GROWING: Shaw Industries recently held its second biennial conference of the Shaw Design Center (SDC) in Palm Coast, Fla., and more than 100 members attended. The group is growing in size and stature. Currently there are 140 members representing 165 locations, double what they were two years ago. And there are 30 to 40 in the process of gaining membership. Shaw, in response to the rapid growth of the SDC, has begun offering new members protected territories, that is, no other SDC store within a specific radius. That’s a positive move applauded by the involved retailers. Back at the convention, during a session titled “Turning Green Into Green,” Shaw announced that its Evergreen Nylon Recycling plant was reopened in February 2007 and in its first year met its goal of processing 100 million pounds of carpet. Bravo.

ALL STARS: A record turnout marked the recent Starnet Annual Membership meeting in Orlando, Fla. There were nearly 650 people in attendance, not bad, for a group of 165 members with 270 locations. The meeting also gave the group a truly international flavor (in addition to its Canadian members) with the inclusion of its first European company—Tyndale Carpet of the United Kingdom. The meeting was upbeat and the members were optimistic, virtually all reporting good business and little or no impact from the flagging economy. During a sustainability seminar, the contractors were told that since 2002, the industry diverted one billion pounds of carpet from landfills and Starnet members played an important role in the project. The April meeting also marked the first anniversary of Jeanne Matson’s tenure as president and CEO. How was her first year? “Best job I ever had. The members and vendors were great, friendly and helpful.”

BIG NUMBERS: Domotex asia/ChinaFloor, the Shanghai floor covering show, reported its official attendance figures as 39,509, including 5,660 from outside the host nation. The increase over the previous year was 11% and most of the visitors came from South Korea, the United States, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Exhibitors numbered 1,014, up 10%. The show is billed as the biggest event of its kind in all of Asia and it includes carpet, rugs, resilient, wood, laminate, installation equipment and floor covering production machinery. If you’re planning to attend next year, mark your calendar: March 24 to 26.

RECESSION?: Business is booming—in India. Here are some startling statistics: $50 billion is India’s expected income from back-office outsourcing by 2012, a fivefold increase from 2007; 35% average annual growth in India’s outsourcing industry over the past five years; 700,000 people are currently employed in India’s outsourcing industry; 2 million people are expected to be employed by India’s outsourcing industry by 2012, and 80% of the world’s largest companies already farm out some work to India. I don’t understand it. American companies outsource tens of thousands of jobs, many to India and also to other countries where labor is cheap. Unemployment in this country is climbing, the recession is deepening and we’re sending jobs out of the country. Why don’t we outsource some of the larcenous executives who steal the life savings of the trusting men and women in companies like Enron and Worldcom and so many, many others.

CREATIVE: ABC Carpet & Home decided to ignore the economy and make things happen. In celebration of Earth Day, the New York retailer held an exhibition and sale to showcase an assortment of rugs from several exclusive collections, all of which were from companies built and operated on sustainable principles. It was called The New Shades of “Green” exhibition and attracted considerable consumer interest. Graham Head, ABC’s vice chairman, spearheaded the promotion.