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Benjamin Moore and Co. (Montvale, N.J.) will acquire Insl-x (New York City), the parent company of finish manufacturer Lenmar Inc. (Baltimore, Md.), in January 2008, for an undisclosed price. According to Janet Sullivan, flooring division manager of Lenmar Inc., the acquisition benefits Lenmar, which stands to gain increased purchasing power and expanded resources. "We enjoy the opportunity that this will bring us in the future as far as research and development and market share," Sullivan said. No one at Benjamin Moore could be reached for comment. On December 5, Dean Hardwoods Inc. (Wilmington, N.C.) celebrated its 40^th anniversary, and Chuck and Matt Dean celebrated their family’s 102-year heritage in hardwood. The two also dedicated the company’s newly opened manufacturing plant and lumber handling facility located in Leland, N.C. The ribbon cutting was performed by Brunswick County Commissioner Phil Norris.

Global Market Partners Inc.’s (Memphis, Tenn.) Qu-Cork Flooring Panels were featured on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on December 16. The project consisted of improving the condemned home of the Chapin family. The episode can be viewed by visiting abc.com, clicking on "Full Episodes" and then on the show name.

Hawa Bamboo Flooring Trading Corp. (Sayreville, N.J.) is looking for manufacturers or importers to buy directly from its new Hawa-Musen Wood Product Ltd. factory located in Mudanjiang, China. The company has also purchased 4,713 acres of mountain terrain containing 70 percent bamboo and 30 percent fir trees. For more information, call 732/390-1818 or visit www.hawabamboo.com.

The distribution of net assets to shareholders of Armstrong Holdings Inc. (Lancaster, Pa.), previously the parent company of Armstrong World Industries Inc. (Lancaster, Pa.), is complete. The company will now file Articles of Dissolution and cease to exist.

Mohawk Industries (Dalton, Ga.) named Kelly’s Carpet Omaha (Omaha, Neb.) as its 2007 Dealer of the Year during the Floorscapes Convention in Phoenix November 29-December 1. Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.) has added Wood Pro Inc. (Auburn, Mass.) as a distributor for the Northeast.

Zickgraf Hardwood Flooring Company (Franklin, N.C.) has selected Shaw Industries Inc. (Dalton, Ga.) as a distributor for the mid-Atlantic and Midwest states. "These assets will allow our customers to enjoy a level of sales support and service they have never experienced," said Drew Hash, president of Zickgraf Hardwood Flooring Company.

Kennebec Lumber Company (Solon, Maine) has added Harvester Inc. (Westwood, N.J.) as a distributor for its Maine Traditions line in northern New Jersey.

Long Floor (Richmond, Va.) held a product training seminar at its Beltsville, Md., branch on November 13. Scott Lynch of Absolute Coatings, James Tasikas of Galaxy Sanding Machines and Jeremy Harrison of Norton Abrasives presented to the attendees. ForesFloor Hardwood Flooring (St-Eugene, Quebec) has named Gerry Herbert as the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. Herbert previously was CEO and principal shareholder of Janus Flooring Corporation.

Owens Inc. (Shawano, Wis.), parent company of Owens Flooring Company, has added Duane T. Hovick as CFO. Hovick previously worked at Fox River Paper Company.

Bostik Flooring Group (Middleton, Mass.) has promoted Scott J. Banda product and market development manager, flooring group. Banda has been with the company since 2004 and previously worked with the company’s CVP product line.

Kennebec Lumber Company has appointed Steve Walsh to its sales staff. Walsh previously worked for Hoboken Wood Floors and brings 21 years of flooring experience. He can be contacted at 207/713-4994 or swalsh@kennebeclumber.com.

Paul Ostlund has joined sister companies Kitchens Brothers Manufacturing Company and Cherrybark Flooring Inc. (Hazelhurst, Miss.) as account manager. Ostlund has 15 years’ experience in lumber, flooring and millwork manufacturing. He works out of Minneapolis and can be contacted at 612/867-2735. The NWFA will hold an Advanced Intermediate Installation and Sand and Finish School April 8-11 in San Francisco. For more information, e-mail installationschools@nwfa.org or visit www.nwfa.org. Total housing starts for November 2007 were at a 16-year low of 1,187,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is 3.7 percent below the October 2007 figure of 1,232,000 units and 24.2 percent below the November 2006 rate of 1,885,000 units.

The overall National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) remained unchanged at 19 in December from November. This is the third consecutive month the HMI has been 19, the lowest reading since the series began in 1985. The index gauging current sales conditions rose one point to 19, while the index gauging sales expectations for the next six months rose two points to 26. The index gauging traffic of prospective buyers declined three points to 14. Strategis International Inc. (Longueuil, Quebec) is looking for sales agents in the U.S. to call upon hardwood flooring and underlayment distributors. For more information, contact jeannette@strategisinc.biz. Eugen Lägler, the founder of Eugen Lägler GmbH (Güglingen. Germany), died December 1 in Güglingen-Frauenzimmern, Germany, at the age of 82. He was an innovator in sanding technology: Lägler developed his own drum sander in 1964, the ELF, followed closely by the Hummel, which integrated belt sanding technology into a floor sanding machine. In 1993, he introduced the Trio, a three-disc sanding machine. Even at an advanced age, he initiated the expansion and extension of the main factory in his hometown of Frauenzimmern, where everything began. He eventually withdrew from the daily operational business in 1996 and handed over the management of the company to the second generation in 2000. The company is currently managed by his son, Karleugen Lägler. The NWFA will send a group of attendees to the 10^th annual Domotex Asia/Chinafloor tradeshow, the largest international floor covering trade show in Asia, to be held in Shanghai, China, March 11-13, 2008. The cost to attend the show is $395 per person, with optional tours offered for an extra fee. In addition to the show, attendees can take part in seminars specifically targeted toward the North American flooring market. These seminars will address concerns about doing business in China; some of the featured topics include quality control, banking and logistics. All meals during the show will be provided, as well as transportation to and from the show. Rooms at the five-star JJ Sofitel Hotel are offered at a rate of less than $200 per night. Drier Hospitality Group is handling all travel arrangements for the show. For more information, visit www.floordiscovering.com, or contact the NWFA 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.