. The firm took delivery of its new mobile blending unit (pump truck) at the 2012 World of Concrete in Las Vegas on January 22^nd.

Dalton — Beaulieu of America received Supplier of the Year honors from  Flooring America at its annual convention held in Houston, Texas on Jan. 20. Flooring America has 550 members throughout the United States and Canada. 

Pasadena, Calif. — Floor Covering Soft will launch FloorEstimate Pro 2012 Edition (FEP2012), the next generation flooring layout and estimating program for commercial and retail flooring contractors and dealers, on Jan 24, 2012.

Dalton – Lexmark Carpet Mills, a leading manufacturer of hospitality carpets, has created a new line of residential products that will be introduced at Surfaces 2012. The new collection will include 18 styles crafted of Lexmark’s Primus solution-dyed PET yarn.

Mitchell Dancik

Anaheim, Calif. — The board of directors of the Floor Covering Business to Business Association (fcB2B) announced the appointment of industry veteran Mitchell Dancik

as co-president to serve along with existing co-president Aaron Pirner, CEO of CAP Carpet, Wichita, KS. Co-presidents of fcB2B serve without compensation.

In making the announcement, fcB2B chairman of the board, Chris Davis, stated the organization is fortunate to gain the services of Dancik to complement and work in concert with Pirner.  “Mitch brings a wealth of experience and technical knowledge to the table that will mesh well with Aaron’s organizational skills. Together they form a very dynamic team to move the fcB2B agenda forward,” Davis said.

West Bloomfield, Mich., — FCICA, the flooring contractors association, recently announced online registration is now open for their 30^th Annual Convention being held in Savannah, Ga., March 11-14, 2012, at the Mulberry Inn. Register at the FCICA website at www.fcica.com under the ‘Highlights’ section on the main page or under the events tab.

by Dawn Smith | Rocky View Weekly | rockyviewweekly.com/

John Fitzsimmons

Entrepreneur John Fitzsimmons has announced his intention to seek the Progressive Conservative (PC) nomination for Banff-Canmore, left vacant by outgoing MLA Janis Tarchuk, who served 14 years in the riding.

Fitzsimmons, founder and owner of Fitz Flooring and member of the National Flooring Alliance (NFA), will spend the next month campaigning in the region in anticipation of the Jan. 28 vote. He will be going up against Cochrane Mayor Truper McBride, who recently announced his intention to seek the nomination.

Crossville Tile was recognized by Stephen Witte of Stephen Witte Associates, for its sustainability programs and initiatives. A communicator, content strategist and project manager, Witte writes a popular design blog and recently recognized Crossville in his “Hat Tips 2011”

Dalton — Beaulieu of America will help its Bliss dealers get a jump on sales for 2012 by a renewed commitment to service – and backing it up with its own dollars on the line.

Starting January 1 and going through March 31, 2012, Beaulieu will guarantee its highly popular Bliss HealthyTouch collection will be processed and shipped within 5 days of credit approval or Beaulieu will pay the dealer $25.00 on individual orders of 200 yards or less.

Neumarkt, Germany — Uniboard USA, a subsidiary of listed Pfleiderer AG, has announced the signing of an agreement to sell its MDF and Particleboard facilities located in Moncure, North Carolina to a subsidiary of the Chilean manufacturer, Paneles Arauco, for a consideration (including working capital) of  $62 million (EUR 47,5 million). The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2012 with subject to certain terms and conditions.

Shanghai — The Shanghai-based flooring producer Chinafloors Timber Co. has announced the launch of its brand-new program of luxury vinyl planks. The collection will be marketed under the Lamett brand and features 21 decors that will be available both in a dry back as well as in a click version for floating installation.

Vancouver, Wash. –The Clean Trust, formerly the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), is moving forward with plans for an independent international trade association initially approved at The Clean Trust executive committee and board of directors meetings in 2010. The Clean Trust is currently finalizing the structure of the organization and expects to launch the new association in 2012. The association will provide education, programs, services and products to individuals, companies and supporting organizations involved in the inspection, cleaning and restoration industry.

The Campaign for Wool (CfW) will attend Surfaces 2012 to promote its Green Sheep logo to the retail world and introduce retailers to the assets of this global promotional campaign.

Now supported by a team of prestigious American wool carpet manufacturers, this ground-breaking Campaign intends to build on its success by bringing a simple and holistic message to wool carpets and rugs in the USA.

by Matthew Spieler

Fountain Inn, S.C.—Anderson Hardwood Floors is going back to its roots, so to say. The wood flooring mill announced a comprehensive rebranding initiative that not only focuses on the company’s flagship namesake and its American heritage, it is designed to give distributors and retailers easier, more profitable opportunities.

