Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/446924
C o n s t r u c t i o n M a r k e t p l a c e 5 7 T h u r s d a y, J a n u a r y 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 BC: Bellaterra Home specializes in fine quality wood bathroom vanities with coordinated mirrors, linen cabinets and most recently, matching mosaic tile kits. Distinctive styling and superb craftsman- ship are our trademarks. CM: Who is the end user of Bellaterra Home products? BC: Bellaterra Home sells to homeown- ers looking to remodel, refresh and reen- ergize their homes. This could very easi- ly be a "do it yourself" homeowner with these vanities arriving on your doorstep fully assembled. With that said, we also cater to designers, hospitality projects and new construction. CM: Describe the distinctive styles Bellaterra Home offers. BC: We offer our traditional pieces with a classical hand carved, beautiful wood grain look. We also offer transi- tional pieces with a timeless appeal and a style that really feels like home, as well as contemporary pieces with mar- velous glasswork designs and a modern tone about them. This leading edge fla- vor includes floating vanity styles, tem- pered glass and raised basin designs. CM: What range of vanity sizes does Bellaterra offer? BC: Bellaterra vanity sizes range from 20 inches to 118 inches. Our floating vanities come as narrow as 20 inches for a clean, contemporary look. Our twin basin, classic collection comes as wide as 118 inches, for the more robust attitude. CM: Overall, tell us about the product construction. BC: Bellaterra uses only the finest prod- ucts and processes in the industry in our construction. We offer genuine stone counter tops including Italy White Carrara Marble, Creama Marfil Marble, Black Granite, Baltic Brown Granite, Travertine and Tempered glass sink basins on some models. CM: Tell our readers about the wood Bellaterra Home (Cont'd. from p. 1) products Bellaterra uses. BC: We use solid wood in our cabinetry. All of our finishes are 100 percent water- proof. Luxurious finishes that we offer are Espresso, Walnut, Black, Ebony, Black, and White. Beautiful hand carv- ings are found throughout our products. They are truly pieces of art. CM: What kind of hardware goes into Bellaterra Home products? BC: On all of our drawers, we offer full extension glides. We use BLUM ® soft closing hardware in our cabinetry, a name synonymous with "Quality in Motion." We use only the highest quality, solid hardware on our pieces. These come in different styles and colors to best fit the attitude of the vanity. Specifically, you can find brushed nickel, satin, chrome and crystal throughout our collections. CM: How do Bellaterra Home Vanities arrive to the end user? BC: Our vanities are 100 percent assem- bled and ready to be dressed with your choice of faucet hardware. They come to your door fully protected in an all encom- passing package, accounting for all obstacles shipping may throw at us. We take every precaution to ensure every customer is 100 percent satisfied. CM: What is the warranty on Bellaterra Home's products? BC: Let me start by saying that we com- bine the newest technology standards into the manufacturing process with tradition- al craftsmanship and rigorous inspec- tions, and we assure the consumer that only the finest quality products will be delivered to their home. Having said that, the warranty on all Bellaterra Home bath- room vanities against manufacturer's defects is one year from the date of pur- chase and subject to the original owner. However, all BLUM soft-closing hard- ware is covered under a lifetime warranty. Visit Bellaterra Home at booth #N1763 at KBIS. For more information, go to www.bellaterra-home.com, call 888.928.9918 or email sales@bella terra-home.com. your company. What's your main line of business? JC: Eagle Roofing Products is a family owned manufacturer of concrete roof tiles. We are proud to have celebrated the company's 25th anniversary in 2014. CM: Did your marketing strategy in the past year provide you the overall position you had projected? JC: The market for our products began to show signs of life in late 2012. Overall, we are very pleased with the trajectory of our business in the core markets. Our strategy today is focused on solidifying our position with key customers and reclaiming the price erosion that occurred during the downturn. Since the industry's inception in the 1960s, roof tile manufacturers have done an amazing job marketing the value of our products in our core markets – the Sunbelt states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and California. The strategy worked well due to the natural population migration that has made these states the fastest growing over the past 30-plus years. Our weakness as an industry has been the lack of long-term commitment to mar- keting the value of roof tile in the other 45 states. If you have traveled anywhere out- side of the United States, you know that tile roofing is the world's standard for sloped roofs. The proliferation of asphalt shingles is analogous to the United States. We are responsible for historically focus- ing on fellow roof tile manufacturers as our competitors, as opposed to directing our efforts toward comparing our products to the asphalt shingle market that com- mands at least 90 percent of the sloped roofing market in the