DALTON— Ralph Boe, president of Beaulieu of America, was elected chairman of the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI) during the organization’s annual meeting here. He replaces Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw, who remains active in the association as immediate past chairman.

Boe said the carpet industry continues to face a tough scenario of excess housing inventory, unstable energy prices and lagging consumer confidence. The toughest challenge is for the sector to remain poised to respond to consumer demand when the economy does improve. “When this industry turns around, it does it with a fervor.”

While there are continued challenges, Bell reminded that much has been accomplished during this tough period, including an impressive 25% increase in traffic to CRI’s newly redesigned Web site, and the passage of the long-awaited ANSI/NSF 140 third-party certification for sustainability in carpet.

Bell praised CRI’s Seal of Approval testing program, which has grown to include 432 approved cleaning solutions, extractors, cleaning systems and vacuum cleaners. He also pointed to the organization being able to establish third-party certification for programs under the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). “As the first-ever environmental product certification body recognized by ANSI, CRI’s programs are now gaining recognition around the globe.”

Other than the chairman change, all other officers and board members were re-elected for another one-year term. In other news, Jim Bethel, CRI board member and CEO of J&J Industries, received the association’s Joseph J. Smrekar award in recognition of his contributions to the floor covering industry. The award was established for CRI by Milliken & Co. as a memorial to Smrekar, who served on numerous CRI boards before his death in 1998. The award recognizes individuals who have shown “unusual and exemplary service to the carpet and rug industry.”