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ROYAL GROUP ACQUIRES U.S. POLYMERS Royal Group Technologies Ltd., Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, is acquiring the U.S.-based assets of U.S. Polymers, Inc., Los Angeles, CA. Royal also announces it is forming a "strategic alliance" with U.S. Polymers whereby U.S. Polymers' international affiliates will supply Royal with certain fabricated window covering system components manufactured outside of North America, according to a statement by Royal. The deal was expected to be completed by April 18, 1999. Royal Group Technologies is one of North America's largest extruders of vinyl building products, window coverings and siding. The acquisition of U.S. Polymers is expected to contribute more than 10 percent to Royal's window coverings sales for fiscal 1999. U.S. Polymers is primarily engaged in the production of PVC window coverings including vertical blinds, horizontal blinds, shutters and piping. Under the terms of the agreement it will maintain production and distribution of pipe and shutters. ELMAR ACQUIRES CLASSICO WINDOW COVERING Elmar, Inc., Willow Grove, PA, has acquired the outstanding stock of Classico Window Covering, Inc., Fairfield, NJ. The merger joins two independent Hunter Douglas fabricators, and Elmar will continue to supply the full line of Hunter Douglas products from both locations, according to a statement from Hunter Douglas. Founding Classico partner Enrico Presiosi will continue in a key management position while partners Gabe Moncavage and Bruno Malaguti will retire. Sales representatives will remain unchanged. In business for more than 50 years, Elmar recently expanded its 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to accommodate its large inventory, including a new state-of-the-art training center for employees and customers. "We continuously seek to improve our systems, processes and machinery capabilities to meet on-time delivery goals," said Craig Garretson, Elmar president. "With our collective 65 years in the industry and Classico's strong customer orientation, we're poised to become an even stronger company as we approach the year 2000." Customers serviced by the Classico delivery van will continue to receive their regular scheduled deliveries until further notice. 3 DAY BLINDS BUYS HABITAT WALLPAPER & BLINDS 3 Day Blinds, Anaheim, CA, has announced it is expanding its network of retail showrooms with the purchase of a chain of Habitat Wallpaper & Blinds stores in Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. The purchase includes 12 stores in Akron and Cleveland, OH; Chicago, IL; and St. Louis, MO, each of which were leading window coverings retailers in those markets for the past seven years. "The addition of these new stores will now give us a presence in cities in which we had not operated previously," said Art Schumann, CEO and chairman of the board. He added that conversion of the new stores to 3 Day Blinds showrooms should be completed by late spring. 3 Day Blinds plans to retain most of the Habitat sales staff because of their extensive experience in the marketplace and technical knowledge of products. All have already undergone 3 Day Blinds' training program. Each location is approximately 5,000 to 6,000 square feet and has benefited from a high traffic count of customers during its operation. 3 Day Blinds is one of the nation's largest manufacturers and retailers of window coverings with close to 180 stores. NEW SEMINAR PROGRAM FOR HEIMTEXTIL AMERICAS Messe Frankfurt Inc., Atlanta, GA, announces its new seminar program in conjunction with the Heimtextil Americas fair, May 26 to 28, 1999, in Miami Beach, FL. The educational program will focus on both residential and hospitality topics to appeal to the two-shows-in-one concept developed for the Heimtextil Americas trade show. The top purchasing agents and specifiers from major hotel chains will present informative topics on specific issues related to the world of contract design. These top-level experts are in charge of procurement decisions for their companies and have extensive market know-how and insider knowledge to share. For the residential sector of the show, Cotton Inc. will present "2000 Spring and Summer Color and Trends," which is a favorite for the domestic and Latin American retail buyer. The Mohair Council will introduce its entrée into the interior fabric market with its usual apparel-oriented focus by discussing the natural qualities and colors of mohair for use in homes and hotels. Targeting the hospitality audience, the program includes separate topics on purchasing and design of major international hotels, casino hotels, luxury hotels, timeshare projects and Feng Shui design. The presenters will be the major purchasing agents and international specifiers from the Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt, Luxor, Paris, Bellagio, Grand Bay and Shangri-la hotels as well as independent specifying and purchasing firms. To round off the program, a presentation on the ABCs of exporting to South America and the Caribbean by the Miami World Trade Center and the U.S. Department of Commerce will be targeted to exhibitors interested in understanding how to better do business in these countries. For more information, contact Messe Frankfurt at (770) 984-8016; fax: (770) 984-8023; www.usa.messefrankfurt.com. SUPERIOR JOINS OPERATION OUTREACH The Superior Companies-Superior Fabrics, Inc. and Superior Shade & Blind Co., Inc., Pompano Beach, FL-have announced sponsorship of the Crystal Lake Community Middle School's Operation Outreach program. Superior has become one of six off-campus centers and will sponsor a class teaching people of other languages how to speak English. Crystal Lake Community School has served the northeast area of Pompano Beach, FL, for the past 26 years. Crystal Lake annually serves more than 3,000 area residents providing educational, social and recreational services to north Broward County. According to David Fryburg, president of Superior