The business of procurement and cultural exchanges by BuildDirect Co-Founder Rob Banks
This past July, I took a trip with my family to Europe. I stayed in Sweden for a while on a farm that dates back to the 1850s. While I was there I saw an example of old European style long board hardwood flooring. Well it was actually pine flooring, so technically that's softwood flooring. I shot this video that explains more. I hope you enjoy the video! … [Read more...]
Here's a video thanking Erica Swallow, who wrote an informative post about CEOs and Founders who use web video. The list included me, along with some people I really admire. Thanks again, Erica - and Mashable.com! … [Read more...]
If you have ever seen a pallet of flooring you'll know what it looks like, the number of boxes, the weight and how it is packaged. If you haven't, then this video may be of value to you. Regardless if you purchase from BuildDirect or another supplier, this is what you can expect to see and experience on the final leg of your purchase. So what should you expect on the day of delivery? Watch this short video to find out: So let's assume you have visited our website, found a product that … [Read more...]
Great show in Germany last week (Jan 16-18th), Domotex is the largest flooring show in Europe. The traffic level felt busier than last year, so hopefully that is a positive reflection of what we can expect in the market this year. The exhibitors were a bit different than years past. A few major players did not attend, particularly in laminate flooring. It felt like the area that housed the Chinese exhibitors was smaller this year, although they were still present. From an innovation perspective … [Read more...]
I normally avoid doing product announcements on my blog. But direct print bamboo floors are different. As bamboo is recognized as a rapidly renewable resource and a low emitting material it is a fabulous option for your flooring. The challenge for some people is that bamboo looks like, well, bamboo. Not everyone loves the look. Further, many of these people absolutely love exotic looking floors, like Brazilian Walnut or Brazilian Cherry, but are not confident that they can purchase these species … [Read more...]
I had the chance to wander around the incredible Richmond Olympic Oval with my co-worker Rob Jones recently. I have a membership to work out at the gym, so we were able to enter the facility when it was closed to the public, hence the footage with no one else present. The building is amazing and absolutely huge inside. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. May 15, 2009 the Richmond News newspaper reported that the Oval has been recognized with a top national award for architecture. "The … [Read more...]
I attended Shanghai Domotex from March 24th to 26th. The show was effected by the global economic times. It is still a very, very big show (10 airport sized hangers full of booths) but number of booths were probably down 30% from last year. I’d estimate traffic was also off approx 30%, but the interesting conclusion drawn from many of the companies that had booths was they figured foreigner traffic was down 90% from two years ago. 90%! That is a huge decline. The local domestic traffic was … [Read more...]
Many of you have had fun and unique food experiences while traveling. Here are a few of mine. After flying all night to Southern China (a 14 hour flight), driving 2 hours to a remote hotel for a breakfast meeting, I walked in and within 2 minutes I was served this: That's a turkey foot. In gelatin. I was in the outskirts of Beijing in a Sichuan restaurant. Authentic Sichuan food is fire hot. I love spicy food, but I had no idea that food could be that hot. Some people must have an iron stomachs, … [Read more...]
This is part 1 of a series of posts that discuss things I see on my travels. I say that they are in the middle of nowhere. The title should read more like 'things you see in places that you, the majority of the population, wouldn't normally visit on a vacation'. But that seems like a mouthful. For the most part these photos or videos will come from my travels while on business in Asia. Some are intended to be educational. Some will surprise you. And some are just good for a laugh. This … [Read more...]
Even in our traditional industry, I was able to connect in real time, face to face, with a peer in the hardwood flooring business. And I managed it through social media. Here's how: … [Read more...]
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