NewslineVolume V, Issue 6 - March 29, 2004The Carpet and Rug Institute news for industry executives
Special Edition - CRI Issues ConferenceThe CRI Issues Conference was held at Stone Mountain, Ga., at the Evergreen Conference Center on March 10 and 11. The event was well attended (115 total) by people from all across the carpet industry as well as ally associations, and invited guests. We would like to use this Special Edition of Newsline to highlight some of the happenings from the event. In This Issue: Plenary SessionWerner Braun outlined the 2003 successes at CRI, including the transition from trade association to business model. He also laid the foreground for most of the topics which would be broached during the two-day conference. Steve Bradfield opened his report on the market committee by explaining the mission of the group. Mr. Bradfield went over the key messages currently being disseminated, and showed the amount of money projected for the 2004 marketing/communications budget and where last year's monies were spent. Dr. Bob Peoples gave an overview of the organization, including challenges and funding issues. John Miller summarized International threats and challenges currently affecting the carpet industry as well as potential threats on the horizon. Frank Hurd went into great detail on a new initiative currently underway in the state of California involving Indoor Air Quality testing that could have far ranging effects on CRI's Green Label program and the industry as a whole. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428.2123. Technical Breakout SessionsDr. Michael Berry gave a presentation on the newly formed International Flooring Sciences Advisory Board and the soon-to-be up-and-running "International Journal of Flooring Sciences." Carey Mitchell spoke briefly about the issue of PFOA and where the industry stood on it in regards to the EPA assessment. Dr. Howard Elder gave an update on the MTS Sustainable Textile Standard. Jim Sprague led a discussion of coal fly ash, a new high-performance mineral filler for improved sustainability in the carpet industry. Dr. Michael Berry opened the morning session on March 11 with discussion on the Blue Ribbon Carpet Assessment. Ken McIntosh led an open discussion on California 01350, including standards detail, testing requirements and special caprolactam testing being done. Carey Mitchell led the discussion on the exploration of an indoor air quality testing program for hard surface flooring as mandated by the CRI Board of Directors. Jim Hartzfield gave an update on the changes that had been made in the LEED program over the past year. Carey Mitchell went over the new Cleaning Chemicals Certification Program and Dr. Alan E. Luedtke gave an update on the Cleaning Systems Certification Program. Lloyd Stark gave a report on X-Ray Fluorescence and what it means to the industry. Contact Ken McIntosh at 706.428.2105. Governmental Breakout SessionsThe GIC heard a presentation from Billy Mitchell. His company specializes in helping secure and validate individual company's workforces. John Miller and Roy Bowen updated the group on issues currently being monitored within the state legislature. Jenn Mendez gave a report on the current bills being monitored in various states across the country. Frank Hurd gave a summary of events currently under review at the Federal level. John Miller spoke about the recent formation of the World Carpet & Rug Council (WCRC) and the CRI Political Action Committee. PANEL 1 on March 11: Georgia Senator Robert Lamutt spoke to the group about the Georgia Assembly perspective with regard to trade issues in a generic sense and also addressed manufacturing and job issues in the state of Georgia, the visibility of the carpet industry in Atlanta and what northwest Georgia can do to enhance exposure in Atlanta. Chris Riley from Congressman Deal's DC office addressed the group regarding trade issues from a Northwest Georgia perspective. He addressed employment, the economy, manufacturing, and the threat of foreign trade and job loss. Greg Wright from Senator Chambliss' Office in Georgia gave the group the overall Georgia perspective. He shared where foreign competition is affecting jobs in Georgia, as well as federal action that is currently being undertaken to address the issue. PANEL 2: Jim Leonard shared his perspective on work that the Department of Commerce is doing to improve trade conditions in the US and keeping companies from going offshore. Jock Nash emphasized that more needs to be done. He stated that this is a serious situation that shows very little hope of improvement without some serious action being taken. Paul O'Day presented the perspective of the textile industry. The textile industry in the US has been one of the hardest hit by the trade issue. Contact Frank Hurd at 706.428.2136. Market Issues Breakout SessionsSteve Bradfield gave an update on the Market Issues Committee Structure saying after some thorough discussion it had been decided to restructure the Market Issues Committee to encompass both the Commercial and Residential Caucuses under one umbrella. Mr. Bradfield then led a discussion of the market surveys in hopes of finding the next steps in the path forward on market research. In searching for the best possible way to get bang for the buck, the idea of an online survey was also floated and generated a lot of interest. Joan Seelaus showed the group two new videos for Health Care and School Audiences addressing cleaning and maintenance issues. To open the March 11 session, Joan Seelaus briefly brought to everyone's attention two new publications available as handouts to the MIC members. Both publications, which will be available on the CRI website, provide CRI-recommended methods for carpet cleaning and maintenance. Mr. Bradfield turned the meeting over to John Bell with Ogilvy Public Relations who led an interactive session on CRI's image and reputation in the public arena. Committee members engaged in a discussion of future steps and desired outcomes. Tom Ellis led an open discussion on the industry's stance on antimicrobials. CRI currently has a white paper on the subject on the website, but after reviewing the information, it was recommended it be sent back to the CRI general counsel for additional language and then on to the CRI Policy Committee for consideration. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428.2123. Post-Conference Survey ResultsFollowing the conclusion of the conference, attendees were asked to fill out surveys to give feedback so CRI could evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the event. The response on the surveys was right at 30 percent and the majority of the comments were positive. Attendees were asked to rate each session attended from 1-to-5 with 5 representing excellent and 1 representing no value. Overall, the Plenary session received a 4.2 rating, the Technical breakout sessions received a 3.96, the Governmental breakout sessions tallied 3.83, and the Marketing Issues breakout sessions were rated at 4.43. In addition, opinions of the CRI Issues Conference showed that 88% of the attendees liked the location of the event, 88% felt like the sessions and overall length of the event was just right, 73% liked the concurrent breakout agenda, and 96% of attendees recommend that CRI hold an Issues Conference in 2005. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428.2123. CRI Meetings* Market Issues Work Group, April 12, 12 noon - 3 p.m., CRI Boardroom CRI Participation in Upcoming Events* EnvironDesign8, April 21-23, Minneapolis, Minnesota If you are aware of other events that present significant opportunities to deliver our messages to our critical audiences, please contact Louise Dobbs at 706.428.2104. Check our website calendar for other industry related events |
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