The Chinook Centre in Calgary brings "Guest Services" to a new level!

The Chinook Centre - Calgary's largest enclosed shopping center - has been a fixture in the bustling city of Calgary, Alberta since the 1960's. Not to disappoint its visitors, the mall offers a selection of over 250 stores as well as a major theater complex. And, as the Chinook Centre has continued to evolve, it was recently determined that there needed to be a focal point to guide visitors to their best shopping experience: a Guest Services kiosk.

When the decision was made to move forward with the project, local Calgary company DIALOG was selected to design the space. As part of their original plan, DIALOG had specified the use of Caesarstone quartz for the entire kiosk. However, when DIALOG enlisted local fabricator JMJ Top Expert Inc. to begin work on the project, DIALOG was quickly presented with another material option that would allow the kiosk to have a much more uniform design.

As the kiosk was slated to have a long-running countertop as well as large front panels, the potential for having many visible seams became a concern. With its ability to have inconspicuous joints and essentially present a "seamless" look, DuPont™ Corian became the go-to material to create the desired aesthetic.

The color, White Jasmine, was chosen for the kiosk application. And, as the kiosk began to take shape, the designers couldn't have been more thrilled.

Said Ginger Lau, part owner of JMJ Top Expert Inc., "We have been working with Corian for over 16 years and are very familiar with all of the desirable qualities that the material has to offer. In regards to this particular application, Corian was able to create an incredibly clean, seamless look and also offer the added benefit of being hygienic and easy to maintain. The designer and customer were very happy with the overall aesthetic, and the designer gained valuable knowledge in regards to the advantage of using solid surface."

Now, with the project completed, the Chinook Centre has a functional and attractive Guest Services kiosk that will be sure to stand the test of time.

Corian® makes an impact at 100th annual Calgary Stampede!

The Calgary Stampede has long been known as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth". And, as it celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, all visiting "stampeders" were ready to see even more spectacular sites that the 100th anniversary would have in store.

With an estimated 1,000,000 visitors each year, the Calgary Stampede has many staples that lure crowds from far and wide - and delicious food is certainly one of the many well-known features of the annual event.

As a new addition to the Calgary Stampede, the "Calgary Co-op Kitchen Theatre" played host to the popular cook-off between the Calgary Fire Department and the Calgary Police Service as well as the Kids' Chili Cook-Off Finale - among other themed cooking events. With such large crowds expected at the momentous 100th anniversary celebration, the Calgary Co-op Kitchen Theatre had to be a spectacle in and of itself.

So, when kitchen sponsor Silver Bow Woodcraft Ltd. was faced with the challenge of designing this widely-viewed kitchen space, what was the obvious countertop choice? DuPont™ Corian®.

In conjunction with local fabricator FLOFORM Countertops, Willis provided a total of 8 sheets of material (DuPont™ Corian® in Sandalwood) and two Corian® sinks that would be used not only at this year's Calgary Stampede, but the 5 Stampedes to follow. When considering that the countertops had to withstand a large amount of traffic as well as maintain its condition over the next 5 years, Corian® was the obvious choice.

"When Silver Bow Woodcraft approached us with this project, we knew immediately that Corian® would be the best countertop material for the job," said FLOFORM's Regional Sales Manager Scott Bittner. Corian® is durable, but in the event that the countertop ever needed to be refurbished, Corian® is so easily repairable. It truly was the obvious material choice." With one chef marvelling at the integrated Corian® sinks and the over 30-foot long island, the Corian® countertops certainly created a positive buzz around the Calgary Co-op Kitchen Theatre.

Willis would like to thank all of those involved in the design and construction of the Calgary Co-op Kitchen Theatre. Here's to many more successful Stampedes to come!

For more information about Silver Bow Woodcraft Ltd., visit: www.silverbow.ca

For more information about FLOFORM Countertops, visit: www.floform.com

'American Dream Design Build' uses Corian®; wins award for design excellence!

