by FCNews staff
INSTALLATION CONTEST: Recognizing a superior installation not only magnifies the real beauty of tile and stone, but takes superior team work—from the designer to the contractor to the installer—to make it happen. To honor these people and their creations, National Trade Productions (NTP), which manages and produces Coverings, announced the Coverings Installation and Design (CID) Awards. Jennifer Hoff, president of NTP’s events, said CID is a distillation of the past Spectrum and Prism Awards together with the TileLetter/NTCA Installation Awards. “The CID Awards will spotlight contractor/designer teams who, respectively, have the demonstrated talent and skills to bring to life an exceptional aesthetic vision.”
RULES: The CID competition is open to architects, designers, builders, contractors, distributors, retailers and installers. All projects must have been completed between January 2009 and December 2011, and be located in the U.S. Winners will be selected in each of the two basic categories— residential and commercial. One installer and designer will each win a $1,000 grand prize, plus there will be a host of $500 prizes awarded in the two categories. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1. There is no entry fee, however, winners must attend the at-show awards reception on April 19, to qualify for any prizes. Coverings 2012, takes place April 17 to 20, in Orlando, Fla. Entry forms are available at coverings.com/coverings2012 or facebook.com/CoveringsShow.
DESIGN CONTEST: Speaking of competition’s Durkan, the hospitality brand of The Mohawk Group, has once again teamed up with The Network of the Hospitality Industry (NEWH), for the 3rd annual D*scover contest, which recognizes the talent of professional and student designers on the rise. Participants will compete for an opportunity to have their innovative hospitality carpet designs on display at the next HD Expo and Conference, May 15 to 17 in Las Vegas. A professional and student grand prize will be announced, and includes the winning designs promoted and added to the Durkan product catalog, and a trip to the HD Expo. The student winner will also receive a $2,000 Durkan funded scholarship to NEWH, and the professional winner will be awarded a $2,000 cash prize. Visit durkan.com/dscover for complete rules and entry forms.
RECYCLE DAY: Every April since 1970 people around the world celebrate Earth Day. Last month a day much less ballyhooed, but equally as important, came and went—America Recycles Day. Sponsored by Keep America Beautiful and a host of companies and organizations, the 14-year-old event is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling in the U.S. It is a day the industry should get behind as flooring companies play a large role in diverting all types of materials from the country’s landfills.
THE FACTS: Beyond taking back carpet, cushion resilient, ceramic, and so on, the industry is single-handedly the largest collector and recycler of plastic drinking bottles in the U.S., responsible for diverting more than 5 billion post-consumer bottles—that’s more than one quarter of the total disposed of in the country. Then there are the thousands upon thousands of pounds (tons) of other materials—drywall, windshield glass, plastic wrapping, sanitary fixtures, rubber tires, and more—manufacturers collect and incorporate into new flooring products each year. Throw in the materials companies salvage from dilapidated buildings, barns and other structures, as well as old wine casks, not to mention the use of traditionally discarded items such as used cooking oil to heat and/or power manufacturing facilities and offices, and it quickly becomes clear the flooring industry and recycling are synonymous. If you need specifics or want more examples, check out FCNews 4th annual “Green Guide,” located in the archive section of our website, fcnews.net.