floorcoveringnewsvolume 36/number 4 I fcnews.net I the publication more retailers prefer I August 3/10, 2020 I $2.00

NEWSPAPER

Seemingly undaunted by theCOVID-19 virus that hasspread even to rural areas

across the U.S., scores of specialtyfloor covering retailers con-tinue to report above-nor-mal sales activity—and, insome cases, record-settingperformances.

While flooring dealersare by no means taking a vic-tory lap, there is no doubtthey are thrilled with howbusiness has performedafter a desultory April thatshuttered scores of retailshowrooms across the U.S.

Some of the brightestreports today are comingfrom states now hardest hit—such as Florida and Texas. Dealersthere and elsewhere attribute theresurgence to pent-up demand,availability of disposable incomeand committed shoppers. “Our

traffic counts were up in May andJune this year, but, more impor-tantly, the quality of the customercoming in is incredibly strong,”said Sam O’Krent, president andowner of O’Krent’s Abbey

Flooring in San Antonio. Hereported June was his best monthever for retail sales. “They are seri-ous retail shoppers who want tomake their selection and move

Continued on page 11

Retail roundup

Flooring dealers shatter market’sexpectations

By Ken Ryan

IN THIS ISSUE

NAFCD, SFN conferenceslatest to go virtual PAGE 3

Bruce and Mark Bowe:A study in co-brandingPAGE 10

Selling bamboo, corkin a waterproof world PAGE 22

Making better videos In the latest installment ofFCNews’ Marketing Onlineseries, experts provide valuabletips to utilizing video technol-ogy to engage with consumers.

PAGE 8

Sales at O’Krent’s in San Antoniowere trending up in May and June,largely on the strength of robust

consumer confidence.

SPOTLIGHT

unemployment and weak GDPnumbers.

The most promising signs,the report shows, lie in thetrend of leading indicatorsITR Economics tracks reg-ularly (see table on page28). The firm typicallybases its forecasts on a listof a dozen key leading eco-nomic indicators thatreflect everything fromsingle-family housingstarts and total U.S.exports to manufacturingindustry capacity utiliza-tion and purchasingindices, among others.Just last month, many ofthese indicators were in the“red.” However, as of late July,eight of the 12 telltale economicindicators have flipped green.

“The latest leading indica-

tors and core economic data-points illustrate the relativeresilience of the U.S. economy

amid the considerable challengeposed by COVID-19,” said BrianBeaulieu, CEO and chief econo-mist of ITR Economics, whopresented the findings in a

Anewly released reportfrom ITR Economics,known for its uncannily

accurate predictions and timelyforecasts, shows encouragingsigns of recovery for the U.S.economy despite the lingeringimpacts of COVID-19, high

By Reginald Tucker

Continued on page 28

recent webinar with his twinbrother, Alan Beaulieu, thefirm’s president. “Two additional

indicators turned positiverecently—the OECD lead-ing indicator for the U.S.and the ConferenceBoard’s U.S. leading indi-cator. There were no indi-cators that turned nega-tive. We surpassed theminimum of five indica-tors that we need to assertthat a shift in momentumis occurring toward acyclical rise. The speed atwhich we went from atotal red board to eightgreen lights is reflective of

how the underlying economicfundamentals that existed pre-COVID-19 are coming back intoplay.”

Statistics show rising retail sales in the U.S.,especially among discount retailers,

building supply dealers and grocery stores.

DIGITAL ACCESS IS

INCLUDEDSee our latest issue at

fcnews.net

By Ken Ryan

Although the future remains uncertain, brand experts sayit is important to stay connected with your customers.“When stressed, we tend to buy what we know and

trust,” Pami Bhullar, director of retail development for theStainmaster brand, said in a message to the flooring industry.“So, promote your local brand.”

Flooring suppliers are heeding that advice as evidenced inthis special Power of Brands issue. Coverage starts on page 12.

MESSAGING PLAYSROLE IN DRIVING

NAME AWARENESS

P O W E R O F B R A N D S

Report shows signs of U.S. economic recovery

14 I August 3/10, 2020 fcnewspower of brands

Diversifying its portfolio with strong namesSince its inception in 2009, Engineered Floors has set the pace for the flooring industry with innovativeproducts—first in carpet and then in hard surface. Engineered Floors is outpacing the industry in thedevelopment and implementation of brands across an ever-growing portfolio of flooring solutions. It’s atrue exercise in the “Power of Brands” at a phe-nomenal rate.

