STODDARD, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, a 47-year old luxury brand that manufactures wood flooring with luxurious finishes, hand sculpted designs and thoughtful personal touches, today announced the launch of the Carlisle Master Craftsman(CMC) training program designed to provide professional floor installers with access to comprehensive training resources on how to install wide plank flooring to satisfy the most discerning clientele.

This exclusive program will provide Carlisle installers with access to online training videos on a variety of topics including Carlisles philosophy, the key to greater profits and the delivery and installation processes. A full training platform will test installers knowledge on everything from Understanding Wood Grains and Homeowners Finish Choices to Delivery and Acclimation to Understanding Job Site Conditions. After completing the training, installers will have the opportunity to become one of Carlisles Certified Master Craftsman.

We are very excited about this partnership program, said Chris Sy, National Sales Director at Carlisle Wide Plank Floors. The CMC program will make it easier for our customers to find a truly outstanding craftsman for their floor, while providing our trusted installers with comprehensive training resources.

He adds, The goal of the program is to provide the best service to homeowners and installers, making every project run smoother, and accomplishing the ultimate goala stunning work of art on their floor.

To learn more about the CMC Program, visit the Carlisle Master Craftsman site.

ABOUT CARLISLE WIDE PLANK FLOORS

Carlisle Wide Plank Floors is a modern luxury brand offering wood flooring with luxurious finishes, sculpted designs and thoughtful personal touches, along with responsive and unrivaled customer service. Carlisle is attracting new customers with its extensive portfolio of handcrafted luxury wood flooring, custom finishes and proprietary manufacturing process. In 2012, Carlisle Wide Plank Floors will be expanding to Asia and Europe. Carlisle supports the Forest Stewardship Council Principles and Criteria and works only with carefully selected timber growers who uphold the highest standards in sustainability.

Learn more about Carlisle Wide Plank Floors at http://www.wideplankflooring.com or call us at 1.800.595.9663 and follow us on Twitter @CarlisleFloor and on Facebook.com/Carlisle Wide Plank Floors.

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Carlisle Wide Plank Floors Launches the Carlisle Master Craftsman (CMC) Training Program

The public was initially able to walk over the 1,000 square metre (10,700 square feet) carpet of seeds when they went on show, but the work was later cordoned off when dust created by the porcelain raised health fears.

"The 10 tonnes of seeds can be displayed in the form of a one-and-a-half metre (five feet) high conical sculpture, stretching five metres in diameter, or as a 10 centimetre-deep square or rectangle," the Tate said in a statement.

Ai, whose activism has made him a thorn in the side of China's communist authorities, was held in custody for 81 days last year as police rounded up dissidents amid online calls for Arab Spring-style protests in China.

Upon his release in June, the 54-year-old was charged with tax evasion, charges he maintains are politically motivated attempts to silence him.

The gallery said the seeds, which were individually hand-made by artisans in Jingdezhen, eastern China, carried associations of the Cultural Revolution, the chaotic period of Chinese politics between 1966 and 1976.

"Propaganda images depicted Chairman Mao as the sun with the mass of people as sunflowers turning towards him," the Tate said.

Sunflower seeds are a popular street snack in China, while porcelain has traditionally been one of the country's most prized exports.

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Tate Gallery buys Ai Weiwei's 'Sunflower Seeds'

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has sold part of his "Sunflower Seeds" installation to Britain's Tate Gallery, it said on Monday.

The London gallery has bought around eight million of the 100 million porcelain seeds, which covered the floor of the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in 2010, for an undisclosed figure.

The public was initially able to walk over the 1,000 square metre (10,700 square feet) carpet of seeds when they went on show, but the work was later cordoned off when dust created by the porcelain raised health fears.

"The 10 tonnes of seeds can be displayed in the form of a one-and-a-half metre (five feet) high conical sculpture, stretching five metres in diameter, or as a 10 centimetre-deep square or rectangle," the Tate said in a statement.

The Tate Modern displayed the eight million seeds in the cone shape from June until last month.

Ai, whose activism has made him a thorn in the side of China's communist authorities, was held in custody for 81 days last year as police rounded up dissidents amid online calls for Arab Spring-style protests in China.

Upon his release in June, the 54-year-old was charged with tax evasion, charges he maintains are politically motivated attempts to silence him.

The gallery said the seeds, which were individually hand-made by artisans in Jingdezhen, eastern China, carried associations of the Cultural Revolution, the chaotic period of Chinese politics between 1966 and 1976.

