In a ceremony at last month’s Surfaces trade show in Las Vegas, the winners of the Schönox Worst Subfloor in North America Contest™ were announced.  The winners were as follows:
Finished                         Company                              Representative                     Location
First Place:                    Pavilion Floors                     Peter Kousounadis              Woburn, MA
Second Place:               Integrity Floors                     Tommy Malone                  Dallas, TX
Third Place:                  Redi Carpet                          Ken Leadingham                 Kennesaw, GA
The Schönox Worst Subfloor in North America Contest™ is an opportunity for any company charged with making a damaged subfloor smooth and sound to show the tough subfloor conditions that they encountered and how they renovated them using Schönox products.  The Contest entries were independently judged with first, second, and third place winners awarded Schönox products based on the severity of the original subfloor’s condition, the skill and attention to detail taken in executing the project, and the quality of the finished subfloor.  John McGrath (Director, INSTALL,) Lew Migliore (President, LGM and Associates Technical Flooring Services,) and Jim Walker (CEO, International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association / CFI) served as the judges for the Contest.
“The Schönox Contest is a great opportunity for flooring installers to showcase the critical skills and tangible value that they bring to projects,” explained Lew Migliore, LGM and Associates President.  “When studying the Contest entries, I was excited to see the pride, esteem, and respect that each company demonstrated in what they were doing and how they approached their projects; well done to each and every one of them.”  This was the first year for the Contest beginning with the fundamental question, Is your company working on a project that has what might be the worst subfloor in North America?  Those entering the Contest were asked to photograph the subfloor conditions before and after the subfloor renovation project and submit the photos, along with detailed project information.
Geoff Gordon and Ron Lee with Fuse Commercial Flooring Alliance accepted the first place award on behalf of Pavilion Floors, who are Fuse members.  “The state of the art Schönox subfloor products now available in North America are changing the way projects are done, elevating the quality of those projects,” commented Geoff Gordon, Fuse Executive Director.  The Worst Subfloor in North America Contest™ for 2015 kicks off on April 1^st.   “The Contest is another strong opportunity for Schönox to be fully connected with the flooring work that goes on in the field under tough conditions,” commented Thomas Trissl, HPS Schönox Principal. “Our product development and technical support efforts are directly impacted by what we learn from flooring professionals who are making projects happen each day.”
Installers, flooring professionals, distributors, and contractors gathered at the HPS Schönox trade show booth to learn about the winning entries.  Pavilion Floors tackled a 90 year old wood subfloor in a student housing facility using Schönox Renotex and Schönox APF to create a subfloor that was smooth, sound, and strong.  Integrity Floors faced a subfloor with height variations of one to four inches at North Park Mall in Dallas using a collection of Schönox subfloor products to correct the situation.  Mac Dutcher with Adleta supplied the Schönox products for the Integrity Floors project.  “Simply said, Schönox is not just another supplier to us,” explained Mac Dutcher, Adleta Sales and Product Manager – Diversified Floors.  “Schönox provides technical support from the beginning to the end of projects and the results show it.”  The multi-family housing project submitted for the Contest by Redi Carpet had gypsum based subfloors that were cracked and physically moved when traversed.  William M. Bird supplied the Schönox subfloor product systems that eliminated the unsound subfloor characteristics over the course of a single afternoon of subfloor work demonstrating the flexibility of Schönox products across both commercial and residential projects.
“We would like to thank every company that entered the Contest; each is a real professional that we look forward to supporting each day,” commented Karen Bellinger, HPS Schönox Business Development.  “One of the tangible investments we have made in that support effort is the creation of the HPS Training Center in Florence, AL which was recently finished.  The HPS Training Center features conference, educational, and hands-on training spaces designed specifically to help flooring professionals.  “We are looking forward to the Contest entries we will see in 2015 and the new customers we will be able to help overcome the most challenging subfloors in North America,” commented Doug Young, HPS Schönox Executive Vice President.  “My thanks as well to everyone who participated in the Contest and made this first year for it a resounding success.”
About HPS Schönox: HPS North America, Inc., a division of TMT America, has partnered with Schönox® to be the sole importer of the complete Schönox product array to North America including primers & moisture mitigation systems, subfloor repair products, floor leveling compounds, adhesives, and waterproofing materials for installing all types of floor coverings. The trademark Schönox®, with its unique problem solvers and product systems, was created for professional use.
If you would like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview, please call Felicia Golliver at 855-391-2649 or email her at fgolliver@hpsubfloors.com. Our corporate office is located at:  515 Wilhite Street, Florence, AL  35630.  We welcome the opportunity to talk with you.