LAS VEGAS—Laminate manufacturers, distributors, retailers and suppliers gathered at the Mandalay Bay during Surfaces here to not only get an update on the state of the category but to find out the winners of the 5th annual LAMMY Awards.
Presented by the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA), the awards are “a great way to formally recognize companies and individuals for their efforts within the industry and encourage others to do the same,” explained Bill Dearing, president.
This year’s winners were:
- Retailer of the Year: R.C. Willey
- Distributor of the Year: Longust Distributing
- Member Company of the Year: Shaw Industries
- Associate Member Company of the Year: MP Global Products
- Member of the Year: Roger Farabee of Mohawk
- Associate Member of the Year: Matt Heil of Pregis
The NALFA board nominates individuals and organizations for each category. The nominees are listed on ballots and sent for voting to NALFA members as well as editors of the industry’s trade press.
Farabee, who is a member of NALFA’s marketing committee, said the organization “has worked hard to create added-value programs” such as the NALFA seal, which recognizes a product meets mini- mum construction and quality standards.
During the awards ceremony, Dearing announced the sustainability standard NALFA has been working on is complete and working its way through the proper channels before becoming effective. In addition, he announced the dates and locations for the association’s inspector certification classes as well as those for its installer certification class, noting each has been approved by the World Floor Covering Association for use with scholarship funds available to its members.
For more on NALFA, call 202.785.9500.