Noticias

David Keller and Riley Gazzaway have agreed to join the board of the Flooring Academy of Specialized Training (FAST) Career Institute. FAST will be a Dalton-based nonprofit recruiting, training and placement organization dedicated to expanding the installer base and installation capacity of the North American flooring industry. FAST Career Institute will provide a full line of hands on installation and related training services. Kelleris a second generation industry veteran with over 40 years of experience in the flooring, retailing and installation trades based out of Charleston, S.C. After an early successful career in computer services with IBM and Apple, Keller returned to his entrepreneurial and family installation roots to create an installation services company in Atlanta during the early 1990s. That company became Keller Interiors and grew to become one of the largest installation services workrooms in the U.S., with offices covering the Southeast and Midwest. Kellers certified ...    

According to show officials, space is filling up fast for The International Surface Event (TISE) 2015 education program, which will begin on Jan. 20 to 23 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Discounted registration rates are good through 11:59 p.m. (CST) Dec. 5. More than 90 educational offerings including traditional classroom format sessions, show floor demos and walk and talk tours are available to attendees. Topics are designed specifically for floor covering, stone and tile industry professionals who wish to increase their knowledge and level of expertise in their field. Education tracks include architect/designer, builder/remodeler, care/maintenance/restoration, distributor, fabricator, installer and retailer/dealer. Education is imperative to growing a profitable business in todays market. Our education program is designed to accommodate all levels of understanding from emerging professional to industry expert, said Jennifer Hughes, conference manager. The sessions id ...    

Belknap White (Patriot) will expand its Armstrong residential market footprint into southern Connecticut, metro New York and northern New Jersey effective Jan. 1. In addition to the current Armstrong and Bruce wood offerings, residential sheet, residential tile, laminate, as well as all sundries supporting these categories, will be added. Apollo Distributing will continue servicing Armstrong Commercial (vinyl composition tile, commercial sheet vinyl, linoleum, luxury vinyl tile, wall base and the sundries supporting these categories) in the market stated above. For more information, visit. ...    

The International Surface Event East 2015 (TISE East) is inviting industry professionals to share their knowledge as education program presenters. At TISE East 2015, our education program will share knowledge and focus on interaction between peers and colleagues to build a stronger community and grow the flooring, stone and tile profession, said a show official. Those interested in this opportunity are invited to submit their idea for a session that will increase engagement and understanding both personally and professionally in flooring, tile and stone. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 23. to submit your presentation. ...    

The International Standards Training Alliance (INSTALL) has added five new partner companies to its ranks. Ecore Commercial Flooring, Instafloor, Metroflor, Koster American and Loba-Wakol are the newest partner companies. INSTALL partners 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. INSTALL pursues a mission to forward the North American floor covering industry, demonstrating commitment to quality installations and enhancing the industrys reputation by offering a comprehensive training and certification program for its floor covering installers and ...    

The Dixie Group has formed Masland Hospitality. The new business will be led by Elizabeth Moore, vice president of Masland Hospitality. With Dixies recent acquisition of the assets of Burtco, a comprehensive offering of products will be available from Masland for the hospitality market. According to Moore, the product portfolio will include large scale public space patterns utilizing CYP technology, a complete guest room offering, modular carpet and the most extensive area rug capabilities. This follows the news ofDixie proceeding with the termination of its agreements with Desso BV as a result of a change in control of Desso. For more information, visit. ...    

Altro has created XpressLay, an adhesive-free safety floor. According to the company, this safety flooring product is installed without the use of conventional adhesivethe joints and perimeter are adhered using Altro double-sided tape. XpressLay features an underside emboss which allows moisture in the subfloor to escape. This technology offers many time and money saving benefits as well as environmental advantages, according to the company. XpressLay is a 2.2-millimieter thick, vinyl safety sheet floor that contains 5% post-consumer recycled content and is available in 40 colors, six of which are Quick Ship colors. For more information, visit. ...    

In step with its new catchphrase, introducing a new company youve known for over 75 years, Compotite Corp. unveiled its new management team, products and programs at Total Solutions Plus in San Antonio. Show attendees met with new management officers, Alan Hutchinswho is the great grandson of G.A. Morthland, founder of the company in 1938who recently joined Compotite as vice president of business development, and Mark MacDonald, a veteran tile industry professional, now vice president of sales and marketing. New Compotite products included upgraded CompoSeal membranes offering waterproofing, crack isolation and sound reduction solutions. Drains, niches, benches and accessories for the shower were unveiled, as well. Our company has been consistent in providing clientele with proven products in a professional, no-nonsense way for decades, stated Hutchins. Obviously, we plan to continue with that regimen moving forwards. But we also intend to augment the high-quality product and service pr ...    

Opening in 2015, the Flooring Academy of Specialized Trainings (FAST) Career Institute will be a Dalton-based nonprofit recruiting, training and placement organization dedicated to expanding the installer base and installation capacity of the North American flooring industry.According to the academy, the Institute provides a full line of hands on installation and related training services. Don Barrett, industry veteran and FAST managing director said, FAST Career Institute will be a unique addition to both the Dalton business community and to the flooring industry which is suffering a severe and increasing shortage of installers. The FAST goal for year one is to start with a unique, national Install apprenticetraining school to train 300+ flooring apprentices each year in Dalton. According to Barrett, FAST anticipates 30 to 40 students will be coming each month from all over North America. Barrett added, FAST Career Institute is a fundamentally different and more workable approach than ...    

The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Flooring Contractors Association (FCICA). As part of the recently approved MoU, the partnership will allow both organizations to combine their expertise and openly collaborate in providing best practices and awareness in the floor covering industry. Partnering with an organization like FCICA allows the Institute to take a step forward and reach a new audience, said Tony Wheelwright, IICRC chairman. Through the memorandum, IICRC and FCICA will work together to raise awareness of their collective industries and maintain an open dialogue in the sharing of industry knowledge and resources. As part of the agreement, both organizations will also cross promote their educational programs and cooperate on expanding internationally. We plan to educate our membership on IICRC and work together on commercial flooring issues like maintenance, stated Kim Oderkirk, FCICAs ...