"Propaganda images depicted Chairman Mao as the sun with the mass of people as sunflowers turning towards him," the Tate said.

Sunflower seeds are a popular street snack in China, while porcelain has traditionally been one of the country's most prized exports.

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Britain's Tate Gallery buys Ai Weiwei's 'Sunflower Seeds'

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute Awards First Cradle to Cradle Product Certifications to Shaw Industries

Dalton, GA (PRWEB) March 05, 2012

The products are among the first in the world to achieve certification through the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, which independently operates and audits the certification process. Based in San Francisco, California, the Institute was formed in March 2010 by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The Institutes objective is to make the rigorous Cradle to Cradle product certification program (originally founded in 2005 by McDonough and Braungart) more accessible and available to a larger public.

In 2005, Shaw Industries became the first flooring company in the world to introduce fully certified Cradle to Cradle flooring products. Today, nearly 75 percent of the companys sales come from Cradle to Cradle certified product, including residential and commercial carpet, carpet tile, rugs, and hardwood. In addition, the company recently introduced LokDots, the worlds first Silver level Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM installation system, for use with the companys EcoWorx carpet tile.

According to Shaw Vice President of Sustainability Paul Murray, certifying EcoWorx through the new Cradle to Cradle Institute process is a fitting next step for the company that pioneered flooring designed according to Cradle to Cradle principles.

A dedication to Cradle to Cradle principles is an integral part of our commitment to Sustainability through Innovation the Shaw Green Edge, Murray said. Our introduction of EcoWorx carpet tile with Eco Solution Q fiber more than a decade ago changed the definition of sustainable flooring for our industry. Becoming the first flooring manufacturer in the world to earn Cradle to Cradle certification for these products, and subsequently embracing Cradle to Cradle principles across the spectrum of product design, manufacturing, reclamation and reuse continues to help us push the envelope of innovation for both our organization and our industry.

We are proud that the flagship Cradle to Cradle certified flooring product has come full circle and is now among the first products in the world to receive certification via the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institutes new certification process, Murray added.

As the new manager of the Cradle to Cradle certification program, the Institute works with leaders from academia, the NGO environmental community, government, and industry to further Cradle to Cradle as a comprehensive quality rating system for the assessment and continuous improvement of products based on five categories:

Products that meet the criteria of this rating system receive the Cradle to Cradle certified mark. To date, more than 90 companies worldwide have engaged in the Cradle to Cradle certification process through McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), working with assessors MBDC in the United States, and the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Germany.

From the worlds first Cradle to Cradle designed flooring products to their continued development of new Cradle to Cradle products and collections, Shaws commitment to sustainability through innovation is one that clearly embraces and integrates the tenets of Cradle to Cradle design through every aspect of their business, said designer and architect William McDonough. Mr. McDonough and Dr. Michael Braungart co-authored the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, now a seminal text within the sustainable design and business movement.

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Shaw among first to garner Cradle to Cradle Certification via new institute

PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- The Master Plan for the Central Delaware is a 2012 recipient of the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Honor Award, the profession's highest recognition of work that demonstrates excellence in architecture and urban design. Selected from over 700 total submissions, 27 recipients from around the world will be honored at the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington, D.C. on May 18.

The American Institute of Architects has a long tradition of recognizing individuals and organizations for their exceptional achievements in support of the profession of architecture. The Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design highlight the renowned use of architecture in urban design, city planning, and community development and recognize projects that contribute to the quality of the urban environment. The Master Plan for the Central Delaware was one of eight awards distributed in the category of Regional and Urban Design.

This Honor Award acknowledges the vision and reality of the City of Philadelphia's plan for the future of the sweeping Delaware River waterfront. The plan strikes a strong balance between urban design and economic reality, proposing both public and private development to transform and regenerate six miles of waterfront. The plan focuses on implementing new parks, trails, and transit that will catalyze development. Projects will begin first at three priority sites: Spring Garden Street, Penn's Landing and Washington Avenue.

The AIA praised the master plan's goal of providing "a practical implementation strategy for the phasing and funding of public realm enhancements to the waterfront, including the locations of parks, a variety of waterfront trails, and connections to existing upland neighborhoods."

"The Master Plan for the Central Delaware is truly deserving of this honor," said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. "This plan lays out the necessary steps to transform Philadelphia's waterfront. Like many others, I am very excited to see new projects and development occur. I thank the AIA for this recognition."

