October 13/20, 2014; Volume 28/Number 9
By FCNews staff
FLOORED NAMED: Got You Floored has been named by the Triad Business Journal to the Fast 50 for the Piedmont Triad Region in North Carolina. Got You Floored, which services the multi-family flooring industry and has locations in Greensboro and Wilmington, N.C., ranked No. 28 in the region. To qualify, each company is required to be locally owned, generate a minimum of $2 million in annual revenue and sustain a strong, back-to-back, two-year growth percentage. Got You Floored CEO Matt Ketterman attributes the company’s success to a booming apartment market in 2012 and a successful facility launch in Wilmington in 2013.
DOMOTEX FIRST: Domotex 2015, scheduled for Jan. 17-20, will feature 1,300 exhibitors from more than 60 countries. Next year, the trade fair will for the first time feature innovations in installation technology. These will be showcased in one of the three special display areas, which will include textile/resilient floor coverings, parquet and laminate flooring, as well as modern handmade carpets and rugs. In addition, renowned architects and designers Stefan Diez, Ross Lovegrove and Roberto Palomba will be discussing the latest developments and applications in the flooring sector at the Innovations@Domotex talks. According to Jochen Köckler, member of the managing board of Deutsche Messe, more than 90% of visitors are involved in their companies’ purchasing decisions. “The world’s leading floor covering suppliers will be represented, with more than 85% coming from outside Germany.” Also for the first time, the Carpet Design Awards will be presented as part of Innovations@Domotox.
NEOCON EDUCATION: NeoCon East has announced its educational program for design professionals seeking continuing education. Headlined by 2014 keynote presenters Irena Savakova and Shashi Caan, the two-day lineup features over 40 CEUs presented by top interior designers, architects, landscape designers, workplace specialists and exhibiting companies across 12 educational tracks. This year’s seminar program emphasizes the show’s theme, “New Solutions for New Spaces,” as it examines everything from collaborative workspaces to social living rooms. The offerings include “Collaborative Workspaces Need Balance, Too”; “Don’t Waste a Good Crisis: Hurricane Sandy as a Catalyst for Change”; “Re-imaging a Landmark Property for the 21st Century”, and “The Immersive Workspace: Creating a Trans-Disciplinary Learning/Working Environment.” More details can be found at neoconeast.com.
NICOLAUS FORECAST: Analyst Stifel Nicolaus stated that third quarter flooring sales will show stronger sales of hard surface flooring and weaker sales of carpet. The firm said Mohawk remains “a solid name to own with a strong management team that is adept at making intra-quarter changes post good profits.” In addition, Stifel has reduced its estimates on Interface. Regarding related economic issues, Stifel said, in general, the most disappointing data has been in new housing starts. At the beginning of the year, Stifel expected that segment to grow about 20% but now anticipates growth of about 8%, with single-family starts even lower. Stifel noted that general spending on the home remains at muted levels, except at higher income levels.
DOVER FINALIST: Dover Rug & Home of Cambridge, Mass., has been named a Family Business Association (FBA) Awards finalist in the category of Fourth Generation Businesses. The FBA is an independent non-profit organization serving family business enterprises and annually recognizes the accomplishments of several highly successful Massachusetts family businesses, offering opportunities for all of the owners to enhance their companies.