Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.
Issue link: http://kitchenbathdesign.epubxp.com/i/599136
12 | Kitchen & Bath Design News | November 2015 Industry Update { Noteworthy developments impacting the kitchen and bath market } KBDN to Launch New Seminar Series in 2016 Wilmette, IL — A new seminar series aimed at en- hancing the professional skills and proftability of kitchen/bath dealers, designers and related industry professionals will be launched in 2016 by Kitchen & Bath Design News . The educational initiative – the 13th consecutive year of such programming – will bring KBDN "live" to eight major metro markets through an insightful, in-depth program created by Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID, CAPS, the industry's leading design authority. The program will be taught by two experienced, successful professionals. Aimed at kitchen and bath design professionals seeking to optimize their client-engagement skills, "Profitable Client Engagement in the Expanding Digital Age" will addresses how both traditional and virtual showrooms are undergoing a revolutionary change, with the advent of new digital tools, including kitchen/bath-related apps, smart phones, mobile de- vices, augmented-reality and powerful new software. "The focus of this exciting new program will be on creating and marketing proftable client- engagement experiences in both traditional, brick-and-mortar showrooms and virtual environ- ments," said KBDN Publisher Emeritus Eliot Sefrin. Specifc emphasis, Sefrin said, will be on how design frms of all sizes and business models can leverage traditional product displays, cutting-edge digital technologies and updated sales-presentation strat- egies aimed at key client cohorts, including the younger, more digitally savvy consumers currently impacting the market. CEU credit from NKBA will be applicable, Sefrin added. Presenters for the seminar series will be Jennifer Gilmer, CKD, owner of Chevy Chase, MD-based Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, a leading design frm in the greater mid-Atlantic region, and Eric Schimelpfenig, AKBD, a leading authority on cutting-edge technol- ogy impacting the kitchen and bath industry. The seminars are tentatively scheduled as fol- lows: February, Atlanta; March, San Francisco; April, St. Louis; May, Boston; June, Minneapolis; September, Denver; October, Chicago; November, Seattle. Additional details about the seminars, including specifc dates and locations, as well as information for potential sponsors, will be announced in the near future, Sefrin said. K&BA;, FEI Group Conduct Conference Tucson, AZ — FEI Group, a major network of interior fnish con- tractors, wholesale distributors and kitchen/bath showrooms, conducted its annual National Conference here last month, the organization announced. The conference drew some 400 attendees to the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain resort in Marana, AZ, a suburb of Tucson, event organizers said. The conference featured three days of educa- tional and networking events, as well as product exhibits. The Houston-based FEI Group, marking its 18th year as a lead- ing cooperative management company, manages four divisions aimed at entrepreneurial contractor businesses, including K&BA; and KBx – both of which are heavily involved in the kitchen and bath trade. K&BA;, launched in January, is made up of decorative plumb- ing and hardware showrooms, as well as traditional kitchen/ bath retailers. KBx, at eight years old, consists of large, multi- location cabinet wholesale distributors and "whotailers" (companies that sell both wholesale and retail). The other two contractor organizations are focused on the residential foor- ing industry. "For our members, K&BA; ofers a new path in the industry with strong, successful, experienced leadership," the organiza- tion said. Led by industry veteran Eddie Schukar, v.p./kitchen and bath, K&BA; has an infrastructure "that immediately ofers value to every member company [and] ofers programs and services to assist with virtually every aspect of our members' businesses." "For our vendor partners, K&BA; is committed to bringing value and consistent growth," Schukar said. "We have partnered with a select group of leading vendors whose core values are aligned with ours. Our relationships with vendors are key to addressing evolving market dynamics and achieving mutual growth. "This organization is exactly what the decorative plumbing & hardware and kitchen & bath industry need for both showrooms and vendors alike," Schukar added. K&BA; is currently considering dealers/showrooms for mem- bership in select markets. Interested companies can visit www. kandballiance.com to learn more and inquire about membership. 2015 'Art + Science' Seminar Schedule Concludes This Month Wilmette, IL — "Art + Science," the series of all-day seminars being presented in key markets by Kitchen & Bath Design News this year, concludes its 2015 run this month with a program aimed at the Baltimore/Washington, DC metro market. The eight-city seminar series, currently in its third and fnal year, will be presented on Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Doubletree hotel in Silver Spring, MD. The 2015 program previ- ously visited Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Nashville, Cleveland, Kansas City and San Diego, according to KBDN Publisher Emeritus Eliot Sefrin. Corporate co-sponsors of the educational initiative include BEST, DuPont, Hafele America, Jenn-Air, Plain & Fancy, Rev-A-Shelf and Showplace Wood Products. "Art + Science" – subtitled "How Contemporary Design & Cutting-Edge Technology Can Increase Profts & Resonate With Today's New Clients" – was rolled out in 2013. Aimed at kitchen and bath designers looking to refresh their creative talents and expand their technological skills, the seminar was targeted at identifying "what's next" in design and technology so that design professionals can better address the needs of a younger, less- traditional client while increasing company profts. Danze and Gerber Plumbing Fixtures Team Participates In Race2Raise Woodridge, IL — A team from Danze, Inc. and Gerber Plumbing Fixtures recently par- ticipated in the annual Dare2Tri Race2Raise in Chicago, raising money and awareness for this organization and the paratriathletes it supports. The Raise2Raise triathlon course was located in Grant Park and was a sprint relay format of bike, swim and run. The Danze and Gerber team partnered two employees together for each segment of the relay and Dare2Tri added a third person (a paratriathlete) to fll the fnal partner slot of the race (completing the three-person relay team). Several team members from Danze and Gerber Plumbing participated in the Race2Raise, including (from l. to r.): Lovin Saini, Shane Ouyang, Michael Werner, Victoria Stagg Elliott, Amanda Hanlon and Mike Wong.