Vol. 61 No. 19 A Hearst Business Publication October 1-15, 2012 $4
FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY
Newly elected NFA president Phil Koufi dakis with past
presidents Jim Mudd, Jeff Macco and Sam Roberts
NFA charts growth
Leading dealers report revenue increase
By Amy Joyce Rush
[Grand Cayman] Th e National Floorcovering
Alliance (NFA), 41 of the U.S. and
Canada’s leading dealers, reported, in many
cases, double digit growth for this year and
shared their strategies and challenges at the
biannual conference here at the Ritz-Carlton
from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. Th e event also played
host to the group’s 26 Tier 1 Vendors.
To be clear, the NFA is not a buying
group but rather an alliance based on the
sharing of best practices and strategies. AJ
Rose Carpets, based in Massachusetts, is the
Periodical
Invista brings PET to Stainmaster
By Janet Herlihy
[Kennesaw, Ga.] Invista is rolling out
Essentials, a new Stainmaster brand extension,
that off ers quality, lower-cost carpet
products certifi ed to provide the stain and
soil resistance consumers want and expect
from Stainmaster carpet.
Invista is also creating a lot of new
brand architecture and changing how
Invista presents the total Stainmaster
group’s newest member.
“Th e cornerstone of the NFA is the sharing.
We have seen substantial growth and
this is seeing how successful people run their
business,” said Jeff Macco of Macco’s Flooring
in Green Bay, Wisc.
Ian Newton of California-based Flooring
101 added, “Th e challenges they have had are
challenges we all have. Th e sharing of experience
is so fundamental. Everyone is so open.”
Jim Mudd, president of Sam Kinnaird’s
in Louisville, Ky. and current president of
the NFA, noted that part of what makes the
Continued on page 19
line of carpet, which will start to be seen
at aligned Stainmaster dealers in the next
month or so, according to Steve Griffi th,
chief marketing offi cer, Invista Surfaces.
Th e Stainmaster Essentials carpet line
consists of entry-level nylon and polyester
styles, positioned to hit price points in
demand with the budget-minded consumer.
Stainmaster Essentials products
utilize proprietary anti-soil chemistry and
Continued on page 21
For breaking news updated each business day, visit us online at www.fcw1.com
By Raymond Pina
[Mercerville, N.J.] Seven months aft er
stepping in as Congoleum’s president and
CEO, Bob Moran told FCW he has increased
sales by “high single digits,” streamlined
operations, hired a renowned leading
designer and is set to launch long awaited
new products and displays.
“We’re now focused on exciting new
products that will set us apart,” said Moran.
“Congoleum has long been known for unique
and innovative product development. We
used to be mentioned before Armstrong and
Mannington, and the fact is, we will be back
in the forefront.”
Congoleum introduced chemical embossing
technology to sheet vinyl in the 1960s,
inlaid pearlescent dimensional chips and
no wax fi nishes in the 1980s and created the
luxury vinyl tile (LVT) market with its 2003
launch of DuraCeramic. But aft er emerging
from seven years of bankruptcy in July of 2010,
[Chagrin Falls, Ohio]
Tarkett’s Sept. 26 acquisition
of Tandus Flooring adds a
soft surface component to
Tarkett’s already extensive
hard surface off ering, making
it one of the industry’s most
complete full-service fl oor
providers, according to Jeff
Buttitta, president, Tarkett
North America, based here. Jeff Buttitta
“Our story just got a whole
lot better,” said Buttitta. “We’ve improved our
position by being in more categories, but the
biggest benefi t is the ability to provide a broad
portfolio that coordinates with one another.
We’re very focused on making sure this acquisition
raises the performance of our customers.
We can now off er soft and hard surfaces
that will allow coordinated colors to fl ow from
room to room and across both categories.”
Th ough terms of the acquisition have
17
Wool Week in NYC
Campaign for Wool in Bryant Park
Moran puts Congo
back on the map
Tarkett builds full-service empire
Congoleum began to
lose dramatic market
share as competing
mills adopted fl oating
LVT and fi berglassbacked
sheet vinyl.
Congoleum’s board
of directors replaced
longtime president Bob Moran
and CEO Roger
Marcus with Moran on Feb. 24, 2012.
Moran, who developed a reputation for
growing market share organically as CEO of
Nautic Global Group (NGG), did not succumb
to market pressures to begin importing
click LVT from Asia or private labeling fi berglass
fl oors. Instead, he focused on streamlining
Congoleum’s four manufacturing facilities
spread out between Maryland, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey. Th e company is now in a
fi nancial position where it can invest, he said.
“We haven’t sold any properties or
Continued on page 18
not been disclosed by either private
organization, Tandus’ line of commercial
modular carpet, high-end
broadloom and hybrid resilient
fl ooring now complements Tarkett’s
hard surface package which includes
wood, laminate, luxury vinyl tile
(LVT), fi berglass and traditional
sheet vinyl, vinyl composition tile
(VCT), rubber, linoleum, sport
fl ooring and accessories.
Combined, Tarkett and Tandus
will account for $1 billion in sales this year,
according to Buttitta. Tandus joins such
prominent brands as Azrock, NAFCO,
FieldTurf, Johnsonite and Centiva operating
under the Tarkett North America division.
“Th is acquisition has been done with a lot
of thought and care over a number of years,”
said Buttitta. “We’ve done very well on the
hard surface side but were missing a main
Continued on page 18
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