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• At its board meeting on April 9, the NKBA named Don Sciolaro as its permanent CEO. Sara Ann Busby, CKD and current president, made the announcement at the start of the annual NKBA Board of Directors’ Cocktail Reception and Gala on April 10. She later told KBDN that Sciolaro was elected unanimously with the full support of the NKBA’s members, and that the association and its members are very excited to have Sciolaro on board to lead them in a new direction (see related story). Busby said that his experience was vetted in the month prior to K/BIS, and because of his calm demeanor and cool head through the rigors of setting up for the industry’s biggest show, among other things, he was the best choice for where the NKBA is headed, following a close to 20% growth in membership in two years, a huge increase in education opportunities and a commitment to legislative issues.
• Eliot Sefrin, editorial director and publisher of Kitchen & Bath Design News and KitchenBathDesign.com, was officially inducted into the NKBA Hall of Fame (see related story). The 2008 “class” also included industry veteran Ken Rohl of Rohl LLC and long-time industry educator David Newton, CMKBD.
• The winners of the 2007/2008 Student Design Competition were also recognized during the Gala by Connie Edwards, CKD, CBD, and Paul Leuthe. Edwards is with contest sponsor American Woodmark (Timberlake Cabinetry), and Leuthe’s with sponsor Sub-Zero/Wolf.
• At a booth breakfast on April 12, Sub-Zero/Wolf also honored the winners of its biennial Kitchen Design Contest, including the top three: Warner McConaughey, Elaine Cecconi and Phyllis Taylor. Taylor also received the new Designers’ Choice award.
• The winning designs (seven total) revealed several trends, including the advent of smaller, high-quality kitchens; the mixing of materials and textures such as soapstone, concrete, wood, limestone and glass, plus an increased use of carbon stainless steel finishes; the contrast of light and dark in one design; simple, clean lines; repurposing historical furniture pieces for better sustainability; and increased usage of eco-friendly materials.
• Former EPA Administrator and Republican New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman delivered the show’s keynote address on April 11 about sustainability. She said that kitchen/bath pros have a key role in helping to educate the public about lessening environmental impact. She told the audience that selling green kitchen/bath design and products is very similar to selling eco-sensitive public policy: it’s about getting people to do something for the common good.
• Whitman’s talk was about something that is very close to the NKBA president’s heart. Busby told KBDN that she is all about sustainability, and that topic was prominent at this year’s show, from the green conference seminars to the plethora of green products on the show floor.
• For example, Jonas Carnemark, CR, CKD, led the NKBA Special Focus Event called Implementing Sustainability, during which he provided an in-depth look at what companies across the country are doing to incorporate eco-friendly design and construction. He also offered a list of websites where designers and dealers could go to learn more about the green movement, eco-sensitive products, green building guidelines, green industry certifications and industry shows devoted to green design.
• Patti Weaver also spoke at the NKBA’s Center Stage about the wide array of green products and resources available to dealers and designers today, as well as about how to be green in the office.
• On the show floor products and displays that were sustainable and promoted health and well-being were prominent.
• At the DPHA breakfast on April 12, the association talked about the Industry Data Warehouse, which is software being developed as a way for manufacturers to convey pricing and specs to DPHA-member dealers the minute there are product updates, changes or additions. It also announced that its seventh annual conference will be in Phoenix, AZ later this year.
• Michael Rockstroh of the RB Stategy Group also spoke at the DPHA breakfast about his “competitive strategy roadmap for a changing home market.” He asserted that the kitchen and bath market is currently in a recession, even though DPHA members mostly reported holding steady through the first quarter of ’08. He told attendees that their aim in a changing market is to be sustainable against competition. To do that, he advised members to implement smart business strategy and examine ways to streamline business practices instead of cutting costs across the boards.
• In addition to the economy, charity and fundraising were also big on the minds of kitchen/bath companies. For example, on April 12 Home Depot was honored by the Storehouse World of Vision for its support of revitalizing low-income communities. It received Storehouse’s annual Crystal Vision award, which recognizes industry leaders who together help more than 1.6 million people each year via the Storehouse. Your Other Warehouse, a div. of Home Depot, received Storehouse’s Distributor of the Year award for its donation of excess inventory to Storehouse since 2000.
• Electrolux announced that it will be joining Kelly Ripa in supporting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). In addition to an interactive website promotion that will raise money for the OCRF that involves an online game – available at www.kellysbags.com from April 14 to May 18 – where they collect Kelly Ripa’s collection of designer handbags for a chance to win one of 10 suites of Electrolux appliances, Electrolux is also donating a portion of the retail sales of select appliances to the OCRF. The goal is to raise more than $500,000 over the next two years to help fight ovarian cancer.
• Elkay held it annual well-attended event that brings media and designers together to talk trends at La Pomme Rouge. There, conversation, and drinks, flowed easily. Jamie Drake, who created the Vase and Raindrops sinks for Elkay, and Fu-Tung Cheng, who created the Ripple and Cascade sinks for the firm, were on hand to talk design, as well.
• The annual Moen Spa event was held at Altitudes at the W Hotel, where faucets, design, good food, spa treatments and the firm’s Mirrorscapes line came together.
• And at A New Leaf, several manufacturers, including Bear Creek Glass and Elite Bronze, got together to talk trends and products the night before the show floor opened.
• Lastly, KBDN’s editor, Janice Anne Costa, hosted the 2008 Satellite Media Tour (SMT), which was sponsored by Kitchen & Bath Design News and produced in conjunction with DWJ Television. The SMT was filmed live from the show floor, beaming product messages via satellite, radio and podcast directly to consumers watching morning and midday shows, listening to the radio and going online in the top 200 U.S. markets.

Next year’s K/BIS will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, from May 1 to 3, with the conference beginning on April 30. K/BIS 2010 will head back to Chicagoland. See you there!

For more details, trends, news and product coverage from K/BIS 2008, go to the Live Events, Top Headlines and Project Spotlight sections and the Kitchen & Bath Confidential blog. Visit the Product Gallery to view plenty of K/BIS products. Be sure to check out the 3/08, 4/08 and upcoming 6/08 issues of Kitchen & Bath Design News for additional show coverage