Noticias

Laticretes Marcella Prado and Informa Exhibits US Amie Gilmore have been selected to serve on the 10-person Women In Stone (WIS) steering committee powered by theMarble Institute of America (MIA). Brie Pfannenbecker, WIS Steering Committee chair, said, We had a lot of great applications from powerful and inspiring women in our industry. Being selected to serve on the steering committee is a great honor. The steering committee plays a crucial role in setting priorities for this relatively new MIA initiative/program. Prado has been involved in the stone industry for over 13 years and will be focused on upcoming WIS events and education. Gilmore has been involved in the stone industry for over 9 years, and given her role with StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas, will be assisting to elevate WIS programming to a broader scale. Additional WIS committee appointments include: Pfannenbecker of Connecticut Stone Supplies, has been selected to serve a second term as committee chair. Kim Dumais of Miller ...    

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in March fell two points to a level of 53 on the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Even with this slight slip, the HMI remains in positive territory and we expect the market to improve as we enter the spring buying season, said Tom Woods, NAHB chairman and a home builder from Blue Springs, Mo. David Crowe, NAHB chief economist added, The drop in builder confidence is largely attributable to supply chain issues, such as lot and labor shortages as well as tight underwriting standards. These obstacles notwithstanding, we are expecting solid gains in the housing market this year, buoyed by sustained job growth, low mortgage interest rates and pent-up demand. Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 30 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as good, ...    

Along with the more than 1,000 global exhibitors showing a range of products and technologies at Coverings, taking place April 14 to 17 in Orlando, Fla., education sessions for stone fabricators will be held beginning April 13. In addition to the keynote speakersincluding Eric Astrachan, executive director of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA); Edie Cohen, deputy editor of Interior Design Magazine ; Harris Rosen, president of Rosen Hotels Resorts and Joey Shimoda, CCO of The Shimoda Design Groupother conference topics relevant to the fabricator segment include conversations on job-site safety, best business practices and industry challenges; guidance on how to select appropriate membranes and anchors for projects and instruction to ensure that products are tested and cared for appropriately. Sessions will include: OSHA On-Site Consultation. This session, moderated by G.K. Naquin of Stone Interiors, will provide attendees with insight into the benefits of inviting OSHA into facilit ...    

According to results from Fannie Maes most recent National Housing Survey, amid continued strengthening in employment, consumer optimism toward the economy is growing and appears to be contributing to further improvement in overall housing sentiment. The share of respondents who believe the economy is headed in the right direction increased 3 percentage points last month to an all-time survey high of 47%, while the share who believe it is headed in the wrong direction decreased to 45%, a new survey low. Additionally, the share who believe it would be easy to get a home mortgage today increased to a record-high 54% while a survey low 43% think it would be difficult to get a mortgage. The survey also revealed the following: The average 12-month home price change expectation remained at 2.5%. The share of respondents who say home prices will go up in the next 12 months fell to 46%. The share who say home prices will go down fell to 6%. The share of respondents who say mortgage rates will g ...    

Engrave-A-Crete has added Ten Second Color Dye to its line of concrete resurrection products for coloring concrete and other cementitious surfaces. According to the company, Ten Second Color Dye is easy to apply, and allows users to obtain the mottled effects of acid stain in a fraction of the time and with little effort. Ten Second Color Dye is available in 16 rich, translucent colors ranging from earthy browns to vibrant jewel tones and can be combined into custom colors or layered for unique effects. For more information, visit. ...    

The American Concrete Institutes (ACI) Legal Issues in Concrete Construction, Second Edition, a new publication for concrete industry designers, suppliers and contractors, is now available. Jeffrey Coleman, author, provides interpretations of the courts findings and contrasts the decisions with other results where possible. This second edition of Legal Issues in Concrete Construction contains over 150 casesmore than three times the number of cases as the first editionand it assembles the cases into 23 chapters. This new edition is reorganized around key topics including cracking, load tickets, responsibility for mix and more. These unique topics can be found only in this publication. The first chapter provides a basic primer on concrete and is followed by chapters organized around specific construction and legal topics. The complete report ACI 132R-14 - Guide for Responsibility in Concrete Construction has been included as Appendix C. For more information, visit . ...    

INSTALL has added four partner companies to its ranks. As partner companies, AsAquaflex,E.J. Welch Co., FastenMaster and Procedo will participate in ongoing curriculum reviews by designating technical and/or educational representatives to work with INSTALL instructors to revise and refine the INSTALL curriculum. According to the organization, this ensures that future floor covering professionals are trained according to the needs of todays marketplace. This partnership further ensures that INSTALL professionals are equipped with the skills that are necessary to install floor covering products properly and efficiently. For more information, visit . ...    

Bona US second annual Certified Craftsman Convention, held March 12 to 14 in Denver, will bring together businesses in the wood floor industry from across North and South America. Ongoing education is key to success in this industry, said Matt Casey, development manager for Bona. The Certified Craftsman Convention is about bringing together these businesses to share knowledge and training for continued success. By capitalizing on the latest trends, techniques and products these professionals can ensure consumers are getting exactly what they want. The Certified Craftsman Convention will kick off with an industry overview byMichael Martin, National Wood Floor Association (NWFA) president and CEO, and a keynote by Andrew Davis, digital strategist, author and motivational speaker. The event will feature a variety of professional seminars, technical courses and networking opportunities in addition to an exclusive networking event. The convention will feature a variety of professional speake ...    

Ryan Blair has been promoted to the position of product manager for Laticrete. Ryans background in product management combined with his experience in channel management at Laticrete will prove highly valuable in helping us bring innovative products to our grout and sealant lines, said Sean Boyle, director of marketing and product management. Blair joined Laticrete in 2012 and has served as the channel manager for the companys Tile Stone Installation and Care Systems, covering surface preparation, waterproofing, sound control, anti-fracture, adhesives, grouts, sealers and cleaners and shower system components. For more information, visit . ...    

For the third year in a row, the National Wood Flooring Associations (NWFA) Wood Flooring Expo has been recognized as one of the 50 fastest-growing shows in the U.S. by Trade Show Executive magazine. Trade Show Executive (TSE) honors the fastest-growing trade shows and selects winners based on the percentage of growth in each of the following categories: net square feet, number of exhibiting companies and number of attendees. The 2014 Wood Flooring Expo, held in Nashville, Tenn., was recognized for fastest growth by number of exhibiting companies and fastest growth by total attendance. The 2013 Expo, held in Dallas, was recognized for net square feet and number of exhibiting companies. The 2012 Wood Flooring Expo, held in Orlando, was recognized in all three categories. This recognition, especially for the third straight year, is a testament to NWFAs members and the industry as much as it is the expo, said Michael Martin, NWFAs president and CEO. Three years after rebuilding the show fr ...