In a nutshell, the total brand restructure consists of condensing the mill’s product line from four brands to two flagship brands—Anderson and Virginia Vintage—lower pricing, a “Made in America” marketing theme and the launch of the Anderson Preferred Partner retail program.

by Steven Feldman

When 2011 gives way to 2012, Mohawk Industries will have two new leaders in place. Brian Carson becomes president of the Mohawk Flooring Business Unit, while John Turner Jr. will carry out the same role for the Dal-Tile Business Unit. Both were promoted to COO of their respective divisions in early 2011.

Carson, who joined Mohawk in 2006 as president of Hard Surfaces after a 16-year career at Armstrong, succeeds Frank Peters, who has held the title of Mohawk Flooring president since 2008. Turner, meanwhile, takes over for Harold Turk, who has been with Dal-Tile since 1976, serving as its president for the past five years. Both Peters and Turk will continue with Mohawk by leading strategic development activities in their respective segments.

by Warren Tyler

The economy is the major factor in all of our lives and we thrash this around daily. We’re stuck with it for quite a while so to survive we must adapt. Last year, many specialty stores actually showed increases. But this year, the count of those operations seems to be way down.

I fight the same battle in my own business. Right now, when dealers need me most, the question many owners have is, “Do we bring Warren out for a day or do we pay the utility bill?” What I hear from flooring retailers is the lack of education available to deal with the economy, even through the groups. Retailers either get nothing or it’s the same ’ole same ’ole. The groups have to step up.

by Steven Feldman

Dear Diary,

Another year in the books. The anticipated recovery never really materialized, but there’s always next year. How will you remember this year, dear diary? If you’ll indulge me, here are my lasting thoughts.

Twenty-five years. That’s 175 in magazine years. So FCNews’ 25^th anniversary was a big deal. What better way to commemorate the milestone with a retrospective, 132-page issue in May? That edition played to rave reviews. Made all the work worthwhile. What will the next 25 years look like, dear diary? Only time will tell, but the chapters are already being written.

by Kelly Kramer

Well last year at this time I was writing about how hopefully the worst was behind us. That the economic down turn should have run its course and how those of us who had managed to stay above board were poised for an overdue upswing.

Guess what? I was wrong. My store did almost exactly from what we did in 2010 (technically we were up, but by just a bit).

Personally I’m not complaining because we are still in business and, unfortunately, have adjusted and are getting more used to this situation. We now know the good times come and go, but we’ve managed to make the best with what we have. Like you, I’m hunkering down and trying new ideas to go after new markets.

by Lewis Migliore

There is no question the last several years have been challenging for business and especially the retail residential flooring market. But 2011 seems to have stemmed the fall and, according to my unscientific survey of asking everyone, business has either steadied or begun to pick up.

In some geographic markets business hasn’t changed much, in others things are turning around and in some, business is making a dramatic up swing. Think of this as a train: all the cars move together but they arrive at a different time, the engine first and the caboose last, but they all get there.

Dalton — Shaw Industries Group has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for Plant 95, an administrative facility on its corporate campus in Dalton.

Edison, N.J. — Wesley Mancini, in partnership with Due Process Stable Trading Company, officially unveiled a selection of their new rug design offerings to members of the home furnishings industry at the bi-annual International Textile Market Association Showtime Market in High Point, N.C. on Tuesday, December 6.

Alexandria, VA— Coverings is once again seeking superior stone and tile projects that place a premium on innovative, sustainable design. Worthy installations will be recognized by PROJECT: Green, a program presented by the international tile and stone super show together with Environmental Design + Construction magazine. Projects chosen for their exceptional eco-minded achievements will be honored in a centerpiece display at the April 17-20 expo and conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Tarkett and NRF Distributors have announced an extension of its partnership that it will include representation of all commercial products under the Johnsonite brand and all residential products under the Tarkett brand. NRF will represent the expanded Tarkett portfolio across a region that includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania.

Dalton—Beaulieu of America is introducing a new collection that is sure to appeal to today’s pet-owning family: Bliss EverClean carpet. Beaulieu cites the American Pet Products Association 2011-2012 National Pet Owner’s Survey stating that 72 million U.S. households own a pet – meaning a tremendous need for carpet that can handle odor and stain challenges associated with those households. Bliss EverClean carpet made with Beaulieu’s solution-dyed polyester can do just that, according to Beaulieu officials. The new collection will be formally unveiled in January at Surfaces 2012.

Chagrin Falls, Ohio — To offer designers, installers and building owners greater flexibility, speed, sustainability and return on investment, Johnsonite, the commercial arm of the Tarkett company and provider of the world’s most integrated high-performance flooring system, introduced its new SlideLock Glueless Flooring System. This unique system installs easily and does not require adhesive, so tiles can be removed and used over and over again. SlideLock can be a temporary or permanent solution for many commercial applications and can be repurposed for other locations, returned to Johnsonite for reprocessing or even donated to a charitable organization at the end of use.