NewslineVolume VII, Issue 13 - June 9, 2006The Carpet and Rug Institute news for industry executives
In This Issue: Seelaus Accepts Position at Fannie MaeJoan Seelaus, CRI's Director of Communications for the past three years, has accepted a new position in the Marketing/Online Services Department in the Single-Family Business division of Fannie Mae. Joan will report to her new job in Washington D.C. on July 10th and will continue to work at CRI through June 30th. Seelaus came to CRI in August of 2001 after a six-year stint at the Bivings Group, a strategic communications consulting firm based in Washington D.C. She served CRI first in the capacity of Manager of Electronic Advocacy before being named Director of Communications in June 2003. "It is a real pleasure to see Joan's wonderful talents recognized by others just as they have been here at CRI by both staff and members. It has been a personal pleasure working with Joan and watching her professional growth. I wish her all the best in her new career, and I hope she knows how much her efforts here at CRI have been appreciated and how much she will be missed," said Werner Braun, CRI President. In her role as head of communications and market issues, Seelaus oversaw several major transitions of the department, including the implementation of CRI's market surveys and the organization's re-branding effort, which included developing a new message platform, family of logos, and a redesigned website. In addition, she was responsible for the launch and marketing of CRI's new signature programs, Seal of Approval and Green Label Plus, and served as a communications liaison with segments of the industry including manufacturing, retail, and cleaning, and with community, state and national organizations. Seelaus, a native of Philadelphia and graduate of William & Mary, has eleven years of experience working on Internet-related projects, including website and database design, programming, operations management and quality control, and computer training. In addition, she worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as a legislative aide and computer systems administrator. Prior to that she worked in the Washington office of the Virginia Governor, where she advised Congressional staff on Virginia's position on federal issues. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428-2123. CRI Seal of Approval Program featured in Housekeeping Channel.com Article
The Housekeeping Channel is a focused media and consumer resource in the cleaning, motivation, home organization and indoor environment categories that is frequently consulted by the online and print press as a source of factual information for articles in women's, family, consumer and general interest publications. Contact James Beach at 706.428.2116. Green Seal, EPA Battle Over CertificationGreen Seal, which sets standards and provides certification for environmentally friendly cleaning, has issued a statement condemning a recent comparison of the organization's GS-37 standard and the Environmental Protection Agency's Design for the Environment (DfE) program. In the statement, Green Seal President and Chief Executive Officer Arthur Weismann writes, "Green Seal deplores the decision by EPA DfE and its contractor, GreenBlue, to create divisiveness in the marketplace in this way. ... But Green Seal must respond to the marketing piece put out by DfE because it gives an inaccurate and incomplete picture both of our program and theirs." In addition to highlighting numerous differences between the programs, in its comparison the DfE claims that its Formulator Program is more extensive. Contact James Beach at 706.428-2116. Annual IICRC Manufacturer's Liaison Seminar SetThe Annual Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) Carpet Manufacturer's Liaison Seminar will be held June 15th at the Dalton Convention and Trade Center. The meeting will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and lunch will be served. CRI President Werner Braun will be among those presenting at the annual meeting, providing an update on CRI activities. Also scheduled to present at the meeting are:
Anyone interested in attending should RSVP to Ruth Travis by June 12th at 615.794.0250. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428-2123. Mold Standard Soon to be Available for Peer Review and ANSI Public ReviewThe Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) recently announced that the IICRC S520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation will be available for IICRC Peer Review and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Public Review Process in late June. The document is currently in final stages of editing and legal review. Reviewers will have 45 days to read and comment on the S520 Standard and Reference Guide. A copy of the S520 will be available to reviewers, along with a format for comments. If you are interested in being a reviewer for the S520 please go to the IICRC web site and register. Instructions and information will then be sent to you when the review process is opened at the end of June. The IICRC S520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation was first published in December 2003. Soon after, the IICRC Standards Committee began to update and fully review the document, a process which lasted two years. It was then sent to an editing committee and reviewed by a legal team. The final IICRC S520 document is scheduled for completion by late 2006 and will be ready for printing and circulation at that time. Contact James Beach at 706.428-2116. CRI Sponsoring Installation Training SessionsCRI is sponsoring a series of floor covering installation training sessions to be held at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College located in Gulfport, MS. The program, which will begin June 12th, is part of a larger effort to support the communities recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The carpet industry's assistance in developing an installation training program will help ensure quality installations of floor covering products as reconstruction of homes and other buildings continues in the Gulf region. Each training session, which will provide an introduction to installation of carpet and will accommodate up to 15 students, will last three weeks and conclude with a written exam and official certification from the College. CRI's manufacturing members have committed to supporting the program - by providing instructors and materials - for at least two rounds of training sessions, before the program is turned over to the College, which will continue the program using instructors certified through the course. The program curriculum has been developed with input from the carpet manufacturing members of CRI. Contact Ken McIntosh 706.428-2105. Grubb, Poston Attend Final CRI MeetingsGarnett Grubb and Thomas Poston recently performed their final duties as members of CRI committees. CRI appreciates their time, dedication and hard work on behalf of the industry. Grubb, a client services manager at the Southern Company, has retired from the company and attended his final Government Issues Committee meeting this week. Poston, Sr. Technical Sales Representative for Daikin America, Inc., has taken a new home base with the company and will be moving to North Carolina. Poston has been a member of the Market Issues Committee and recently attended his final meeting in that capacity. Best wishes to both and again thanks for your many contributions. Contact James Beach at 706.428-2116. CEU Administrator Training Session Set For June 23rdThe CRI will conduct a training session for CEU administrators on Friday, June 23rd from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. CEU administrators are CRI member company representatives responsible for designating appropriate certified instructors within their companies who can teach the CRI courses in the marketplace. Administrators also take care of paperwork and other responsibilities as required by the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC). The following CRI-approved courses have been certified by the IDCEC and will be made available to qualifying instructors:
Contact Pat Jennings at 706.428-2126 CA Gold Sustainable Carpet Standard IssuesThe California Department of General Services (DGS) has issued their CA Gold Sustainable Carpet Standard based on our ANSI Draft Standard for Trial use (NSF 140). The procurement requirement goes into effect September 1 and is in force as long as there are three competitive options available. There are several requirements that go beyond those of the ANSI Draft Standard and the California standard covers both broadloom and tile. The Management Memo (MM 06-08) signed by Ron Joseph, Director for DGS, which mandates that all carpet purchased by the State of California after August 31, 2006 meet the Standard is now available on the State of California website. The Standard is also available on the website. Contact Bob Peoples at 706.428-2115. CRI Meetings
* Operating Committee, June 20, 9:00 - 11:00 am CRI Participation in Upcoming Events* Connections Trade and Convention Show, September 21-23, Las Vegas, NV If you are aware of other events that present significant opportunities to deliver our messages to our critical audiences, please contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428.2123. Check our website calendar for other industry related events |
 |
|
|
