Newsline
Volume VI, Issue 5 - March 4, 2005
The Carpet and Rug Institute news for industry executives
In This Issue:
-- Forbes, Fortune, Good Housekeeping Magazines Interview CRI's Braun
-- Carpet Fiber Extrusion Workshop Slated
-- Mold Remediation Limits Being Considered
-- Braun Keynote Speaker For PCS Meeting
-- Congressmen Stress Importance of Natural Gas
-- Web-Enabled Political Participation on the Rise
-- CRI Meetings
-- CRI Participation in Upcoming Events
Reminder - CRI 2nd Annual Spring Issues Conference
If you have not registered for the Issues Conference please do so as soon as
possible. The deadline for CRI's special group rate pricing for hotel rooms
has already passed, but rooms are still available. The meeting -- for CRI members
and ally associations -- will be held March 15-18, 2005, at the Renaissance
PineIsle Resort & Golf Club, Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia.
The conference agenda, along with registration and hotel reservation forms,
are posted on the CRI website. Registration and reservations can be made online.
We look forward to having you join us and participate in the Issues Conference.
If you have questions or need more information, contact Pat Jennings at 706.428.2126.
Forbes, Fortune, Good Housekeeping Magazines Interview CRI's Braun
CRI President Werner Braun was recently interviewed by three different major
media publications. Braun gave briefings regarding the carpet industry to both
Forbes Magazine and Fortune Magazine and was interviewed by Good Housekeeping's
cleaning editor, who focused on CRI's new Seal of Approval testing program for
carpet cleaning products.
For more information contact James Beach at 706.428.2116.
Carpet
Fiber Extrusion Workshop Slated
Dalton State College will host a workshop entitled "Carpet Fiber Extrusion"
on March 24th. It is the fourth of a series organized by Dalton State College
and the School of Polymer, Textile and Fiber Enginerring (PTFE) at Georgia Tech.
Sponsorship and support is being provided by the PTFE Carpet Endowment Fund.
The workshop will benefit anyone in the carpet industry needing an introduction
to polymer science and engineering. Those who will benefit from the workshop
include: engineers, managers, sales and marketing personnel, vendors, chemists,
machinery manufacturers, dyers and finishers, and prodcution personnel.
The workshop will provide the particpants with the fundamentals of carpet fiber
extrusion. Topics covered in the workshop include:
- Polymer Properties and Fiber Extrusion
- Structure Development in Fiber Extrusion Processes
- Fiber Properties and Process Parameters
- Finish Formulation and Finish Related Extrusion Problems
- Crimping and Air Entangling of Carpet Yarns
- Coloration and Color Control in Carpet Yarn Extrusion
For more information on the
workshop visit the Georgia Tech website
Mold Remediation Limits Being Considered
The Alliance of American Insurers (AAI) is working with the Georgia Insurance
Commission to develop standard language for mold coverage in homeowner's and
commercial insurance policies. Under provisions of the changes, mold remediators
could soon see their profit margins limited.
AAI said Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has said that he wants to protect
property owners. They also quoted the commissioner as saying he would consider
"placing (in insurance plans) limits for the cost of mold remediation."
Georgia is the latest state to consider such limitations. Three-dozen states
currently have limits, most of which have been implemented in the past year
as mold contamination has become a controversial, high-profile issue.
The insurance commission has not set any timetable or deadline for the 340-member
AAI to submit proposed language to the department, but an AAI spokesperson said
it is expected to take weeks to reach a consensus.
Contact Frank Hurd at 706.428.2136.
Braun
Keynote Speaker For PCS Meeting
CRI President Werner Braun served as keynote speaker for the Professional Carpet
Systems Annual Meeting recently in Tampa, Florida. Braun gave a presentation
to the group regarding CRI and how it could benefit their members, and was the
keynote speaker for the awards program.
The meeting was attended by several carpet cleaning manufacturers who met with
Braun afterwards to discuss CRI's Seal of Approval program and agreed to send
in their products to be tested.
The CRI
Seal of Approval program tests products for efficacy, resoiling, pH, optical
brighteners, and colorfastness to light. Thus far, twelve spot removers, two
pre-spray solutions, and one in-tank cleaner have been certified since the program
was launched in November 2004. The Seal of Approval certifies that the product
has passed the program's rigorous testing protocol.
For more information on having Mr. Braun secured as a speaker please contact
James Beach at 706.428.2116.
Congressmen Stress Importance of Natural Gas
In a recent joint op-ed for the Houston Chronicle, U.S. Representatives Gene
Green, a Texas Democrat, and Lee Terry, a Nebraska Republican, discussed the
importance of an affordable natural gas supply for America's economy. The legislators
stressed the need for new liquid natural gas (LNG) facilities that would allow
for additional import capacity. Although more than 30 new LNG facilities are
being planned throughout North America, many face fierce opposition from "not
in my backyard" critics. Representatives Green and Terry cautioned that
high LNG prices could eventually force vital industries, such as the chemical
industry, to shift production overseas, "potentially creating a new Rust
Belt along the U.S. Gulf Coast."
Contact Frank Hurd at 706.428-2136
Web-Enabled Political Participation on the Rise
The recent issue of Trend Letter looks at how the growth of online activism
has made it easier for smaller groups to directly lobby Congress on key issues.
"Instant access to information is helping change the political process
in the United States, accelerating our shift away from a strictly representative
democracy toward a more participatory one," the article states. The article
cites the growth of "single issues coalitions" that use the web to
organize and lobby around a single issue or legislative proposal, and notes
how small businesses can use the internet to lobby state and national officials
and rally grassroots support on issues affecting their business.
Contact Frank Hurd at 706.428-2136.
CRI Meetings
* VOC Issue Management Team, March 8, 12:00- 2:00 pm
* Technical Issues Committee, March 9, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
* CRI Issues Conference, March 15-18, Renaissance PineIsle Resort & Golf
Club, Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia
CRI Participation in Upcoming Events
* American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAI) 61st Annual Meeting,
March 18-22, San Antonio, Texas
* Connections Convention and Trade Show, April 18-20, Orlando, Florida
* EnvironDesign9, April 20-22, New York, New York
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
