Cox named NTCA president (September 26, 2008) Pictured is outgoing National Tile Contractors Association president Frank Canto, owner of Canto Tile & Stone in Riverview, Fla., passing the mantle to John Cox, president of Cox Tile in San Antonio, Texas. Cox was elected president of the NTCA during the group's recent Total Solutions show near Washington, D.C.
MAPEI to offer R&D tour as part of VeronaFiere course in Italy (September 18, 2008) Pictured are participants from last year's VeronaFiere course "Stone materials for architects" in Verona, Italy. MAPEI has partnered with the trade fair company for a special 10th anniversary edition of the course set for the Marmomacc show in Italy in early October. As part of the 10th anniversary celebration, MAPEI said it will host a tour of the Duomo di Milano in Milan and other "architecturally significant sites built with marble and stone." Additionally, MAPEI will give a tour of its research & development facilities and offer a seminar on installation techniques for exterior cladding. Dr. Giorgi Squinzi, CEO of the MAPEI Group, plans to address the architects.
Brock Built's 'Green House' featuring Mohawk products to be seen on TV (September 17, 2008) Pictured is Brock Built Homes' Going Green "The Green House," a model home in Atlanta that features Mohawk's SmartStrand carpet with bio-based DuPont Sorona polymer. The house will be featured in a special primetime television show from 7 to 8 tonight on Atlanta's WSB-TV affiliate as part of its "Going Green Georgia" series. The special will kick off an online auction for the house, with proceeds benefiting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. “We are proud to support Brock Built in this project, and we are continually delighted at the interest in green building that WSB-TV has created with its ‘Going Green Georgia’ program,” said David Duncan, vp marketing for Mohawk. “We think it is especially important that this home project is teaching people new ways to protect the environment while raising needed funds for a very important organization.”
Laticrete sponsors car in Green race series (September 16, 2008) Laticrete recently sponsored the race car of Taylor Broekemeier (pictured) during a race in the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series in Lakeville, Conn. The event was part of "the world's first Green racing series," Laticrete said. Taylor is the son of Brent Broekemeier, vp of Laticrete distributor the Rio Grande Co. "I think Laticrete had been looking at motor sports in the past but the deciding factor was the environmentally friendly aspect of this race," Taylor said. "This was a huge opportunity for me. Ever since I was 4 years old I wanted to be a race car driver. Laticrete stepped up financially and helped me reach that goal."
Beaulieu goes shopping to save food bank (September 15, 2008) Carl Bouckaert, an owner of Beaulieu of America, is pictured here shopping at a Dalton, Ga. discount supermarket to help restock the shelves of the Murray County Red Cross food bank. The food bank was forced to close temporarily until Beaulieu stepped forward to save it. Bouckaert said it was the right thing to do. "We are delighted to help the community," he said. "We hope other companies will follow our lead."
Turkish dance troupe to perform at Cersaie (September 11, 2008) Pictured are members of the Shaman Dance Theatre, who are set to perform during Cersaie 2008 in Bologna, Italy, on Oct. 2. Featuring 40 performers and 15 choreographers, the group's repertory includes folk songs and dances from Anatolia, along with modern dance, ballet, acrobatics, flamenco and other styles. The Turkish Ceramics Promotion Group is hosting the event, which it bills as "Earth meets fire in ceramics, soul meets body in dance, Cersaie meets Shaman."
Schattdecor set to open St. Louis-based decor paper plant (September 9, 2008) Schattdecor said it plans to build a new production facility in St. Louis. The plant, which will manufacture decor paper used in laminate flooring, will go into operation during the first quarter of 2010, according to the company. Pictured left to right are Tom Drazen, head of Schattdecor USA; Ulrich Ringelberg, overseas sales director; and Reiner Schulz, CEO; after announcing the new plant during Schattdecor's annual design showcase in Atlanta.
Texas twister hits Tarkett (August 18, 2008) Pictured is damage to Tarkett's Texas Tile Manufacturing plant in Houston after a tornado touched down on Aug. 16. The twister hit the east side of the plant, which held unfinished goods and raw materials. “We were very surprised by the tornado, but we are happy to report no one was injured,” said Gilles de Beaumont, president of Tarkett Commercial Tile. He added that the plant has already resumed production, and the shipping department was unaffected.
MAPEI products used in 10 Olympic venues (August 13, 2008) Pictured here is the Olympic Center Stadium in Tianjin, China. The athletic tracks in the stadium were installed using MAPEI's Adesilex G12, G19 and G20 products. MAPEI drew on its 35-year history of supplying installation products to the Olympic Games to solve the unique set of challenges presented by these specialized tracks. Additionally, the company provided products for nine other Olympic facilities, including the "Bird's Nest" stadium and a range of courts, tracks and common areas in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang. Dr. Giorgio Squinzi, CEO of MAPEI Group, said the company's existing plants in China proved invaluable to the project. “We feel MAPEI has contributed in a very positive way to the recent development in China and we plan to strengthen our presence over the coming years,” he added.
Armstrong linoleum a key component at Olympic venues (August 12, 2008) If you have been watching the Olympic Games, you have probably seen two things: athletes competing at the peak of their powers, and Armstrong flooring. Armstrong products have been installed in 12 Olympic venues throughout Beijing, including the Bird's Nest (main arena), the Water Cube (aquatics center) and the basketball gymnasium. For the Bird's Nest, "Armstrong Marmorette linoleum won the job because of the company's reputation for quality and service excellence," said Greg Gottlieb, senir vp and managing director of Armstrong, Asia/Pacific. Additionally, the Water Cube and basketball gym also contain Marmorette linoleum.
