Dalton, GA, Feb. 24, 2012 -– Shaw Floors said that the company’s entire hardwood product line has met criteria to become Cradle to Cradle Silver Certified.

The third-party certification recognizes eco-friendly processes and content.

Shaw’s engineered Epic hardwood floors are produced using 50 percent less newly harvested wood than conventional 3/8” engineered wood, and the product’s dense inner layer called EnviroCore™ is uniquely created using recycled wood fiber.

Shaw’s solid hardwood floors are crafted using sustainably harvested wood from certified forests.

Shaw’s Grand Canyon hardwood is the first 8″ solid plank made 100% from hand-picked mill by-products.

Floor Daily. Shaw Hardwoods Cradle to Cradle Certified. February 24, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Shaw_Hardwoods_Cradle_to_Cradle_Certified.aspx

Washington, DC, Feb. 23, 2012 — President Obama has issued a presidential memorandum directing the federal government to take steps to increase the purchase of biobased products over the next two years.

The purpose is to help create jobs and drive innovation where biobased products are grown and manufactured.

The memorandum will also result in a 50% increase in the number of new products that are designated as biobased.

Some carpet and other flooring products contain Biobased materials.

Floor Daily. Obama Memo Promotes Biobased Products. February 23, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Obama_Memo_Promotes_Biobased_Products.aspx

Dallas, TX, Feb. 15, 2012 — Organizers of the Surfaces trade show say they have secured more than 130 contracts for space for next year’s show, most of them secured during this year’s show.

“We couldn’t get contracts in the queue fast enough before the next exhibitor would walk in wanting to book their space,” said show manager Amie Gilmore.

“We opened up on Monday afternoon and it was a revolving door non-stop even after the show floor closed on Thursday.”

The 130+ contracts, accounting for more than 35% of the total square feet for 2013, include contracts from Alloc, Alpha Professional Tools, Bedrosians, Best Buy Flooring Source, Best Cheer Stone, Braxton-Bragg, Couristan, Earthwerks, Hallmark Hardwoods, MAPEI, MS International, Pravada Floors, Regent Stone, Schluter Systems, and United Weavers.

In addition, four brand new companies reserved space while simply walking the show floor as an attendee.

Mannington and Beaulieu have both committed to reserve space and will be noted on the floor plan that will appear on both the Surfaces and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas websites in the next few days.

Floor Daily. Surfaces Show Spurs Interest For Next Year. February 15, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Surfaces_Show_Spurs_Interest_for_Next_Year.aspx

Kansas City, MO, Feb. 17, 2012 — The CFI-WFCA Resilient Course has broken all records for industry participation, according to the Certified Flooring Installers organization.

It is the most manufacturer-inclusive workshop available, CFI said.

The CFI Delmarva event is scheduled for March 29-30 in Baltimore. Installers and sales associates will have the opportunity of working with Tony Pastrana, Rick Herr and Tim Provence of Armstrong; Joe Cea and Ed Justice, Congoleum; Kevin Hannigan, IVC; Terry Fitzpatrick, Bill Wiese and Ron Wheel, Mannington; and Don Styka and Dick Schmidt of Johnsonite. CFI instructors Tony Buckhardt, Bob Gillespie and Roland Thompson are also coordinating the event.

“Installers and sales associates and industry personnel have the opportunity to work with products that are rapidly becoming top selections of the customer. Working in individual modules, the resilient flooring installation will be covered from understanding the product, correct applications specified by the manufacturer in a hands-on environment and technical knowledge,” said Joe Cea, CFI Chairman of the Resilient Flooring Committee and technical representative of Congoleum.

CFI works closely with the World Floor Covering Association. The final date for the scholarship funds from the WFCA for this event is Feb. 25.

Floor Daily. Next CFI Resilient Training Set March 29-30. February 17, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Next_CFI_Resilient_Training_Set_March_2930.aspx

Cartersville, GA, Feb. 14, 2012 — Shaw Contract Group said it has opened a sales office in Shanghai, the first of three planned for Asia, to provide customers in rapidly growing Asian markets with greater access to its carpet tile.

Shaw’s LEED-registered Shanghai space, pending Gold certification, will be followed by sales offices opening in Beijing and Hong Kong later this year.

“Designers, multinational corporations and local clients in China are pursuing some of the most interesting architectural and interior design projects in the world, and they are looking to Shaw Contract Group to provide design solutions,” said John Stephens, vice president of marketing for Shaw Contract Group.

“Our new sales offices in Asia will provide immediate access to our completely recyclable, PVC-free award-winning carpet tiles.”

Shaw Contract Group will break ground in April on a carpet tile manufacturing facility in Nantong, outside of Shanghai.

The facility will produce carpet tile specifically for Asia.

“Manufacturing in China and establishing greater sales presence there will open doors for new business relationships and strengthen ties to existing Asian Pacific customers and multinational
corporations,” said Tim Baucom, vice president of sales and marketing for Shaw’s commercial division.

“We’re building on our ability to deliver our EcoWorx carpet tile products designed for use
in any commercial environment, in any global market.”

Floor Daily. Shaw Contract Ramps Up Presence in Asia. February 14, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Shaw_Contract_Ramps_Up_Presence_in_Asia.aspx

Dallas, TX, Feb. 9, 2012 — The Surfaces trade show saw a 10% increase in attendance from 2011, organizers said, which is the largest attendance number since 2008.

“2012 is going to be defined as a turning point for Surfaces and hopefully for the industry as a whole,” said show manager Amie Gilmore.

This year’s show featured 546 exhibiting companies in over 295,000 net square feet of exhibit space.

The show also attracted new manufacturers-—more than 130 had not exhibited at Surfaces before.

