They say it’s better to be lucky than good. Shannon Fuller is lucky AND good. The president and CEO of upstart wood manufacturer Baker’s Creek always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and knocks the ball out of the park when it’s his turn at bat... more

UPBEAT: It seems that distributors are not obsessed with the apparent recession we’re in and the bad news it generates daily. They are very tenacious and tend to be pragmatic with a coating of optimism... more

Dear folks at Surfaces,

I know Surfaces 2009 is nine months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about next year. In fact, you probably started thinking about next year the day you all returned to the office that first week in February... more

WHAT’S UP?: Almost everything. Dow Reichhold Specialty Latex has increased prices on its specialty polymers twice in the last four months and expects to announce a further adjustment in the next few weeks... more

There is a reason why the Connecticut Floor Covering Association (CFCA) has seen an increase in participation of its annual Awards Night by 55% over the last two years and why it is expecting over 200 people to come out to Hartford on May 19 for its State of the Industry Dinner... more

RE-PETE: The inimitable Peter Spirer, founder and former chairman of Horizon Industries, is back in the game. Spirer, a masterful marketer and superb strategist, has been an industry observer since 1992, when Mohawk Industries acquired Horizon... more

The 10th Domotex asia/ChinaFloor (DACF) market in Shanghai certainly had a different feel this year. As the first U.S. trade editor to personally attend the show—up through last year, that is, when others started to realize the importance of being there—I have the unique perspective to analyze it... more

KEYNOTER: Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw Industries, was one of the keynote speakers at the recent Alliance Flooring convention at AmericasMart Atlanta, and he painted a vivid picture of the state of the industry... more

It looks as though the carpet industry is putting on its boxing gloves once again. This time, the opponent is the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its recently released LEED for Homes rating system... more

He and his brother were included among Floor Covering News’ 20 most significant people in the flooring industry over the last 20 years. It can be argued that the two men, along with Floyd Sherman and Don Finkell, did more to further the hardwood flooring industry in this country than anyone... more