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Industry News
KIRSCH, CAMBRIDGE CUSTOM TEAM ON
DESIGNER, DECORATOR BUSINESS
Levolor Kirsch Window Fashions, High Point, NC, has reached a business
agreement with Cambridge Custom Group, according to a statement
released by Jeff Hohler, Levolor Kirsch president, and Tom Robinson,
president of Cambridge Custom.
In the agreement, Cambridge Custom will be responsible for co-developing
key strategic marketing activities in conjunction with Kirsch and
assisting Kirsch in the execution of its business strategy in the
designer- and decorator-assisted channels. Brand the technology
licensing agreements are included in this partnership.
“This new alliance is built around the combined strengths of
both companies including manufacturing capabilities, brand strength,
market knowledge and merchandising,” the statement reads.
ON-SITE EXPANDS CERTIFICATION TRAINING
On-Site Corp., Coeur d’Alene, ID, has expanded its On-Site Certified
Technicians training classes at its On-Site University. The curriculum
now covers three days to allow for expanded cleaning methods and techniques
for cleaning new window treatments.
The company has been building a national network of certified technicians
since opening its training program January 2000. On-Site holds its
training sessions at facilities in Coeur d’Alene and Groton,
CT.
HUNTER DOUGLAS HOSTS INAUGURAL FABRICATOR
SALES CONFERENCE
Hunter Douglas Window Fashions, Upper Saddle River, NJ, held its inaugural
Fabricator Sales Institutessm Conference for more than 200 top company
and independent fabricator sales representatives. The event was held
in May at the Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, TX.
Jackie Freiberg, co-author of the award-winning national bestseller
“Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and
Personal Success,” was the keynote speaker. Freiberg talked about
how leaders at all levels can kick-start their journeys toward creating
great companies with inspirational and practical advice.
Each attendee was nominated by his or her fabricator and earned the
necessary 600 points of required training by completing the Basic
Level of Hunter Douglas Fabricator Sales Institute. Participants were
able to select courses in many areas of interest including marketing
and advertising, strategic selling, personal productivity and financial
strategies.
ELMAR'S CUSTOMER SUPPORT WEB SITE ONLINE
Elmar Window Fashions® has launched its new customer support Web
site. Visitors to support.elmarinc.com can quickly and easily find
answers to their questions; can search the same knowledge base that
Elmar employees search for up-to-date product, technical and shutter
information; and can even submit questions to be answered by Elmar’s
customer support staff.
An Elmar account number is required to create a login and password.
HALCYON SHADES INTRODUCES ULTRA-LX
Halcyon Shades, Martinsville, VA, has launched a new product category:
Ultra-LX. The new, heavier weight five-mil transparent shade features
a durable, scratch-resistant coating and offers customers another
option in visible light transmission (VLT) that falls between the
company’s current two percent and 10 percent shade products.
Transparent Halcyon Shades offer the flexibility to create relaxing
interiors that merge with the outdoors while rejecting up to 80
percent of unwanted heat gain and reducing 99 percent of the sun’s
glare.
Targeted to the commercial, small business, retail and office markets,
as well as residential, institutional and hospitality industries,
the shades are offered in several reflectivity levels and color
combinations.
Halcyon Shades is a division of CPFilms, Inc. The Ultra-LX debuted
at the International Window Coverings Expo in April.
GLEN OAK ADDS NEW PAINT/PRIME LINE AS
PART OF $2 MILLION INVESTMENT
Glen Oak Lumber & Milling, Somerset, KY, has added a third prime
line to its finger-joint poplar production plants. With all three
of its prime lines running in concert, the company’s Kentucky
operation can prime 50 miles of shutter parts, moldings, boards and
jambs per day in a single shift.
The new prime line is specifically designed for shutter components.
The primer application is a two-coat process, which includes a new
process developed by Glen Oak that applies a stain-blocker followed
by a coat of latex primer. The stain blocker/primer combination is
compatible with any and all top coats, including hot lacquer, according
to Glen Oak CEO Tom Talbot.
The addition of its third prime line is part of a $2 million investment
that includes the formulation of its stain-blocker, the rebuilding
of existing prime lines and the construction of a dedicated priming
facility. “Continuous improvement and product development are
hallmarks of our firm; it’s our duty to change and raise the
standards in the marketplace,” said Talbot.
HUNTER DOUGLAS AGAIN JOINS IN HABITAT
FOR HUMANITY'S CORPORATE CHALLENGE
Employees at Hunter Douglas Window Fashions, Upper Saddle River,
NJ, participated in this year’s Paterson, NJ, Habitat for Humanity
Corporate Challenge. More than 20 employees were given the day off
to participate in this effort to build homes for lower income families.
Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International is a Christian
non-profit organization with the goal of eliminating poverty housing
and homelessness worldwide. It gives low-income families the opportunity
to invest “sweat equity” into building their own homes
assisted by an all-volunteer work force.
Hunter Douglas became a national sponsor in 1993 with the intention
of providing custom mini-blinds to the privacy rooms of every Habitat
home built in the United States and Canada. To date, the company
has covered more than 80,000 windows in more than 13,000 homes.
IDEA04 SEES ATTENDANCE INCREASE
A successful expansion into technical textiles, the awarding of
the prestigious Achievement Awards and impressive domestic and international
attendance were hallmarks of the successful IDEA04 International
Engineered Fabrics Conference and Exposition held April 27 to 29
at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL.
INDA, the organizer of the triennial engineered fabrics event, reported
that attendance at IDEA04 reached 6,000 industry executives, about
2,000 were first-time attendees. Significant international attendance,
particularly from Asia and South America along with the traditional
strong attendance from Europe, contributed to the attendance. There
were a total of 370 companies exhibiting.
This year’s keynote speaker was Cathy Newman of the National
Geographic Society, whose speech “Dreamweavers” challenged
the engineered fabrics industry to go wherever its dreams—and
its technology—takes it.
The IDEA04 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ted Wirtz,
former INDA president and a 30-year veteran of the nonwovens industry
who retired last year.
SEWN PRODUCTS INDUSTRY HOLDS FIRST TRIPLE-HEADER
EXPO
More than 10,600 members of the sewn products industry attended
this year’s co-located Material World, SPESA Expo held May
18 to 20 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL.
As in years past, Material World and Technology Solutions were held
together, but this year marks the first time the three events were
held at the same time.
Those attending ranged from manufacturers, suppliers and contractors
to designers, branded apparel companies, private label retailers
and others.
The show was co-hosted by the Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers
of the Americas (SPESA) and the American Apparel & Footwear
Association (AAFA) and produced by Urban Expositions. There were
557 exhibiting companies from 29 countries at this triennial gathering.
“The industry said they wanted to be able to buy one airline
ticket and make one hotel reservation to come and see the full spectrum
of their needs—everything from fabric and sourcing, to equipment
and technology—to help them succeed in this changing world,”
said Benton Gardner, SPESA executive vice president.
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
A headline in the News Makers section of the May 2004 issue of
Draperies & Window Coverings incorrectly stated that Ron Tantillo
had been named Northwest regional manager for Elmar Window Fashions®
(page 19). In fact, Tantillo has been named manager of the company’s
Northeast region as stated in the news item text.
In the same News Makers item, the trademark designation (TM) was
used following the company’s name. The federal registration
symbol (®) should have been used as above. We regret the errors.
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