Shade & Blind, "Pompano, like many areas of south Florida, has experienced tremendous industrial growth. Crystal Lake has worked closely with local business to serve the language and training needs of Broward's workforce. It's a service that we need, and we are pleased to be of help." NEWEST COLLECTION UNVEILED AT ADO Sales agents for ADO, Spartanburg, SC, were introduced to the company's newest 118-inch seamless collection of designs at its most recent sales meeting. The collection included elegant, rich, jewel-toned decors geared to high-end designers and showrooms along with casual squares plus striking sheer stripes for the residential market. HUNTER DOUGLAS CAPTURES BRONZE IN DESIGN COMPETITION The new Silhouette® with PowerRise® Demonstrator from Hunter Douglas Window Fashions, Upper Saddle River, NJ, garnered a bronze in the Design of the Times awards competition, the only contest that emphasizes the importance of design in creating effective point-of-purchase display programs, signs and fixtures. The demonstrator was recognized by the judges as a single, unique display that showcases the advantages of Silhouette with PowerRise, a product that combines Silhouette window shadings with the ease and affordability of battery powered PowerRise remote control motorization. Consisting of a case design with an injection-molded plastic cover and base, this lightweight, easy-to-carry display is ideal for retail environments as well as shop-at-home. The demonstrator is easy to assemble as well. The display allows customers to experience firsthand the simplicity and convenience of the battery powered remote control system. The display also won Most Innovative Point-of-sale Display Program honors by the Window Covering Manufacturers Association. "We are honored that the Silhouette PowerRise demonstrator has received such overwhelming recognition," said Mary Lonergan, director of marketing for Silhouette. "This highly effective display encourages product demonstrations, which inevitably leads to more sales." BASIC DRAPERY CLINICS SCHEDULED Calico Cats, Freeport, TX, is offering hands-on, two-day drapery clinics May 4 to 5 and May 7 to 8, 1999. The clinics will teach the basics of professional window treatment fabrication. Students will learn how to choose the right fabrics, calculate yardage, match pattern repeats, draft patterns, measure, install and more. They also will walk through the entire process from conception to design, fabrication and installation. The two-day program is designed for anyone interested in starting a home decorating business, or individuals who want more professional results. In addition to the clinics, there will be an evening program titled "How to Get Started in Home Decorating Business," taught by Pamela Damour, author and seminar leader to the trade, who is seen frequently on the Discovery Channel. For more information, call (409) 233-3531. TEXTON FINALIST FOR TEXAS QUALITY AWARD Texton, Inc., Garland, TX, a regional wholesaler fabricator and distributor of custom window covering products, has been named a finalist for the 1999 Texas Quality Award. The award is patterned after the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award and is awarded annually by The Quality Texas Foundation to those Texas organizations that excel in performance excellence, and the application of quality and customer satisfaction principles. YORK RESOLVES COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT York Wallcoverings, York, PA, has announced it has resolved the copyright infringement lawsuit against Canadian-based Wallcrown in the U.S. Federal Court in Cleveland, OH. Under the terms of the settlement, Wallcrown has agreed to discontinue the sale of a wall covering pattern from its Chelsea Garden sample book in the United States. York Wallcoverings has agreed to drop all remaining claims against Wallcrown. Carl Vizzi, York president, stated, "York will continue to vigorously enforce its intellectual property rights to copyrighted wall covering patterns. For more than 10 years, York has been recognized as an industry leader in color and design as well as an innovator in the use of pioneering techniques in wall covering production, especially in the screen print design area. As a result of this visibility, York is finding that lesser known firms are attempting to mimic York's designs." BOBBIN GROUP LAUNCHES BRAZIL SHOW The Bobbin Group of Miller Freeman, Dallas, TX, is expanding its Bobbin Expo into Brazil and Mercosul. The inaugural show will be held August 17 to 19, 1999, at the Expo Center Norte in São Paulo. Show management predicts more than 150 national and international exhibitors and 10,000 qualified buyers from Brazil and the Mercosul countries. The decision to establish a show in South America was based on market demand. "Brazil is a major player in the sewn product industry," said Ray Bianchi, international development manager for Miller Freeman. "With more than 60,000 factories and 2.5 million workers, this key manufacturing region needs a show to serve its needs," he added. For exhibitor and attendance information, call (800) 693-1363 (in the United States) or (011) 3873-0081 (in Brazil). Meanwhile, preparations are under way for the first annual Bobbin Expo Mexico and Central America to be held May 11 to 13, 1999, at the World Trade Center in Mexico City, Mexico. Formerly known as Expotela, Bobbin Expo Mexico and Central America has been repositioned to more completely encompass all aspects of the sewn products industry from fabrics and accessories to equipment and technology. FASNAP BECOMES QS-9000 REGISTERED Fasnap Corp., Elkhart, IN, has been found compliant with the ISO 9002 quality standards. Over the past year the company's quality management systems, policies and procedures, operations and personnel have been audited in order to determine certification. "We are honored and feel proud that Fasnap's product quality and distribution process has been recognized with such a significant rating," said Sally Reed, president.