American Dream Design Build of Puyallup, Washington was recently awarded "Design Excellence" in the details/finishes/trades category at the REX (Remodelling Excellence) Awards which was presented throught the Pierce County Master Builders Association and the Remodelers™ Council. Each year, these two associations honor the best remodelers in Pierce County and Washington State. Candidates are judged on quality, material, design, creativity and workmanship. The awards see a variety of entrants compete in various categories.

As a long-standing and reputable design and building firm, American Dream Design Build certainly had the credentials to design and complete a project that was worthy of a REX award. So when one of their customers approached them and requested a custom kitchen island, they were certainly up for the challenge. The customer had limited kitchen space, so the kitchen island had to maximize in its ability to function. Ultimately, the island was designed to be mobile and was intended to be pushed off to the side of the kitchen when not in use. That said, the idea was to make the island function as a beautiful piece of furniture - not just as an island.

So when selecting a countertop material for the kitchen island, what was the immediate choice? DuPont™ Corian®. Basil - the color that was selected - is a part of the DuPont™ Corian® Private Collection of colors which means it offers unique veining and patterns all while being an extremely durable, functional material. Additionally, to avoid issues with the island tipping over, Corian® was also selected due to it being a lightweight material. With the help of FLOFORM Countertops who assisted with the Corian® fabrication, the end result was a beautiful kitchen island with a few unexpected and quirky features - including drop leafs on the back side of the countertop and a heavy-duty mixer lift that was hidden in a full-height cabinet.

Congratulations to American Dream Design Build on this accomplishment!

Designed by: American Dream Design Build
www.americandreamdesignbuild.com

Countertops Fabricated by: FLOFORM Countertops
www.floform.com

Willis Wins "Best Sustainable" product award at 2012 NKBA Gala!

Willis is pleased to announce a significant achievement that was recently attained at the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Gala on February 4th, 2012. It was at the gala that Willis received a prestigious award in the NKBA's design competition. The award - "Best Sustainable Product" - was presented to Willis in recognition of the environmentally-friendly properties of DuPont™ Zodiaq® quartz surface.

The Mayor of Burlington, Ontario, Rick Goldring (left), congratulates Willis President, Mike Hetherman (right) during a ceremonial presentation of the "Sustainability" award.

Additionally, DuPont™ Zodiaq® contains a line of "Terra Collection" colors which are eight aesthetically-attractive colors that contain at least 25% post-consumer recycled content. Zodiaq® has also been given several "green-related" certifications by various institions including the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), GREENGUARD, NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) and SCS (Scientific Certification Systems). Zodiaq® is a non-porous, low-maintenance material that has been recognized for it's outstanding performance in being nearly impenetrable to mould, mildew and bacteria.

Further to the incredible sustainable properties of DuPont™ Zodiaq®, the parent company itself, DuPont Building Innovations has attained "zero waste" at all 15 of their global manufacturing sites. This means that absolutely NO WASTE is being sent into landfills. To achieve this, DuPont™ has "re-purposed" materials that would have otherwise been destined for a landfill. Examples of this "re-purposing" include utilizing otherwise "unusable" Zodiaq® (by consumer standards) as a filler in road pavement and mixing Corian® into bridge concrete.

In short, the "Best Sustainable Product" award proves that the enviornmental stance that has been taken by both DuPont™ and Willis has not gone without notice.

Graduates of Designer Training Class

Willis and FLOFORM Countertops recently completed a round of designer training classes which was hosted at the FLOFORM showroom in Portland, Oregon. The course, which was conducted to host 52 future interior designers from Portland Community College, proved to be a success.

Topics that were outlined during the training included in-depth product information about granite, engineered stone and solid surface as well as current design trends in the surfaces industry. Participants also gained useful knowledge about identifying consumer needs in regards to "Premium Decorative Surface" countertop materials.

In addition to hosting the successful designer training classes, Willis also announced their intent to run a "NKBA Design Competition" that will be facilitated by Willis and FLOFORM this coming May. (More details will be posed online soon - stay tuned!)

