LAST ROUNDUP: The victim of a plummeting economy, a collapsed housing market, high unemployment and retrenched consumer spending, Rodeo Carpet Mills ceased production on Jan. 15 and shuttered the building. Carmen Murray, owner and president, in a letter to her customers, wrote “Although we have not been strangers to bad economic times in the past, we have always been able to survive them. It is not just the bad economy, but the length of time it is taking to recover that has forced me to make this decision.” The company was founded by Lou Sugarman in Los Angeles more than four decades ago and Murray became general manager in 1990, president in 1998, and sole owner in 2000. “We are liquidating the assets,” she said, “and expect the process to be complete no later than Feb. 15.”

ENDEMIC: What’s happening on the West Coast? Following Rodeo, Bennytex in Gardena, Calif., and Reehma, a custom wool carpet mill in Orange County, Calif., have also closed their doors and exited the business. And Carousel, in Ukiah, Calif., for 40 years, has been purchased by Robertex and all of its equipment and inventory is being moved to Tucker, Ga.

WINNERS: Tile of Spain has announced the four winners of its “Reign in Spain A&D Tour.” The Tile of Spain brand is managed jointly by the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami, Fla., and The Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturer’s Association in Valencia, Spain. The winners will attend the annual media junket that coincides with Cevisama, the international ceramic tile and bath furnishings show in Valencia. The winners: Rafael Alvarez, partner in Alvarez + Brock Design in New York. His designs can be seen in hotels and restaurants worldwide, including Le Cirque, Scampo Restaurant, the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City and the Mirage in Las Vegas. Ralph Bicknese, principal and co-founder of Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects in St. Louis. Notable projects include Washington University’s Living Learning Centre, on track to be the first building in the world certified to the stringent Living Building Challenge. Jennifer Nemec, founder and principal of Ideation Studio in Chicago. She has been involved design projects for Reebok, Lexus, Acura, Toyota and Warner Bros., among others. Jim Poteet, principal in Poteet Architects in San Antonio, Tex. His current projects include corporate headquarters, a development of LEED eligible houses and a contemporary art gallery for the Pace Foundation. So, the Reign in Spain starts mainly on a plane.

PONDER THIS: Frank Hurd, vice president of the Carpet & Rug Institute, noted that CRI’s Primary Backing Report for November showed positive growth for the first time in three years. The information provided to CRI by several of its largest members indicates the demand for primary backing in November increased 14% over the same month a year ago. CRI tracks the backing as a bellwether for the industry at large and finds the latest results “cause for cautious optimism.” Hurd says there are other reasons to be sanguine: lower consumer revolving credit, and the National Association of Manufacturers’ report that in October, U.S. exports outpaced its imports.

GROWING: Q.E.P. has agreed to acquire ArborCraft Floors, which sells its products under the Tarkett and Harris brands. It produces a broad line of hardwood flooring, including engineered plank, prefinished solid and unfinished parquets, in addition to a complete line of moldings and accessories. ArborCraft employs 190 people in three facilities, two in Johnson City, Tenn., and one in Montpelier, Ind. The primary location in Johnson City has more than 300,000 square feet of manufacturing and drying space, as well as a 192,000 square-foot lumber yard on more than 43 acres.