Engineered Floors has added a variety of floor-ing specialty divisions to its flagship DreamWeaver carpet division. Included are Dwellings(targeted toward builders), Engineered Floors Multi-family, Pentz Commercial and Engineered FloorsHard Surface. Each division carries a unique identity and signature that are a powerful reminder of thesize, scope and breadth of what the company has to offer its dealers.

Within each of these branded divisions, Engineered Floors has strategically crafted branded collec-tions and features that clearly communicate to the trade and consumers the advantages of each. Forexample, in early 2020, through its hard surface division, Engineered Floors launched Ensignium. Thisultra-realistic, waterproof rigid core is sure to set the standard with commercial-grade performance ina residential space. Also new for 2020 is the DW Select line, which brings a new collection of beautifullystyled patterns, textures and colors to the Dream Weaver product family. Inspired by the natural land-scape, these styles bring textural nuances reminiscent of natural materials into the home. The tailoredfabrication of the products offers timeless design elements coupled with functionality for the style-con-scious, yet active, household.

Engineered Floors continues to expand on its augmented reality technology with the EF-EYE visual-izer. This tool allows consumers to visualize and explore its Dream Weaver, Pentz and EF Hard Surfaceproducts online. This cutting-edge tool allows consumers to upload an image of their home and seewhat their favorite product would look like after installation. Dealers have raved about EF-EYE visualiz-er as a closing tool; as a result, Engineered Floors is now covering the cost for their direct dealers to addthe EF-EYE visualizer to their website.

These examples are only the latest in product power branding by Engineered Floors that alsoincludes brands such as Apex SDP Advanced Polyester Extrusion fiber for commercial carpet or thePureBac carpet backing system for residential carpet.

Learn more about this powerful brand lineup by visiting engineeredfloors.com.

‘Love Where You Live’ Inhaus is a flooring specialist that focuses only on productsthat it designs and manufactures from start to finish. Theseare products where Inhaus has expertise, where it holdspatented technologies and where it has a long history. Thecompany believes that all of the established categories offlooring existbecause they haveunique attributesthat make themthe best choice for particular applications and consumer pref-erences. In this regard, Inhaus creates differentiated productsthrough leading-edge technologies with the goal of being cat-egory leaders.

“We are inspired to be experts in the categories we partici-pate in by creating the most value possible,” said DerekWelbourn, CEO. “We hope that consumers see this commit-ment in our Inhaus laminates and Sono Eclipse product offer-ings. We care a lot about our products and what goes intothem.” Welbourn said the company’s approach comes from itsbelief that the floor is the foundation of the personality of yourinterior space. “This is the basis of our slogan: ‘Love Where YouLive,’” he said.

Innovation in accessories Since 1963, Leggett & Platt Flooring Products has been devel-oping new and innovative carpet cushion and hard surfaceflooring support materials. We began with a focus on rebondcarpet cushion through the invention and patent of the ure-thane foam extrusion process.

Through the years, we’ve developed a multitude ofimprovements toour manufactur-ing processes andhave continuedour innovative journey to the hard surface underlayment side.We continuously develop products designed for comfort anddurability, such as Whisper Step acoustical underlayment thatwill not crush or lose its acoustical properties and is guaran-teed for the life of the floor.

The Leggett & Platt brand focuses specifically on improv-ing consumer comfort. Our key products are engineeredaround the idea of bringing innovative comfort to all aspects ofbedding, furniture and flooring. At Leggett & Platt FlooringProducts, we take it a step further by offering more than justsuperior comfort with each step. Our products work to reducein-home noise and control moisture—crucial features desiredby consumers that add to the overall comfort in the home.

Uncompromising valuePennwood continuously pursues highstandards in manufacturing and market-ing of flooring transitions, stair productsand vents. The Pennwood staff studiesand researches trends in design, colorand finish.

The company currently matches6,000 different hardwood floors ranging in color, style and tex-tures with standard boards—all held in the Pennwood ColorLibrary. Pennwood employees take pride in their craftsmanship,and as long as the company has the color standard it can custom-produce a retailer’s stair treads or flooring transition with a nor-mal turnaround time of two to three weeks.

Pennwood can customize a program for a retailer’s specificneeds. Today, the Pennwood brand means uncompromisingvalue, known for innovation and a driving force within the indus-try. Pennwood is synonymous with a “we-can-do” attitude.

