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Rowley Honored for Industry Achievement The Rowley Co., Gastonia, NC, is being presented the 1998 Industry Achievement Award from the Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA) for its outstanding service and support of the window coverings industry as well as the WCAA. Rowley will receive the award on March 20, 1998, at the WCAA breakfast symposium held during the International Window Coverings Expo at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD. The award will be presented by Larry Lariviere, WCAA president, and Mark Nortman, WCAA executive director. The Industry Achievement Award is presented annually. The WCAA was founded in 1987 and is the nation's leading organization representing window coverings retailers. Its goals are to make available educational and motivational opportunities, to work for the betterment of the interior fashions industry and to encourage a code of ethics for fair business practices. RollEase, Somfy Form Alliance RollEase, Inc., Stamford, CT, and Somfy Systems, Inc., Cranbury, NJ, have announced a cooperative effort for the joint development and distribution of integrated products. The companies say this collaboration will result in the production of products that will add greater dimension to the options available to manufacturers and fabricators of manual and motorized window coverings products. "The adaptability of [Somfy's] motors to drive RollEase patented operating systems makes such a cooperative effort ideal and desirable for the market," said Roger Woodhour, RollEase president and CEO. "It was time to take the next step and integrate the best ingredients of both organizations and combine them into a series of totally new products to address the changing demands of the market," said Michael Lee, Somfy president. Industry's Hot Sites on the Web Workroom Concepts, Clear Brook, VA, has established a World Wide Web site to serve drapery workrooms (www.WorkroomConcepts.com). The site is hosted by Kitty Stein, a 20-year veteran of the drapery workroom field, a noted workroom instructor and speaker and regular columnist in Draperies & Window Coverings magazine. The site features guest articles by leaders in the window coverings industry offering valuable workroom information along with a "Tip of the Month." A page for important dates lists events of particular interest to workrooms. The Workroom Concepts site also offers resource links to other Web sites that may be of interest to drapery workrooms with monthly updates. On-Site Drapery Cleaning & More, Hayden Lake, ID, has launced a Web site (www.on-sitecorp.com). The site offers information on the company's on-site drapery cleaning system. Waverly, New York, NY, debuted its Web site (www.decoratewaverly.com) in early January. The site integrates all Waverly products including fabric, wallpaper, home fashions and licensed products. The site features "Ask Waverly," a decorating column written in a question-and-answer format; "Waverly Is," a section with a searchable database of fabrics and wall coverings; "Project Center," with do-it-yourself ideas; and "Great Room," a photograph album of rooms ranging in styles. DDI Given Top Ranking Decorating Den Interiors (DDI), Montgomery Village, MD, has been ranked No. 1 in the Miscellaneous Decorative Products and Services category of the 19th Annual Franchise 500 released by Entrepreneur magazine. Overall, DDI was ranked 86 out of the 500 businesses listed. Among the factors considered for the rankings, according to DDI, were financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of system. "We attribute our retail success to improved and streamlined marketing programs, improved price points and extended product lines, as well as increased credibility and awareness due to our high profile visibility," said Jim Bugg Jr., DDI president. Since it was founded in 1969, DDI has grown to 700 franchise owners and decorators. Shutter Certification Seminar Held Window Fashions, Inc., Cheswick, PA, recently held a Nanik Shutter Certification Seminar at its Pittsburgh, PA, facility. The three-day seminar provided technical training including a day of installation. The course was taught by Nanik's Kathy Wendorf, Tom Knowles and Dave Olson. Vertilux Throws Appreciation Party Vertilux, Ltd., Miami, FL, held a festive, Spanish-theme year-end party at its corporate headquarters to honor its customers and employees. The special host for the festivities was Lili Estefan of "Sabado Gigante," a popular television show airing on the Univision network. The party's music, decor and entertainment all carried through with the Spanish theme. Musical performers included two Latin bands and acclaimed guitarist Bob Folse who was accompanied by flamenco dancers. "After 15 years in Miami, we've established a number of strong, personal relationships with clients and with members of our own staff," said José Garcia Garcia, president. "All the leaders of the company, myself included, were grateful for this opportunity to recognize the important contributions of our customers and loyal employees," he added. In recognition of its innovative products and wide-reaching distribution network, Vertilux recently was named Company of the Year by the U.S.