Shaw Industries Group Inc. (Dalton, Ga.), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, has acquired the privately owned Anderson Family of Companies (Clinton, S.C), which includes Anderson Hardwood Floors, for an undisclosed amount. Anderson had previously manufactured select products for the Shaw alliance. "Anderson really represents the mid- to high-end field of the market in engineered wood, and they're leaders on styling and innovation, so we think there's a lot of synergy between the two companies," said Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw Industries Group Inc. With the acquisition, there will be no personnel changes to Anderson management. Shaw will give financial backing to the Anderson brand, and Anderson's existing product lines will continue to be sold only through its established circuit of distributors. "This really allows the Anderson family to take their chips off the table," said Don Finkell, president and CEO of Anderson Hardwood Floors. "[Shaw] resources will potentially be placed behind Anderson. In the long term, I think it will help us be competitive in the marketplace."
Hardwood Floors E-News, October 1, 2007; Issue: 325

Armstrong Acquires Capella, HomerWood

Armstrong World Industries Inc. (Lancaster, Pa.), the parent company of Armstrong, has acquired both Capella Engineered Wood LLC (Vicksburg, Miss.) and HomerWood Hardwood Floors(Titusville, Pa.), and has also announced a manufacturing joint venture in China that will increase engineered wood flooring capacity. The prices of the acquisitions were not disclosed as of press time.

"These transactions are part of our program to grow Armstrong's flooring business in North America. The investments will reduce our product cost, increase our manufacturing capacity in engineered wood, and significantly expand our portfolio of premium solid wood products," commented President and CEO of Armstrong Flooring Products Americas, Frank Ready.

The Homerwood acquisition adds wide and hand-scraped products to Armstrong's solid wood product lines. Capella manufactures engineered flooring in 3/8- and 3/4-inch thicknesses.

"We've only owned Capella for just under two years, so we were surprised that it happened this quickly," said Capella President Shannon Fuller. "It's a real compliment to us that a company the size and quality of Armstrong would seek us out for acquisition."

Armstrong has said that it intends to keep the Capella brand in place and that there will be no distribution changes for the Capella brand at this time, Fuller said. Capella's 200 employees will retain their seniority, and the number of employees is expected to increase as Armstrong utilizes the plant's capacity. The plant currently operates at about one-third of its capacity, estimated by Fuller to be between 20 and 30 million square feet per year.

No more details on the HomerWood acquisition or the Chinese partnership were available at press time.

Armstrong currently operates 41 plants in 12 countries and has approximately 14,900 employees worldwide. Armstrong has been operating under bankruptcy since the company filed for Chapter 11 in December of 2000 as a consequence of asbestos litigation.

Hardwood Floors E-News Monday, March 20, 2006 Issue 285

BR-111 Top Ranked in Consumer Reports

Miami, Florida, July 13, 2007 BR-111 Exotic Hardwood Flooring recently made its debut appearance in the August 2007 issue of Consume Reports, garnering the 2nd spot among a field of 12 different engineered flooring products that were reviewed by the magazine and receiving a prestigious Quick Pick rating for its popular Brazilian Cherry floor from the BR-111 5/16 Engineered line. BR-111 Brazilian Cherry Engineered rated "Quick Pick" by Consumer Reports for performance and value. Consumer Reports, renowned for its no-nonsense approach to product reviews, rated and compared the virtues of a full range of hard surface flooring products from solid and engineered hardwoods to laminates and ceramic tile in the article entitled Flooring. Latest Isnt Greatest. Products were subjected to a battery of rigorous tests, including simulated foot traffic, dragged-in debris, dropped plates, and exposure to sunlight. Testing continued over several months and was designed to simulate real world usage by the average American homeowner. Consumer Reports magazine is the benchmark for product reports and is an extremely resourceful tool for consumers making large or small purchases, said Jason Strong, executive vice president of sales and marketing at BR-111. We stacked up very well against a variety of major players in the hardwood industry, including Anderson, Bruce and Mohawk, further reinforcing BR-111's commitment and reputation for producing the leading brand of exotic hardwood flooring. BR-111 Engineered is available in 10 exotic and domestic species and is rated as among the best values in real hardwood flooring. Prefinished with crystal clear aluminum oxide, BR-111 Engineered is featured in the Fashion Under Foot merchandising unit and exotic hardwood flooring program. BR-111 continues to be a leader in the exotic hardwood flooring arena, providing products that are recognized for their beauty, performance and overall value. Exciting new hardwood species and innovative products, ranging from prefinished solids to engineered flooring, are researched and developed annually in an on-going effort to achieve the ultimate level of quality and excellence.

This message was sent by: BR-111 Exotic Hardwood Flooring, Aug. 08, 2007