Article Number : 910 |
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| Date | 3/2/2006 9:47:55 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=910 |
| Abstract | ON DISTRIBUTION: The National Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) is part of a larger community, a vast network of businesses that supply products to the nation’s retailers. Pembroke Consulting just released a comprehensive market data reference guide to the $3.6 trillion U.S... |
| Article | ON DISTRIBUTION: The National Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) is part of a larger community, a vast network of businesses that supply products to the nation’s retailers. Pembroke Consulting just released a comprehensive market data reference guide to the $3.6 trillion U.S. distribution industry, which might interest our wholesalers. Titled, “The 2006 Wholesale Distribution Economic Fact-book,” it details 2005 economic statistics organized into 111 subsectors of the overall industry. The report is a “complete roadmap to this diverse industry of 270,000 companies” that grew 8.9% in the past 12 months and continues to grow. The subsectors include revenue and employment trends, gross margins, wages and many other statistics. To learn more, call 215/523-5700 ext. 14, or visit http://www.pembrokeconsulting.com/factbook. JUDGING JUDY: She’s been in and around Long Island for 25 years and her dedication to and concern for the environment has been recognized. Judy Schwartz, who represents New York City’s Task Floors in Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn, has been elected to the board of directors of the Long Island chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), sponsor of Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. The USGBC is the nation’s leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places in which to live and work. Judy, the Jolly Green Giant, is a great addition to the USGBC board and she’ll prove it. LOOKING GOOD: The Home Improvement Research Institute is confident about the health of its market and optimistic about its future. Total home improvement product sales, which includes flooring, in 2005 are expected to reach a record of $291 billion—an increase of 7.5%. Consumer market sales have clearly benefitted, reaching $216 billion in 2005, up 7.2%. With the help of continued hurricane rebuilding activity, 2006 sales are estimated to increase an additional 4.6% to $305 billion. The professional market, stimulated by repair and rebuilding efforts, was up 8.4% in 2005, outperforming consumer market sales. The long-term outlook for the market remains strong, with a projected average of 4.6% total market growth in constant dollars for 2008 to 2010, exceeding economic growth. Looking good. STAN THE MAN: Put out the cat, lock the door, douse the lights and hit the sack—it’s the end of an era. I can’t believe it, but it’s true. Stan Eden has retired, called it quits, hung up his order pad. He’s the Cushion King, the Padding Potentate, the Underlayment Liquidator. He’s been with the best: Allen Industries, Dayco, General Foam and finally, Flexible Foam. The Foam Phenomenon has had territories throughout New York, from the east end of Long Island, including the five boroughs of the city, to upstate areas like Syracuse, the Hudson Valley, Albany, Rochester—often in blinding snowstorms. Undaunted, he even covered a swath from Maine down to Rhode Island and into Connecticut. He served the industry well and he served it long—for the better part of a half century. Congratulations, kid, you put the ding in padding. He can be reached at J. Eden Antiques, P.O. Box 420, Commack, N.Y. 11725. I guess his wife, Joan, is trying to sell him. TILE FILE: The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) is offering its Profit Report and Personalized Profit Improvement Profile for 2006 to its members at no cost. In addition to the 25-page report, participating members are given access to the Profit Online Toolkit, a Microsoft Excel tutorial that covers a different aspect of financial planning each year. All figures are strictly confidential; the study is conducted by Profit Planning Group, a renowned financial analysis and planning firm headed by Dr. Albert D. Bates, a popular industry speaker. Members can obtain the survey form by contacting NTCA at 601/939-2071 or e-mail Bob Brown, bob@tile-assn.com. |