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation commissioned this plan which was prepared by an incredible team led by Cooper Robertson & Partners, urban designers; KieranTimberlake, architects; OLIN, landscape architects; and H&R&A, economic advisors. The Master Plan advanced the goals and objectives of an extensive civic engagement process led by PennPraxis to bring attention to the future of the Central Delaware River waterfront. Public forums and meetings continued throughout the master plan process, culminating in a public unveiling with over 500 community representatives and stakeholders in June of 2011 prior to the plan's adoption by DRWC.

"We at DRWC are delighted that the master plan is being recognized with this prestigious award, which advances our goal of regenerating the historic Delaware River waterfront as a distinctive and welcoming asset for public use and private investment," said Marilyn Jordan Taylor, Dean University of Pennsylvania School of Design and DRWC Planning Committee Chair. "The award commends not only the exceptional work of the master plan team, but also the commitment of the community members and numerous stakeholders whose participation has truly shaped this plan."

To view the final plan, please visit http://www.plancentraldelaware.com. The full list of master plan team members includes:

About The American Institute of ArchitectsFor over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct to ensure the highest standards in professional practice. Embracing their responsibility to serve society, AIA members engage civic and government leaders and the public in helping find needed solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit http://www.aia.org.

About DRWC: The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) is a nonprofit corporation organized in January 2009, exclusively for the benefit of the City of Philadelphia and its citizens. DRWC acts as the steward of the Delaware River waterfront to provide a benefit to all of the citizens and visitors of the City.

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The Master Plan for the Central Delaware Receives Prestigious Award From the American Institute of Architects

BOSTON, March5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Financial Architects Partners, LLC, a leading estate planning life insurance firm based in Boston, today announced the opening of its fourth regional office in Minneapolis, MN(1), headed by Jon Christie. Mr. Christie will be joining Financial Architects Partners (FAP) as Managing Director. From the Midwest location, he will provide wealth transfer life insurance planning for ultra-affluent families and their advisors. He will be a resource for estate planning attorneys, tax specialists, family offices, and wealth managers helping to integrate the life insurance asset into the families' overall estate and financial planning.

Mr. Christie has over 25 years of life insurance industry experience. Most recently, he founded Christie and Associates in 1986 where he provided diversified financial services for the planning needs of small to mid-market corporations and affluent families. During this time, Mr. Christie focused on complex life insurance planning, designing unique and innovative solutions for each of his clients' estate plans.

David J. Carroll, CEO of FAP commented, "Minneapolis is an important community to us and adding this office enhances the FAP network. Jon Christie has the experience, skills, and reputation that we look for to represent the FAP team. We are thrilled to add Jon as a key member of our national firm, and we look to add additional key personnel to our Minneapolis office in the near future."

Financial Architects Partners is a 40 person firm with offices in Boston, Providence, Minneapolis and Palo Alto consisting of individuals with backgrounds in legal, tax, investment, and life insurance.FAP actively manages over $6B of trust owned life insurance for approximately 225 families. FAP is an independent provider with access to all top US and Canadian carriers and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Financial Partners Corp. NFP, and its benefits, insurance and wealth management businesses provide diversified advisory and brokerage services to companies and high net worth individuals, partnering with them to preserve their assets and prosper over the long term. NFP advisors provide innovative and comprehensive solutions, backed by NFP's national scale and resources. The partnership affords FAP significant carrier leverage in underwriting and product procurement.

(1) Securities and Investment Advisory Services are not available at this location.

Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through NFP Securities Inc.

Member FINRA/SIPC. Financial Architects Partners is an affiliate of NFP Securities, Inc.

and a subsidiary of National Financial Partners Corp (NFP).

Not all individuals using these materials are registered to offer securities or

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Financial Architects Partners Announces Opening of Midwest Office

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Representatives from the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico (SHC-NM), Los Alamos National Bank, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), and a plethora of local and state officials gathered Thursday, March 1, to celebrate the opening of Silver Gardens II, the second and final phase of Silver Gardens Apartments.

Photos accompanying this release are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11902

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11903

Silver Gardens Apartments is a mixed-income housing development in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The project houses an integrated tenant mix, ranging from units for very low-income tenants to units that are leased at market rate. The units are a mix of studios, and one and two-bedroom units. The U-shaped, four-story structure with a private interior courtyard incorporating Native American art, play structures, and a community garden occupies a city block bordered by First and Second streets and Silver Avenue. Phase I, consisting of 66 rental homes, was completed in Spring 2010 and is fully occupied.

Silver Gardens II contains 55 units, 14 of which were set aside as permanent supportive housing for residents with special needs.

