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COVER STORY
2002 - 2006 / A New Age
The world forever changed near the end of 2001, and homeland security
became a new top priority. Alongside the war in Iraq, natural disasters
from hurricanes to tsunamis make headlines and focus on the best,
and worst, we’re capable of.
At home we all looked inward as “cocooning” became the
latest catchphrase and style coined by trends analyst Faith Popcorn.
Online, everybody “Googles.”
In the industry, D&WC records a new round of acquisitions, mergers
and partnerships. A new maturity is seen in window coverings as
anniversaries commemorating 25, 40, 50 and even 65 years in business
are celebrated by top suppliers—including Draperies &
Window Coverings with 25 years in print and 10 years online.
2002
ITA introduces Caslan® Designer Shadings,
a patented fabric panel
system of Roman-style shades offering fabricators a turnkey
manufacturing opportunity.
The acquisition of Harmonic Design enables Somfy to offer a patented
battery technology for the WireFree™ range of motors.
Aveno launches its first complete full-color product line catalog,
a
revolutionary new marketing tool.
BTX adds a 20,000-square-foot facility to its Dallas, TX, operations
in response to strong growth in motorized draperies and roller shades.
Vertilux’s launch of Vision screen fabrics, a top 10 product
line
worldwide.
January: President George W. Bush, in his first
State of the Union address, vows to expand the fight on terrorism
and labels Iran, Iraq and North Korea “an axis of evil.”
April: Hunter Douglas acquires Empire Window Fashions.
July: RM COCO purchases the assets of Fabrics 21.
August: Springs Industries, Inc. completes its
acquisition of Burlington Industries’ window treatments and
bedding consumer products businesses.
September: Addressing the United Nations, President
Bush calls for a “regime change” in Iraq.
October: Somfy Systems, Inc. acquires Harmonic
Design, Inc.
Mervin Hill Bytheway Jr., owner and president of Bytheway’s
Mfg., Inc., Sacramento, CA, dies.
November: President Bush signs legislation creating
cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security.
2003
ITA launches LaPlaya® Shutters, a complete
line of 2 1/2 and 3 1/2-inch louver shutters, made from an advanced
composite.
Minutes Matter launches Studio, the first standalone graphic software
program for custom window treatments.
February: Space shuttle Columbia explodes, killing
all seven astronauts.
Citing Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction as an imminent threat
to world security U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presents
the Iraq war rationale to United Nations.
March: U.S. and Britain launch war against Iraq.
Techniku, Inc., names standing board member Timothy Bates president
and CEO.
May: U.S. declares official end to combat operations
in Iraq.
June: Monique’s Draperies & Shades celebrates
40 years of providing window treatments to the California Bay Area.
July: Creative Tueskoes Corp. is sold and renamed
Creative Equipment Corp.
October: October is named National Window Covering
Safety Month by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC).
Hunter Douglas wins new-era lawsuit based on the Anticybersquatting
Act against an Internet Service Provider with three domain names
using the company’s name.
Charles G. Vaughn becomes president and CEO of Conso Products Co.
December: Saddam Hussein is captured.
2004
ITA opens a new training facility and warehouse
in Ormond Beach, FL, providing space for fabricators to learn production
efficiency
techniques.
Minutes Matter is the first in the industry to offer Webinars (online
seminars) as a more convenient way of learning.
January: Springs Window Fashions partners with
Kravet, Inc. to market an exclusive line of Nanik brand window products.
April: ADO Worldwide celebrates its 50th anniversary
and the 25th year of ADO-USA.
May: J. Gordon Himes Jr., vice president and co-owner
of G&L Technologies, Inc. dies.
June: Beth Hodges, Beth Hodges Soft Furnishings,
is elected president of the Window Coverings Association of America
(WCAA).
July: U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee reports
that intelligence on Iraq’s weapons programs was “overstated”
and flawed.
Democratic National Convention in Boston, MA, nominates John Kerry
for president.
August: Sergey Brin and Larry Page, founders of
Google, became instant billion- aires when the company goes public.
Republican National Convention in New York, NY, renominates President
Bush.
Florida hit by hurricanes Bonnie and Charley.
September: Hurricane Ivan ravages U.S. south. Hurricane
Jeanne hits Florida.
November: George W. Bush is reelected president.
December: Renaissance Window Fashions, Inc. completes
its acquisition of Excalibur USA.
Enormous tsunami devastates Asia killing 200,000.
2005
ITA breaks ground for a new office building
complex in Palm Coast, FL, for occupancy in 2006.
Sun Glow introduces the evolutionary Graphic Shades.
GreenAssured™, ITA’s proprietary testing and certification
program for environmentally friendly window fashions, debuts in
Performance
fabrics and pleated shades.
January: Graber® celebrates the brand’s
65th anniversary.
February: U.S. window coverings industry raises
hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide relief to survivors
of the earthquake and tsunami in Southeast Asia.
March: The U.S. House and Senate vote to allow
a federal court to rule in the case of Terri Schiavo, who had been
in a coma for 15 years. She dies, 13 days after her feeding tube
is removed.
Don Lumbatis, vice president and general manager of Turnils, Inc.,
dies.
April: Hunter Douglas acquires Paris Texas Hardware.
Pope John Paul II dies. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany is
elected as new pope.
May: Mickey Head, industry veteran of 41 years,
retires from Turnils North America.
July: The first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court,
Sandra Day O'Connor, announces her retirement.
August: Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 storm,
pounds the Gulf Coast.
September: Hurricane Rita’s wind-swept waves
flood parts of New Orleans and breech another levee.
October: The window coverings industry rallies
to raise money in support of those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Conso International restructures and moves to Nashville, TN.
December: Margie Nance assumes ownership of the
Custom Home Furnishings (CHF) School.
Tony Varney, inventor of the Parkhill Royale Swags and Tails System,
dies.
New York Times reports that in 2002, President Bush signed an order
allowing the National Security Agency to conduct surveillance on
Americans without warrants.
2006
ITA celebrates its 20th anniversary with
special promotions and events.
Aveno launches its Sophia soft treatment line, offering a dynamic
add-on sales opportunity to compliment hard window coverings.
Aveno will move from its original 195,000-square-foot manufacturing
facility to a new plant twice as Large incorporating warehousing
and production operations under one roof.
BTX expands its motorized drapery program with Sofia, classic and
basic motors and adds a 6,000-square- foot distribution facility.
January: Explosion traps 13 workers in West Virginia
coal mine.
February: Protests turn violent over cartoons appearing
in several European newspapers depicting Muhammad in a negative
light.
March: Hunter Douglas acquires Elmar Window Fashions.
Budget Blinds opens its 1,000th franchise.
Also of Note:
* “Spider-Man” smashes box office records grossing
more than $114 million in its first three days of release (2002).
* California governor Gray Davis is ousted in recall vote; actor
Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected in his place (2003).
* Gay marriages begin in Massachusetts, the first state to legalize
such unions (2004).
* Domestic diva Martha Stewart is sentenced to five months in prison
after being found guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to
federal investigators (2004).
* The Super Bowl Incident: Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake create
an enormous scandal and introduce the term: wardrobe malfunction.
* CBS is fined $550,000 (2005).
* Professional hockey season canceled when owners and players fail
to reach a deal on salary cap for players (2005).
* Ben Bernanke is chosen and confirmed to succeed Alan Greenspan,
who retired as Federal Reserve Chairman after 18 years (2006).
* Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally showers Texas lawyer Harry
Whittington with as many as 200 pellets while hunting for quail
(2006).
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