For the Week of November 4th

Management Changes:

The Neiman Marcus Group Inc. (Dallas specialty retail stores and direct marketing group) has named Marita O'Dea as corporate senior vp, human resources, in addition to her responsibilities as senior vp, Neiman Marcus Stores. O'Dea, joined the company in 1984.

Laufen/United States Ceramic Tile Co. (East Sparta, Ohio, manufacturer and distributor of tile and related products) has added Gary Hill as Midwest regional sales manager. Hill is responsible for sales in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, western New York and West Virginia.

Graphème Branding & Design (Toronto design firm) has hired Richard Garvin as vp and creative director, retail design, and Niels Bjerno as vp client services. Garvin and Bjerno, who both previously worked at Watt IDG, will co-lead the company's expanded retail design practice.

Relocations:

Irving Fixture Corp. (Farmingdale, N.Y., fixture manufacturer) to 45 Ranick Dr. E., Amityville, NY 11701. Phone: 631-789-4600; fax: 631-789-9128.

Store Openings/Contracts:

Stone & Ward (Little Rock, Ark., advertising firm) has been retained by Meineke Discount Muffler Shops Inc. (Charlotte, N.C., automotive services supplier) to handle the national broadcast, print and collateral development for its 900 automobile service stores nationwide.

FB Johnston Group (Chapin, N.C., commercial printer) has been selected by BP (London petroleum and petrochemical company) to produce new pump dispenser graphics and external signage for BP retail outlets throughout the U.S. The project is part of BP's “Harmony” rebranding campaign and calls for FBJ to produce graphics for about 8000 sites over the next three years.

Business Briefs:

Pratt Group West (Los Angeles p-o-p and visual merchandising graphic solutions supplier) has completed the design, production and installation of English Ideas end cap displays for Sephora U.S.A. In March, Pratt rolled out end caps displays to 28 of Sephora's 100 beauty retail stores and will deliver supplies for an additional 35 stores in 2003.

Lamin-Art (Elk Grove, Ill., laminate designer and manufacturer) has broken ground on its new corporate headquarters in Shaumburg, Ill., a northwest suburb of Chicago. The 30,000-square-foot building, designed by Eckenhoff Saunders Architects (Chicago) and being built by Leopardo Construction Inc. (Glendale Heights, Ill.) is scheduled for completion in April 2003.

Junckers Hardwood Inc. (Anaheim, Calif., hardwood flooring distributor) has appointed SeaPac Sales (Kent, Wash.) as its Pacific Northwest distributor. SeaPac has exclusive rights to distribute Junckers products in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. David McCowan, SeaPac western region sales manager, will lead the sales operation.

225 Fifth Avenue (New York wholesale showroom building) has welcomed three new tenants. Cornell Trading Inc., supplier of table and bed linens, housewares and gifts collections, has moved into Suite 625; Ercole, supplier of lighting, wall decor and home accents, has relocated to Suite 1001; and The Italians, supplier of product lines from Italy, has opened in Suite 321.

Awards and Competitions:

VM SD magazine made a gift of $2000 in the form of an unrestricted grant to Art Center of Design, in Pasadena, Calif. The grant was presented September 20 during an awards luncheon at the second annual VM SD International Retail Design Conference. The VM SD Educational Grant will be awarded each year to a design school or design department of a university located in the host city/region of the VM SD International Retail Design Conference. Next year's conference will be staged at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Sept. 17- 19, 2003. The intention is to help fund the future of retail design by assuring that there will be a flow of qualified, skilled graduates entering the workplace. For more information, contact VM SD at 513-421-2050 or through its web site at www.vmsd.com.

Martin Professional Inc. (Copenhagen, Denmark, lighting manufacturer and distributor) presented its second annual Intelligent Lighting Technology Grant to the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Department of Theatre. The grant is valued at $50,000 and includes Martin fixtures and control products, technical training and support from Martin employees, and quarterly seminars on emerging technologies and application discussions. Martin awards the grant to an accredited college or university in the U.S. each year. For more information, call 303-469-4728 or visit web site www.martin.dk.

Rose Displays Ltd. (Salem, Mass., signware supplier) has created a Design Award Scholarship for students from The Academy of Art College (San Francisco) and The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising/FIDM (headquartered in Los Angeles with campuses in Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco). Students will participate in an in-depth, semester-long design challenge involving signage, graphics and visual display. A panel of judges from Rose Displays and each school will evaluate the work and award the scholarships.

Mithun architects designers planners (Seattle firm) was recognized for its design of IslandWood, a Bainbridge Island learning facility dedicated to teaching environmental stewardship to young people, with a Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED program is a national standard for rating how well a building conserves natural resources and reduces its impact on the environment. Mithun implemented several environmentally sustainable design strategies at IslandWood, including solar-heated water, recycled carpet, solar heating, recycled glass, photovoltaics for lighting and electricity, composting toilets and renewable resource flooring.

Advance Transformer Co. (Rosemont, Ill., ballast manufacturer) was awarded the 2001-2002 Supplier of the Year award from Affiliated Distributors (A-D, King of Prussia, Pa., network of independent electrical and industrial product distributors). The award recognizes the company's achievements in customer service, sales promotion, training, marketing and technological support.

Pratt Corp. (Indianapolis p-o-p and visual merchandising graphic solutions supplier) was recognized as an Indiana Growth 100 Company by the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, part of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. The recognition honors Indiana's leading high-potential, high-growth companies with annual sales of at least $1 million.