The project leveraged an array of city, state, federal, and conventional financing. Sources of funds include a conventional first mortgage, housing tax credit proceeds, and a city of Albuquerque Workforce Housing Grant. The adjacent parking garage was funded by $3.4 million from the city of Albuquerque.

FHLB Dallas and Los Alamos National Bank awarded Silver Gardens II a $315,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant in 2010.

"We are very pleased to be involved and appreciate the investment FHLB Dallas has made through the AHP. We're excited to see the impact this new development will have on our community," said Jill Cook, senior vice president of Los Alamos National Bank.

Al Hernandez, a senior banking officer at Los Alamos National Bank, attended the grand opening ceremony Thursday, and touted the benefits of Silver Gardens to Albuquerque.

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Photo Release -- Los Alamos National Bank and FHLB Dallas Grant Assists in Construction of Final Phase of Silver ...

FRANKLIN (SOMERSET) When Thai Lee acquired Software House International in 1989, nobody expected it to become the international powerhouse that it is today. But in just over 20 years, the Harvard-trained Lee has transformed the spin-off company from the division of another company to an independent, multibillion dollar global provider of technology products and services with 25 offices in North America, Paris, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

Today, it is the largest minority/woman-owned company in the U.S., and its based right here in Central Jersey.

The company began under Lees leadership in the Somerset section of Franklin, moved to larger headquarters in Piscataway in 2008, and recently completed a move back to Somerset to accommodate its continued growth. SHI now occupies the former ATT building on Davidson Avenue that had been vacant for about a decade. The company has about 1,800 employees, with 200 added last year, most of them at the Franklin location.

According to Ed McNamara, director of communications for SHI International, Lee has been a smart, hands-on shepherd for the company. She does not believe management should be stratified above the other employees with special privileges. In fact, there are no reserved parking spaces at the SHI International parking lot for anyone but expectant mothers. Lee knows the names of just about everyone at the company, and McNamara said she works very hard.

Another way she has differed from many of her competitors has been that she has carefully managed the companys assets, keeping her costs low and not leveraging the company as others might have done.

As a result, McNamara said, Lee has been able to move closer to our customers when competitors have pulled back. This has enabled SHI to take advantage of the downturn in the economy, growing the business and opening 20 new offices around the country and then the world in 2008 and 2009.

When she realized that the company was outgrowing its new headquarters in Piscataway after just a few years, Lee brought in Cornerstone Architectural Group, a leading full-service architectural firm based in South Plainfield, to design a renovation of the ATT building on Davidson Avenue for her new headquarters. Cornerstone had designed the Piscataway headquarters, and the two companies had a history of working together.

(Page 2 of 3)

This project, one of the largest in the tristate area, embodies SHIs core values of innovation, early adoption and pioneering on the cutting edge, said Robert F. Barranger, co-founder and partner at Cornerstone Architectural Group.

The 15-month, multiphased fit-out entailed a major energy-efficient lighting retrofit on which Cornerstone worked closely with California-based Finelite, a leading manufacturer of high-performance lighting systems, and independent lighting manufacturer representative Jeffrey Maglietta of the Chatham-based Liberty Lighting Group Inc., to design a system that provided a higher-quality light while realizing a 50 percent reduction in energy consumption for lighting and the number of fixtures.

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SHI International matches growth with green living

As Los Angeles came of age in the 20th century, a stately Windsor Square mansion served as a command post for the city's most powerful couple.

The longtime home of publisher Norman Chandler, "Los Tiempos" (The Times) was where his wife, Dorothy Buffum Chandler, raised funds to build a nationally recognized music center and where she urged son Otis Chandler to transform the Los Angeles Times into an award-winning newspaper.

Today, the city-designated historic-cultural monument is the focus of an unseemly dispute involving two house hunters who claim they were swindled into buying the compound for more than $8 million, only to find that it was "rotten to the core," according to arbitration documents.

They allege they were deceived by a media-savvy designer and his broker acquaintance, who used lavish decorations to conceal faulty water pipes, leaky roofs, black mold, raw sewage and dangerous wiring.

Through their lawyer, the defendants deny the allegations.

Commissioned by Peter Janss, whose real estate empire developed Westwood, the century-old Beaux Arts estate at 455 S. Lorraine Blvd. features soaring pillars and travertine walls. It was designed by associates of trailblazing female architect Julia Morgan.

"The fact that L.A. is now regarded as one of America's major cultural centers all of this was due to what went on in that house," said David Wallace, author of "Dream Palaces of Hollywood's Golden Age." The Chandlers "were people, love them or hate them, with a real vision for making L.A. a major player in America, rather than just the Left Coast."

