SPARTANSBURG, PA.— Clear Lake Lumber recently announced a new flooring division— Clear Lake Living—to focus on serving independent dealers using its state-of-the-art logistics and IT system. The new division comes as the company, which had been manufacturing and selling hardwood flooring for four years under a different brand, makes an effort to increase its product visibility and consumption, noted Keith Wiethe, director of sales and marketing.

“We made a change because the prior program was not what the flooring industry needs or is asking for,” he said. “We now have a program that has been welcomed by independent dealers with open arms.”

Clear Lake Living will work directly with dealers selling and supplying hardwood flooring through a 24-hour quick ship program—in addition to placing orders via phone and fax, dealers can place and track orders over the Web. Weithe said the system was created to allow dealers to remove the shackles associated with slow or obsolete inventories others require to reach competitive price levels. He pointed to the combination of product, logistics and IT as the differentiator between Clear Lake and its competition.

“We have made a significant investment in inventory to feed our logistics program,” said Mike Johnsen, vice president of Clear Lake Living. “Dealers are demanding speed and accuracy in order placement and delivery.”

Weithe added that as most of the competition is reducing their expenditures by decreasing their commitment to stocking inventories, Clear Lake is not. “We believe the dealers want and need a strong partner that will provide a full product offering and take the burden of inventory dollars off their shoulders.”

He said there are many suppliers on the sidelines “just watching and waiting for the economy to improve. We are taking every step to help our customers improve their bottom line profits now—including distribution.”

The wood company has also been developing a finish— ClearShield—that features nano-technology, providing three times as much wear resistance as traditional aluminum oxide. “In an effort to be a cut above the rest, we felt we needed to work harder to introduce this finish and feel it presents our customers with a real feature that has tangible benefits,” Weithe said, adding that the reaction has been great.

Again stepping out from the crowd, Clear Lake designed a furniture-style display coinciding with its “World Passages” collection to create more value for the independent retailer. “There are so many wire racks in the marketplace, we wanted to offer a display that would enhance the look of any dealer’s showroom,” Weithe said.

The display is less than 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide and features both a wing and waterfall section. There is also hidden lighting to showcase the products, graphics designed with the dealer salesperson in mind and literature holders behind the wings to keep a premium visual.

At the end of the day, Johnsen said the dealer will find the new program is very easy to sell to the consumer and one to take great pride in. “We are 100% committed to the independent dealer. You won’t find our products in the home center or online with the Internet retailers.”

For more on Clear Lake Living, visit www.clliving.com or call 877.255.8464.