NewslineVolume IV, Issue 4 - February 6, 2003CRI Staff Meets With Las Vegas School DistrictCRI President, Werner Braun, and staff member James Beach, met with Fred Smith, Clark County School District Assistant Superintendent and Facility/Construction Manager, while in Las Vegas for Surfaces. The Clark County School District is currently the fifth largest in the country with 244,000 students enrolled and an average of 12-16 new schools being constructed every year. Mr. Smith said all their facilities have carpet and they just signed a contract with a CRI member. They also have one with another CRI member as well. They are very pleased with their carpet and specify it in all their new construction. The school’s central office has gotten very few complaints over the past few years regarding carpet and/or its role in indoor air quality. They have addressed a few complaints with some teachers on occasion, but they are mostly mold problems. Mr. Smith said some of his operational folks (custodians, etc.) had complained that carpet was too expensive to maintain on a yearly basis, and they preferred the ease and management of VCT flooring. Central office bowed to their wishes on a few schools. Less than a year after VCT installation, those same operational folks said they were wrong and wanted their carpet back. It was easier to maintain and cheaper. They got their carpet back. Mr. Smith was shown a copy of the new Asthma & Allergy CD and was very impressed, although he was already sold on the benefits of carpet. Contact James Beach at 706.428.2116. Dr. John Ouellette, Practicing Allergist, Speaks Out for Carpet on Parenting and Beyond Television SegmentAiring on the Health Network, PAX TV, Food Network and Oxygen, Dr. John Ouellette will tout the “allergen trapping” benefits of carpet. The short segment will also feature a CRI, Seal of Approval carpet cleaner and will reinforce carpet’s “clean and dry” message. The television schedule is:
New CRI Video Release: "Carpet: How it Affects the Indoor Air Quality"Challenging conventional wisdom and using studies and research to support this new thinking, CRI will send the new video as part of its Marketing Plan to 15,000 asthma and allergy physicians. The new website, www.carpet-health-org, will host this video and other studies and research that support the many aspects of carpet’s good news story. Contact Barbara Day at 706.428.2138. New CRI Video Release Gets "Free Advertisement"The new CRI video, “Carpet: How It Affects the Indoor Air Quality,” got some advance free publicity thanks to the Wall Street Journal. In an article which appeared on the front page of the Journal on Wednesday, January 29, 2003, the reporter mentioned that CRI would be distributing a CD to asthma and allergy doctors citing carpet’s ability to trap allergens and keep them out of the air. The article included a quote from CRI staff member James Beach: “Anytime carpet is attacked, we go on the offensive.” The article sparked several phone calls from across the country from asthma and allergy doctors requesting a copy of the video. Contact James Beach at 706.428.2116. CRI Technical Conference PlannedA one-day seminar of technical subjects will be conducted at the Evergreen Marriott in Stone Mountain, Georgia, on Thursday, March 6, 2003. This program will be informative to anyone wishing to stay abreast of important industry issues. Information for registration, due no later than February 17, and program agenda are posted on the CRI website. The program will include presentations by Dr. Michael Berry, CRI President Werner Braun, Dr. Bridgitte Burgess of the University of Georgia and others. The Conference is open only to CRI member companies. For further information search the CRI web site or contact Barbra Wilson at 706.428.2125. CRI Representative Attends Conference at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)Jennifer Mendez of CRI recently returned from Newark, New Jersey where she attended a symposium entitled “Mold and Related Indoor Environmental Issues”. Speakers and panelists presented information on the following topics: Health Effects: What Science Does/Doesn’t Know; When is Mold a Problem and How to Respond; Preventative Measures to Reduce the Risk; Identification, Assessment and Remediation; and Are Your Janitors Helping You or Hurting You? The audience of about 140 persons contained a variety of professionals – attorneys, designers, and facilities managers. Overall the presentations were accurate and informative. However, one of the speakers erroneously identified carpet as a food source for mold. Ms. Mendez took the opportunity during the Question & Answer portion of his presentation to correct the presenter and ask that he modify his presentation to reflect the correction. He agreed to do so. Other speakers echoed the sentiment that carpet is not a food source and the mantra that mold is not a problem if you maintain a clean, dry building. Contact Jennifer Mendez at 703.875.0634. B2B Ecommerce a Hit at SurfacesAt Surfaces on January 29th, a panel of eight floor covering dealers gave first-hand testimony about their experiences using business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce technology. With an audience of upwards of 120 dealers, manufacturers, distributors, software vendors and media, the panel answered questions about: how they prepared for the adoption of electronic commerce in their business operations; the types of electronic documents they currently exchange with trading partners and future planned transactions; the “lessons learned” in the process; and the value that ecommerce has brought to their operations. The overall tone was upbeat and positive; one panelist remarking that the money he saved last year was like writing himself a $50,000 bonus check at the end of the year. Another commented on the need for more of his vendor trading partners to adopt the technology. To learn more, check the B2B website at www.flooringb2bstandard.com. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428.2123. CAREs Request for Proposals (RFP) Available on WebsiteThe Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is now accepting grant proposals for programs which provide for the recycling and/or reuse of post-consumer carpet, or increase the demand for products made from post-consumer carpet. Download the request for proposals (RFP) from the CARE website at www.carpetrecovery.org. Deadline for submissions is March 14, 2003. Grant awards will be announced at CARE’s first annual meeting on April 23-25, 2003, in Sandestin, Florida. Contact Frank Hurd at 706.428.2136. CRI Health & Safety BreakfastThe CRI Safety Committee recently met and discussed plans for the Health and Safety Program Breakfast. The breakfast will be held in early April. The exact date will be publicized in the near future. There had been discussion about adding a third category for CRI member companies other than manufacturing and distribution, but there was not enough interest shown to warrant the addition of another category. It was also decided at the committee meeting that COMPANY AND FACILITY CODE NUMBERS WILL NOT BE USED THIS YEAR. THE COMPANY AND FACILITY NAME WILL APPEAR ON ALL REPORTS PREPARED FROM INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY THE MEMBER COMPANIES. Any member company who has not submitted their information, but would like to participate, can send in the appropriate form no later than Monday, February 10, 2003. Contact Charlott Coker at 706.428.2127. CRI Staff Members Complete Water Damage Restoration CourseBarbra Wilson, Technical Information Manager, and Louise Dobbs, Technical Advocacy Manager, have completed the Clean Care Seminars “Advanced Water Damage Restoration” course held in Dothan, Alabama. The three-day course included hands-on training in the principles of scientific drying as well as the use of psychrometry and permeance factors to attain effective restoration of water damaged materials and structures. Contact Louise Dobbs at 706.428.2104. MeetingsThe following CRI Meetings are scheduled:
CRI participation in upcoming events:
Check our website calendar for other industry related events |
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