NAFCD Holds Annual Meeting in Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ, October 21 --More than 300 attendees shared the hot Arizona sun and three days of networking and educational seminars at National Association of Floorcovering Distributors (NAFCD) 33rd Annual Meeting, held earlier this month at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort. Lots of industry talk and ideas were shared among the attendees. Here¹s some of the buzz. --Distributors will play an increasingly important role in the supply chain as imported floorcovering increases in volume. There¹s an influx of international products looking for distribution in the US. --Any one of several European companies that haven¹t captured market share in North America could be interested in buying some US distributors, according to Monte Thornton of Mohawk Industries. --Buying a vinyl company is a possibility for Mohawk. No one will buy a company that’s in bankruptcy until all the legal issues are resolved, however, according to Thornton. --Tom Giancani, Torlys vice president of sales, was named Young Executive of the Year at NAFCD’s Annual Meeting. The award recognizes executives younger than 40 with potential to lead their distributor organizations. --Mohawk imported 30,000 containers of product last year. The global marketplace is here to stay. --With a 15 week supply chain cycle for imported goods, a product that flops after introduction could have another 14 weeks of material in the pipeline and few buyers waiting for it. --Randy Merritt of Shaw called 2004 a great year for carpet with a 6-7% increase in units and 10% in dollars, but a tough year for profits due to increased material costs. --Ralph Boe, president of Beaulieu Group, said the industry has to do a better job of overcoming myths, citing the example of Sweden, which cut back on carpet to reduce asthma and have now gone back to carpet when asthma cases continued to increase. --NAFCD is offering a weekend management conference "Putting Business Theory into Practical Action" May 13-15 at Ohio State University for general managers. Study programs include purchasing, marketing, merchandising, warehousing and branch outlets in the floorcovering industry.

Print the Article