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Armstrong World Industries Inc. (Lancaster, Pa.) has established its own distributorship, Armstrong NW LLC (Seattle). The new company provides sales and distribution services for Armstrong’s residential flooring projects to specialty retail stores and flooring contractors in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Alaska for Armstrong products including Armstrong Hardwood and Robbins Hardwood. Armstrong commercial products will continue to be serviced by Pacific Mat (Kent), and Bruce Hardwood will be available through Cascade Pacific (Portland, Ore.) and Hardwood Flooring Distributor—Goodfellow Inc. (Seattle). According to Vice President-Sales of Armstrong Paul Murfin, it was simply the "right time/right place" for directly distributing Armstrong products to its clients in the region. "We are extremely grateful that our customers have continued to work with us on any problems our recent distribution challenges may have caused them and their business," Murfin says. Sea-Pac Sales’ relationship with Armstrong ended in October 2006.

Monte Asken, formerly president at C.A. Newell Company, has been named general sales manager of the new company. A warehouse has been established in Seattle, while a credit and customer service team will operate in Armstrong’s headquarters in Lancaster on Pacific time. Norton Abrasives (Sanborn, N.Y.) awarded a Harley-Davidson 2007 Sportster to Larry Placer of Pro-One Floor Sanding (Cortland, Ohio) for its Norton SG Red Heat abrasives contest at the NWFA show in Denver. Norton also gave away Backstreet sunglasses to the first 25 participants and six Burk’s Bay leather jackets during the yearlong giveaway.

The Lubrizol Corporation’s (Cleveland) subsidiaries Noveon Inc. (Cleveland) and Noveon Canada Inc. (Waterloo, Ontario), performance coatings manufacturers, have changed their names to Lubrizol Advanced Materials Inc. and Lubrizol Advanced Materials Canada Inc., respectively. Both companies also unveiled a new logo.

Finitec Canada (St-Lambert-de-Lauzon, Quebec) has received Custom-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism accreditation. This gives the company faster and safer access to U.S. customs. The program, created after 9/11, is given to companies and carriers demonstrating a high level of security.

Richard-Marshall Fine Flooring (Los Angeles) has joined the U.S. Green Building Council to promote the company’s environmentally friendly flooring.

Great Lakes Custom Tool Mfg. Inc. (Peshtigo, Wis.) was awarded a Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Award. The award recognizes accomplishments and contributions to the Wisconsin business community and industry, positive links between family and business, and innovative practices used in business.

Bozovich Timber Products (Evergreen, Ala.) has opened a tropical flooring production line. Bozovich is producing solid, unfinished plank flooring in santos mahogany, cumaru, white mahogany and pumaquiro. For more information, call 251/578-4604.

American Made Flooring (Spartansburg, Pa.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Lake Lumber (Spartansburg), is now in operation, producing its signature line of Sculpted Floors. Aascent Stair & Rail (Westminster, Md.), a large joinery mill, is seeking hardwood flooring dealers in the mid-Atlantic region to sell the company’s Ultimate Stair 2 phase system. For more information, e-mail steve.mott@stepsabove.com.

Synteko Floor Finishes (Pontiac, Mich.) has added Gray’s Hardwood Flooring (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Wood Plus Hardwood Flooring (Galax, Va.); and Alaska Wholesale Hardwoods (Tumwater, Wash.) as distributors.

Horizon Forest Products (Raleigh, N.C.) is celebrating its 15^th year in the hardwood flooring industry. Brian Radditz, a hardwood flooring veteran and president of distributor Wanke Cascade (Portland, Ore.), has retired. Radditz joined Wanke in 1973 upon graduating from college. He has held almost every job in the company ranging from customer service to president, a position he assumed in 1977.

James T. Lucke has been named vice president and general counsel for Mohawk Industries (Calhoun, Ga.). He succeeds the retiring Sal Perillo.

W.F. Taylor Co. Inc. (Dalton, Ga.) has added Charlie Nielsen as technical service manager. Nielsen works out of the company’s Dalton manufacturing location. The NWFA will hold an Intermediate Installation, Sand and Finish School September 12-14 at its training facility in St. Louis. For more information, e-mail installationschools@nwfa.org or visit www.nwfa.org.

Dri-Eaz Products Inc. (Burlington, Wash.) will host its Dri-Eaz Symposium September 11-12 in Las Vegas with keynote speaker Terry Bowden, college football analyst and former college football head coach. For more information, visit www.dri-eaz.com/symposium2007. New residential sales of single-family houses in April 2007 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 981,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is 16.2 percent above the revised March rate of 844,000 units but is 10.6 percent below the April 2006 estimate of 1,097,000. Moulding Solutions (Kingston, Ga.) has launched an online retail store at www.stair-treads.com.

Southern Hemisphere Collection (Bellevue, Wash.), the flooring division of Ochoco-International LLC, has launched its Web site at www.ochoco-international.com.

Tango Floors (Buenos Aires, Argentina) has a new Web site at www.tangofloors.com. Higuera Hardwoods (Poulsbo, Wash.) is looking for territory sales agents for its engineered and solid hardwood flooring products for the United States. The qualified candidates will have at least five years of experience in imported and specialty hardwood products, as well as experience calling on distributors and large retailers. Résumés should be sent to contact@higuerahardwoods.com.

Vencon USA LLC (Charleston, S.C.), a distributor, is looking for two sales representatives with a working knowledge and understanding of the wood flooring industry for the Massachusetts/New York/New Jersey and the North Carolina/Georgia/Florida areas. These representatives will be responsible for covering four to six surrounding states. Candidates should have three to five years of experience selling hardwood flooring to building supply and carpet dealers/buyers. Résumés should be sent to sales@venconusa.com or faxed to 404/745-0274.

Horizon Prefinished Mouldings Inc. (Bathurst, New Brunswick) is looking for an agent to cover Ontario, western Canada and Quebec. For more information, call 888/708-2322 or e-mail horizonc@nbnet.nb.ca. A Los Angeles flooring business, founded in 2002, is available for a minimum one-year lease and possible sale. The business can be run from the buyer’s home or the office. For more information, visit www.specialflooring.com or e-mail specialflooring@yahoo.com. NWFA members can save on all types of shipping and freight services with the industry’s leading transportation providers, including Yellow Transportation, Roadway Express, UPS Supply Chain Solutions, DHL, USF and New Penn. Whatever your company ships, these carriers have a solution to fit your needs, with typical savings ranging from 20 to 52 percent. For more information, call 800/636-2377, ext. 303, visit www.1800members.com/nwfa, or contact the NWFA by phone at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international), by e-mail at info@nwfa.org or visit www.nwfa.org.