-Spanish Chamber of Commerce for the state of Florida. Safety 'Super Bowl' Scores In an effort to educate employees on the importance of workplace safety, Allied All-Teck, Coral Springs, FL, held its second annual "Super Bowl of Safety" in late January. The company teamed with occupational health and safety consultants R. Taylor & Associates to present four interactive classes on safety covering various manufacturing processes for its 80 employees. "We made the decision to stop production that day, an action that is nearly unprecendented. It is an obligation we have not only to the employees themselves, but also to our shareholders and the people who purchase our products," said Rich Pierson, president. During a lunch break, a presentation on automobile seat belt safety was presented by Officer Frank DiSanto of the Coral Springs Police Department and J. Daniel Walker of the National Safety Council. Coral Springs is being used as a model community for the program, which eventually will be expanded throughout the state. Creative Engineering Opens New Plant Creative Engineering Corp., Buckner, KY, has built a new 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The new plant is located at 3510 Mattingly Rd., Buckner, KY. "We had outgrown our smaller facility in Crestwood and decided to build a new, more modern facility to allow us to better serve our customers," said Irmi Tueskoes, vice president. The company has supplied equipment for drapery workroom for the past 20 years. In the last three years it has added fabric inspection and measuring machines. Benthin Adds New Production Facility Benthin Systems, Sewickley, PA, has expanded into an additional production facility located in Leetsdale, PA. The new 55,000-square-foot plant houses the production office and warehouse space and has been set up to handle the fabrication and distribution of the company's ready-made products. Combined with Benthin's Sewickly manufacturing facility, the new plant increases the total square footage in Pittsburgh, PA, to 127,000 square feet. The company also has facilities in Germany, France and Australia with worldwide company headquarters in Bremerhaven, Germany. On-Site Moves to New Headquarters On-Site Drapery Cleaning & More, Hayden Lake, ID, has moved into a new, larger headquarters. The company's new facility is located at 9297 Government Way, Hayden Lake, ID, 83835. The telephone and fax numbers remain the same: (800) 233-7452, (208) 772-6077; fax: (208) 772-5604. Harrison Sample Changes Name Harrison Sample Co., Chicago, IL, has changed its business name to Harrison Marketing Services effective January 1, 1998. The new name and corporate culture change will serve to better outline the company's range of services it offers to clients, according to a statement from Stan Dybas, controller. ITA Launches National Brand ITA Inc., St. Augustine, FL, specialists in the sales and marketing of window fashion and home-related products, has launched the company's first national brand, Meridian Home[TM]. The brand will encompass a diverse collection of window fashion fabrics and products for shades, blinds and alternate treatments. "The market's demand for a diverse assortment of products was the impetus for Meridian Home," said Leonard Siegel, a company principal. ITA is an 11-year-old company representing select brands in the home products industry and supplying materials and components to fabricators and retailers. Sunworthy Introduces Timberlake Designs Bob Timberlake, Inc., Lexington, NC, has entered into a licensing agreement with Sunworthy Wallcoverings, Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The first Bob Timberlake wall coverings are scheduled to launch as part of Sunworthy's Designers Circle series later this year. The Bob Timberlake wall coverings will be developed to coordinate with its home textile fabrics as well as its licensed paint and ceramic tile collections, which are part of the Bob Timberlake Homes program, according to Ace Ellis, president of Bob Timberlake, Inc. The company currently collaborates with licensees to design bedding, dinnerware, floor coverings and lighting. "We're excited about rekindling the tradition of the fine artist as creator of wall coverings designs," said Lori Davis, Sunworthy vice president of marketing. Carolace Buys Kreiger Assets Carolace Industries, Fayetteville, NC, has purchased the significant manufacturing assets of Krieger Corp., Travelers Rest, SC. Krieger filed for bankruptcy and suspended operations in the spring of 1997. The purchase consists of three 15-yard automatic color change embroidery machines, according to Howard Mann, Carolace president. "These new machines will help us fill orders even faster and meet the demand we are projecting beyond 2000," Mann said. Carolace has more than 350,000 square feet of vertical manufacturing capacity in Williamsport, PA; West New York, NJ; and Fayetteville, NC. Student Design Competition Set Surtex® has announced "Suite Dreams" as the theme for its 1998 International Student Design Competition. Surtex will be held May 17 to 19 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, NY. Students will be challenged to design a residential master bedroom suite for a fictional client. The competition encourages students to use a combination of design techniques in creating an innovative and dramatic design scheme. The total design will include at least five surface designs, of which at least two must be for print/woven (window treatments, bedding, upholstery, carpeting) and at least two must be for other surfaces (wallpaper, walls, furniture, accessories). The competition is open to all students enrolled in an art or design program in the United States or an international institution of higher education during the semester of entry. The first prize winner will receive a $500 cash award.