United States. CM: What do you anticipate to be your greatest challenge in the year ahead? Eagle Roofing (Cont'd. from p. 1) JC: The greatest challenge for both the manufacturing segment, as well as our roofer and builder partners, will continue to be the acquisition of qualified labor. CM: Are you introducing any new prod- ucts? JC: Going forward, we will focus a great majority of our new product develop- ment efforts on tiles that help us extin- guish the notion that roof tile is 'round and round' and therefore is only utilized on Mediterranean style architecture. Eagle's expansive flat tile offering is an ideal alternative to heavyweight asphalt shingles, wood shake and slate. CM: What distinguishes your products from the competition? JC: Considering that our competition is asphalt shingles, our challenge is overcom- ing the additional upfront cost associated with the installation of a tile roof. For archi- tects, builders and homeowners who desire enhanced curb-appeal, longevity, extreme weather resistance and unparalleled energy efficiency, there really is no comparison. CM: What is your outlook in general for this product line? JC: The roof tile industry will continue to succeed in the Sunbelt region. However, our long-term success will be derived from our ability to expand into markets outside of the Sunbelt. We are currently working through our industry trade associ- ation, the Tile Roofing Institute, to begin offering Certified Installer training to interested roofing contractors in an effort to expand the market for tile roofing. Visit Eagle Roofing Products at booth #C9316. For more information, visit www.eagleroofing.com or call 888.TILE.ROOF. West Virginia companies under the West Virginia Export Promotion Program. Tell us about that program. ED: We assist West Virginia companies as they grow their international markets. Our main offering is international events that connect West Virginia companies with potential business partners in other countries. Exporters, not only in West Virginia but all over the United States, tend to sell to one or two countries or markets only, and 96 percent of potential customers are in other countries, so there is great potential to increase business. That is why programs like ours are very important. We not only help companies that have never exported but have the potential to export, but we also help experienced exporters penetrate addition- al markets. CM: This program assists West Virginia companies from many categories. What interests your office in construction and brings you to IBS? ED: The building sector is an important sector in West Virginia. We have so many natural resources including hardwood lumber – in fact, 70 percent of our state is forested. We have a lot of companies involved in lumber and wood products, and these are key companies to West Virginia. But we also have companies that manufacture unique machinery, produce construction coatings, as well as other types of construction-related products. CM: You work with many construction- related companies in West Virginia. Why these particular five companies for the show? ED: These are examples of West Virginia companies that offer products of interest to the home building sector. Visitors to our booth will get to learn about a wide range of products. Terramite is a leading manufacturer of compact tractor back- hoes. They created this product 50 years ago, and they're very popular and unique. West Virginia (Cont'd. from p. 1) We have a wide-plank hardwood flooring company, Mountain Craft Wide Plank, that produces interesting products. Their planks are up to 10 inches wide, and they have more design to them, they're more rustic; not something you can buy at a retail shop. We also have the Micro-Blaster, a highly efficient piece of rock-breaking equipment from the company, EZE- BREAK, that uses microblasts to help contractors, excavators and other field workers remove rock. It's a lightweight, portable, easy to operate piece of equip- ment that brings efficiency to a worksite. Appalachian Log Structures is a family owned West Virginia company manufac- turing beautiful durable log homes. We also have a producer of construction coatings. Multicoat offers concrete restoration, waterproofing, sealers and other coatings for both new construction and renovation work. CM: Your export program has brought West Virginia companies to more than 50 international trade shows and trade mis- sions. What's been the response to the construction-related companies involved in these events? ED: It's been great response. Just in terms of hardwoods and wood products, there's a high demand for American prod- ucts around the world; particularly in countries like China, Vietnam and European countries, where there is sig- nificant housing construction and furni- ture manufacturing taking place. But building products in general, like mold- ing and other products, do very well. The companies that work with us have gener- ated a lot of new business. What happens after these international events is, compa- nies enter into distributorship agree- ments, or they start a relationship with an agent who will represent them in a par- ticular country, and the program helps companies make these connections. For more information, visit booth #S1467, go to www.worldtradewv.com, call 304.957.2018 or email Ms. Diaz at enybe.diaz@wv.gov.