Years after Norman Chandler's death in 1973, Dorothy Chandler, known as "Buff," retreated from the public eye and into a second-story bedroom. After her death in 1997, interior designer Timothy Corrigan bought the house for $2 million, according to the Los Angeles County assessor.

"They let the house go to hell," Corrigan said of Dorothy Chandler's hired help in the Otis Chandler biography "Privileged Son." "There was lard dripping from the ceiling and water damage everywhere."

In media reports, Corrigan, a former advertising executive, preached the aesthetic of "comfortable elegance" and showcased extravagant interiors. On the television show "How'd You Get So Rich," Corrigan was said to have amassed a $50-million fortune and told host Joan Rivers that he owned a 40,000-square-foot country manor in France.

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Longtime home of former Times publisher is focus of dispute

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Although it took nine years to sentence Michael Amzie Holley of Orange County-based So Cal Roofing, contractors throughout California are pleased that justice is finally being served. In late February 2012, Holley was sentenced to time in jail for multiple felony counts of insurance fraud, including failure to pay more than $500,000 in workers' compensation insurance. "It is unfortunate that it took so long to bring this criminal to justice," said California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors Executive Director Brad Diede. "It's our hope that enhanced, coordinated efforts by state agencies, such as the Department of Insurance's Labor Enforcement Task Force (LETF) and the Employment Development Department's Joint Enforcement Strike Force, will educate and force contractors to comply or put them out of business more quickly."

According to a recent media report, Holley carried only the minimum amount of workers' compensation insurance while failing to declare he was employing subcontractors, hiring unlicensed employees, falsifying state payroll reports and paying workers under the table.

"The Roofing Contractors Association of California (RCAC) is encouraged by the conviction of Holley, and we applaud the Orange County District Attorney's office for seeing this case through to a successful conclusion," said RCAC's Executive Director Marc Connerly. "Unfortunately, thistype of fraud is far too prevalent in California's roofing industry, which is why RCAC is sponsoring AB 2219. This bill will extend the mandate that all roofing contractors must carry a valid workers' compensation insurance policy and will require insurers to perform an annual in-person audit of the payroll records and place of business in order to ascertain the true size of roofing company operations."

The Construction Enforcement Coalition, comprised of employers, businesses, associations and labor groups, has been working tirelessly since its formation in 2010 to encourage state agencies to coordinate in apprehending contractors who are intentionally skirting the law and costing the state billions of dollars in unpaid payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. According to the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), more than 50 percent of the roofing companies in test cases conducted in three California counties were underreporting payroll, resulting in a significant loss of revenue to the state, unnecessary exposure for employees and property owners and substantially inflated insurance premiums for honest roofing companies.

"Legitimate roofing contractors should win the bids for work," said John Upshaw, Executive Director of the Independent Roofing Contractors of California. "Too often, non-compliant contractors refuse to pay unavoidable fixed costs and underbid jobs while owners, builders, general contractors and awarding authorities let them get away with it. It's clear we need to identify these bad actors much sooner, denying them access to the bid process before they get in front of legitimate contractors."

The Union Roofing Contractors Association (URCA) members support the effort to bring non-compliant contractors to justice. According to URCA's Executive Director Ron Johnston, "Roofing contractors who act unlawfully to 'con the system' fly in the face of what we stand for and must pay for their actions. We all need to unite to combat this problem of low-bidding, cheating contractors stealing work from legitimate contractors."

Another example of successful partnering between state agencies was the apprehension of Orange-County contractor Benito German Lopez Cruz by the CSLB and LETF last month. Lopez Cruz was contracting for swimming pool and plastering business without a license, paying employees in cash and not carrying workers' compensation insurance.

"Unfortunately, the swimming pool and plastering business is fraught with noncompliant contractors," said John Norwood, President, California Spa & Pool Industry Education Council. "Homeowners believing they are only paying for a pool could end up paying for much more, including the shoddy work of unlicensed contractors and, even worse, an injury to a worker on their property if the contractor is not licensed and doesn't carry workers' compensation insurance."

In 2010, CALPASC instituted the LEVEL Program to work closely with state agencies in cracking down on contractors and is a leader in the Construction Enforcement Coalition.

"We must continue advocating for efficiencies and effectiveness in enforcement," said Diede. "Through the LEVEL Program and Coalition, we will continue fighting to eliminate unfair business practices and leveling the playing field."

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Contractors See Payoff in Justice Being Served