There were also more than 100 international exhibitors from Italy, Germany, Spain and Taiwan and other countries, as well as attendees from Australia, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

This international presence represented approximately 18% of the overall participation, organizers said.

The Education Program featured in-depth information and proven strategies to benefit floor covering professionals and many classes were filled to capacity.

The show also introduced the S² Masters Certification program, allowing education program participants to qualify for a “Master” status in any of the eight tracks offered in the program.

The official sponsor of Surfaces is the World Floor Covering Association.

Floor Daily. Surfaces Gets Attendance Bump This Year. February 9, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Surfaces_Gets_Attendance_Bump_This_Year.aspx

Dalton, GA, Feb. 2, 2012 — Shaw Industries’ ShawMark division is introducing a new display system designed to help consumers understand the uniqueness of the company’s Anything Goes! carpets and warranties.

The new display will also link to a video explaining the differences found in the Anything Goes! performance testing and no mat/no crush warranty.

“We‟ve seen that there is confusion at the retail level about the differences between our Anything Goes! no mat/no crush warranties and other, less substantial texture retention warranties,” says Duane Goetze, ShawMark‟s director of residential marketing.

“Although our no mat/no crush warranty is a much stronger warranty than any texture retention warranty, some consumers, as well as retailers, don‟t understand how they are different.”

Anything Goes! styles must performance requirements based on two cycles of the Hexapod Drum test, two times the industry standard for durability testing,” Goetze says.

The new display will hold up to 16 samples and will accommodate either the Anything Goes! Elite or Anything Goes! Green collection.

Floor Daily. Shaw Rolls Out New ‘Anything Goes’ Displays. February 2, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Shaw_Rolls_Out_New_Anything_Goes_Displays.aspx

Dalton, GA, Jan. 26, 2012 — Shaw Industries said it is sponsoring the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway fundraising campaign.

The program has raised more than $220 million in over 20 years for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

As the program’s exclusive flooring sponsor, Shaw will donate flooring to approximately 30 new homes across the country, all built and promoted utilizing donated time and resources by premier builders, installers, subcontractors and vendors throughout the U.S.

“Shaw believes that our brand essence and particularly our floors are a perfect fit for the St. Jude Dream Home program, where they will touch the lives of so many families,” said Randy Merritt, president of Shaw Floors. “There will be opportunity for local Shaw retailers throughout the U.S. to participate.”

The partnership includes a commitment by Shaw and the company’s brands, Tuftex Carpets of California and Anderson Hardwood, to provide a variety of flooring products, including its carpet, hardwood, laminate, tile and stone, resilient floors and area rugs.

The floors will be featured in homes across the U.S., which are valued between $300,000 to $700,000.

Shaw’s local retailers will partner with the St. Jude Dream Home team.

Floor Daily. Shaw Sponsoring St. Jude Dream Home Program. January 26, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Shaw_Sponsoring_St_Jude_Dream_Home_Program.aspx

St. Louis, MO, Jan. 23, 2012 — The National Wood Flooring Association 2012 Wood Flooring Expo is showing significant signs of growth over the NWFA’s recent shows, the association said.

The show currently has booked 70% of its trade show hall with three months still left to fill the show floor.

The show floor also will have 100 more booths than the 2011 show in San Diego. Attendance is ahead of last year’s pace as well by more than a third, NWFA said.

“Much of this increase in activity can be attributed to the total relaunch of the show for 2012,” NWFA said in a press release.

The NWFA has added education tracks emphasizing technical skills, management, and marketing, as well as fourth track dedicated exclusively to providing CEUs approved by the American Institute of Architects, and the American Society of Interior Designers.

“This track will bring an entirely new audience of attendees to the show that has never been targeted before, and will offer exhibitors new prospects while offering contractors potential new business contacts.”

Also new to the show are keynote speakers who have a direct relationship to the industry. Ken Schmidt, former Marketing Director of Harley-Davidson, will talk with the group about recovering from a down economy through marketing and branding.

HGTV celebrity carpenter/designer, Carter Oosterhouse, will be on hand to talk about design trends that could influence our industry, and will also present the 2012 Wood Floor of the Year awards.

For attendees, the NWFA will offer a coupon book for the first time featuring thousands of dollars in show special savings for attendees who book their rooms at the headquarters hotel.

This coupon book will provide exhibitors with increased show traffic, will provide contractors with savings that will offset their attendance fees, and will provide distributors with increased sales when coupons are redeemed after the show.

The trade show will feature demonstrations each hour, and will have a prize drawing following each demonstration. In addition, the final two hours of the trade show will feature a closing party with raffles and door prizes from exhibiting companies, and one lucky winner will drive away on a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

The show will be held April 10-13 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Floor Daily. Revitalized NWFA Show Seeing Greater Interest. January 23, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Revitalized_NWFA_Show_Seeing_Greater_Interest.aspx

Dalton, GA, Jan. 16, 2012 — Shaw said it will again be the exclusive flooring provider and sponsor for the HGTV Green Home Giveaway set for spring.

As the flooring partner, Shaw will from the HGTV HOME Flooring by Shaw collection to be featured in the show home in the sustainable living community of Serenbe, Georgia.

Designed by Kemp Hall Studio and built by FrontPorch Builders, the 2012 HGTV Green Home is a modern family farmhouse with a design inspired by Southeastern culture and regional architecture.

Floors from the HGTV HOME Flooring by Shaw collection consists of carpet, area rug, laminate and hardwood styles.

Floor Daily. Shaw Again Sponsoring HGTV Green Home. January 16, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Shaw_Again_Sponsoring_HGTV_Green_Home.aspx