Continued from page 12

18 I August 3/10, 2020 fcnewspower of brandsContinued from page 15

Passion and consistency = quality products for 35 years Offering superior quality products has been Mirage’s No. 1 priority for more than 35years. That’s not just a fancy slogan—it’s a promise.

To follow through on that quality promise, Boa-Franc, parent company of theMirage brand, adopted a manage-ment philosophy many years agofounded on the five core values thathave motivated the company fromthe beginning: passion, respect,integrity, commitment and techno-logical innovation.

This passion, or what Miragecalls “spirit,” drives its day-to-dayefforts and has grown over the years thanks to its employees—Boa Franc's mostvaluable and distinctive asset. By treating employees, business partners and com-munity with the utmost respect, the company knows it can count on their loyalty.

Innovation is at the heart of the Mirage brand and is what enables it to makesuperior quality products and maintain its leading position in North America.Mirage’s manufacturing processes have been honed to perfection, allowing thecompany to optimize the use of raw materials. This helps with flooring design andensures the sustainability of the wood it uses.

Mirage is committed to the prompt delivery of the industry’s finest hardwoodfloors—floors that are made to last and provide peace of mind and the certainty ofworking with a responsible, reliable company.

High-quality products, best-in-class marketing tools, second-to-none cus-tomer service and knowledgeable sales representatives are what Mirage’s reputa-tion is built on, and what the brand will continue to work on each day.

Quality has been—and always will be—at the forefront of the Mirage brand.

Family of brands inspires generationsEver since Mohawk rolled out its first carpets in 1878, it has built quality into everyflooring product it makes. Mohawk continues that tradition today with productinnovation in 30-plus categories, award-winning design and a talented team dedi-cated to outstanding service.

Mohawk is also proud to serve theindustry with some of the most trust-ed brands in flooring. Mohawk’s familyof brands include American Olean,Daltile, Durkan, IVC, Karastan,Marazzi, Mohawk, Mohawk Group, Mohawk Home, Pergo and Quick-Step.

Mohawk understands the power of brands and how important they are for infre-quent purchase categories such as flooring. Strong branding gives consumers peaceof mind, allowing them to feel confident about their investment.

In order to help its retail partners stay ahead of the competition and increase profitmargins, Mohawk invests in its brands by way of lead generation, advertising, digitalmarketing, public relations, merchandising, point-of-sale, innovative products andnational promotions, just to name a few. These efforts result in high consumer recog-nition and more qualified consumer leads to Mohawk’s retail partners.

That’s why retailers—both large and small—leverage the power of these brandseach and every day.

Proudly serving the accessory marketFloating floors are a massive segment of the flooringindustry but are lacking some of the finishing touchesof traditional nail-down floors. Consumers are nolonger choosing floating floors strictly for budgetaryreasons; they are choosing them for their durability,practicality and beauty. Perfect Vents was started

with the purpose of filling a void in theaccessory market for floating floors.

With a background in flooringstretching back four generations, Perfect Vents has experience inevery area of the industry, with the most important sector beinginstallation. The company’s flush mount vents were designed withthe installation at the forefront. The Perfect Vent Templates prod-uct allows even a novice installer to install a vent within minutesand have repeatable, perfect results every time. Perfect Vents canalso be installed after the initial installation, so even if a vent wasmissed or was not ordered it will not hold up the installation. PerfectVents is partnering with retail stores across the country, sellingthrough its authorized dealers. Perfect Vents is focused on being anintegral and valued partner to flooring retailers.

A leader and trailblazerSteeped in tradition, DriTac Flooring Products manufacturestrusted, premium-grade adhesives, underlayment, rubbersports flooring and installation solutions for the wood andresilient flooring markets with a product portfolio that hasexpanded and evolved for more than 60 years.

Fully owned and operat-ed in the USA, DriTac wasestablished in 1956, offeringone adhesive—DriTac 6200—that continues to stand thetest of time several decades later. Since then, DriTac, via itsstate-of-the-art laboratory and research facility in the U.S., hasdiversified its product line to produce a wide array of adhesives,underlayment and other products tailored to perform across abroad spectrum of flooring installations. The company is cur-rently one of a few adhesive manufacturers to offer all themajor adhesive technologies: urethane, MS polymer, pressure-sensitive, acrylic and more. DriTac has been a leader in devel-oping wood flooring adhesives that offer sound and moisturecontrol with a single-component, one-step application.

Continued on page 20