David Lauzon, right, President & CEO - Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring

Baltimore—Just in case you needed more proof of the escalation of the hardwood flooring category in the U.S., look no further than the recent National Wood Flooring Association ( NWFA) convention here. It was a record-breaking show by every account: attendance, exhibitors, booths, even seminar participation.

It would not be totally accurate to measure this year’s growth versus last year’s event in Hawaii, which was hampered by prohibitive costs to both exhibit and attend. But using the previous NWFA rendition in Charlotte, N.C., as the benchmark, the number of exhibiting companies—342—was up 8% and attendance at 4,498 was up 19%. The exhibitors occupied close to 600 booths.

Ed Korczak, executive director of the NWFA, was delighted with the show. But it goes beyond numbers; he is seeing an increased commitment to professionalism on the part of attendees. “Our educational sessions were better attended than ever before. This shows individual members are continuing to make a commitment to the craft, both in terms of business management skills and technical installation skills. With wood flooring it is very important the installer be a craftsman. So to see them as dedicated as they were to education is very encouraging to the industry.”

Korczak was also encouraged by the amount of networking he saw. “The free sharing of ideas on installation and how to find the proper products for the consumer were well-discussed topics.”

When it comes to issues, the one everyone seemed to be addressing was imports. “We’ve seen what imports did to the furniture industry, where most of the manufacturing has gone overseas,” Korscak said. “We realize we are part of the global economy, and we need to see how we all can fit. It’s an issue that impacts manufacturers differently than distributors.”

In illustration, he noted how some domestic manufacturers have ramped their exporting efforts while importing product from areas such as the Far East and South America, while distributors are taking on more lines from foreign countries.

Chris Thompson, vice president of sales and marketing, Mirage Pre-finished Hardwood Flooring, told FCNews the influx of suppliers is the most significant thing going on in the industry right now. “China is having a huge impact. Not only from the standpoint of supply, but it also employs non-traditional methods of distribution.”

David Lauzon, president and CEO of Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring, agreed. “We are seeing a lot of new products coming into the market from different parts of the world. Prices are coming down at the mid-market level. We are happy to be positioned in the high-end business.”

Another popular topic of conversation, Korczak said, was the balance between new housing and residential replacement. Given reduced new home starts, how does the industry advance the residential replacement market. “We know residential remodel picks up when new home starts go down, but you don’t get as much square footage in remodel as in new home starts.”
—Steven Feldman