June 2004 e-newsletter
www.DWCONLINE.com

This newsletter is sponsored by Trimland (http://www.trimland.com) and Shutter Smart (http://www.shuttersmart.com)

Latest 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.


Helping Hand
Sound familiar? You’ve been in business for years in your local area. Then someone new comes into the market with the same or a similar name. Now what do you do? Geoffrey Parnass is an attorney who practices with the law firm Vandenberg & Feliu in New York. He says the trademark rights of a small local company might be as strong or stronger than those of a large, multi-state company. Read his article, “Trademark Cease and Desist Letters,” in the June 2004 issue of Draperies & Window Coverings.


Here Comes the Sun . . .
June means summer. And with that comes two important business-building opportunities for window coverings professionals: the need to control sunlight and the need to save energy.

In this month’s newsletter we cover the advantages of more and larger windows in today’s homes; why we need to care about controlling indoor energy costs; and how one product in particular offers many answers to home energy savings.

A Natural Winner
Windows are so much a part of architecture today we often take them for granted, Karla Nielson reminds us. But we've come a long way into the technology age only to discover that natural light, an exterior view and air ventilation often are better companions for living and working than exclusively artificial lighting, looking at solid walls and breathing often not-so-clean, piped-in heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
So, it’s hats off to windows, whose benefits are worth appreciating as we preserve or improve them with window treatments.

Natural Light Control: Why We Should Care
The window coverings industry is in prime position to capitalize on or disregard a challenge that offers a brighter and profitable future, writes Tony Lovett. Quite simply, the world can no longer afford to be non-energy efficient. For a preview, one only needs to look east across the Atlantic Ocean and study the shading methods of Europeans who have practiced energy conservation for most of the 20th century.

The Key to Home Energy Savings
In the last quarter of the 20th century there had been dramatic changes in the use of materials for residential buildings. The use of glass as a construction material has grown by leaps and bounds as Americans have opted for natural illumination, expansive views and sunshine for their homes and even for their offices.

While the increased use of glass as a building material meets today's open-air lifestyle, it also brings with it its own distinctive baggage: increased energy costs, glaring sun and the dramatic fading of home furnishings, fabrics, carpets, fine woods, antiques and artwork. Window film, writes Virginia Kubler, can be real problem-solver for your customers.

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