We wish to congratulate all of the aspiring and talented interior design students that completed the designer training class. Job well done!

Class participants/graduates:

Aaron Smirl	RCC			Kat O'Neill	RCC
Allie Sweet	SC			Katie Wanvig	SC
Amanda Haynes	SC			Kristen Bridgeford	SC
Brandon Cole	SC			Kristi Rux	SC
Briana Tataish	SC			Kristopher Johnson	SC
Carissa Woodruff	SC			Laura Thornley	SC
Christy Lummus	SC			Linda Buchanan	SC
Danika Hamann	SC			Maureen McCafferty	SC
David Moreno	SC			Megan Misity	SC
Deborah Bacigalupi	SC			Merry Kennedy	SC
Dee Denaway	SC			Miranda Phelps	SC
Emily Burt	SC			Phyllis Eastman	SC
Emma Sawrey	SC			Polina Perju	SC
Erin George	SC			Rachel Ferrante	SC
Erin Manderville	SC			Renee Knempley	SC
Heidi Willis	SC			Sam Smith	RCC
Holly McDonnell	SC			Sarah Hohnbaum	SC
Ian Powell	RCC			Shannon Miller	SC
Jen Davidson	SC			Steve Davis	RCC
Jessica Patten	SC			Susan Dawson	RCC
Joe McDonnell	SC			Wendy Christy	SC
Kaci Coleman	SC

RCC = Rock Creek Campus
SC = Sylvania Campus

NKBA Puget Sound Chapter Event

As DuPont™ Corian® is fast becoming one of the most popular countertop materials in the market, now is a better time than ever to find out how this uniquely thermoformable and aesthetically-attractive material is making waves in the world of residential design.

On this note, Willis is pleased to announce its role as co-host to an upcoming NKBA event on Tuesday, March 6th in conjunction with FLOFORM Countertops. This informative session will include a presentation about DuPont™ Corian® and will also include an informative segment about Corian® tub and shower surrounds.

This event is definitely not to be missed!

Any and all members of the NKBA Puget Sound Chapter are encouraged to attend. Contact info@4willis.com for more information.

For over 20 years, Willis and FLOFORM have been partners in providing extraordinary customer service to a variety of customers in the countertop industry. In working together, Willis and FLOFORM continue to bring the highest quality products - DuPont™ Corian® and DuPont™ Zodiaq® - along with unmatched service to their clients in Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

DuPont™ Building Innovations Reaches ZERO Landfill Status with Corian® solid surfaces, Zodiaq® quartz surfaces & Tyvek® weatherization systems

DuPont™ has achieved zero landfill status in its Building Innovations business by reducing, reusing and recycling manufacted by-products and waste at manufacturing sites globally. After three years of focused effort, DuPont™ Building Innovations has become completely landfill free, reducing its environmental footprint from 81 million pounds of landfill waste annually to zero.

Now, through the "Drive to Zero" landfill program, none of the waste generated by the business from the manufacture of DuPont™ Corian® solid surfaces, DuPont™ Zodiaq® quartz surfaces, DuPont™ Tyvek® weatherization systems products and geosynthetic textiles is sent to landfills.

"The Drive to Zero landfill program is good for our business, good for the environment and highly valued by our customers," said Timothy P. McCann, President of DuPont™ Building Innovations. "Working with our supply chain partners to tackle the zero landfill goal was critical to the success of our business in reducing its environmental footprint. Collaborating with our business partners allowed us to succeed in reaching our ambitious project goal of zero landfill."

By completely eliminating landfill - not just reducing it - DuPont™ Building Innovations has created a new standard for environmental stewardship. The Drive to Zero project was comprehensive in other ways, too. Manufacturing by-products, unusable raw materials, product scrap, construction debris and even cafeteria waste were all within scope at the project's 15 global manufacturing and partner sites.

Today, material that previously may have been destined for a landfill is being reused or recycled, including:

• Sanding waste from the manufacture of Corian® and Zodiaq® is used as a filler replacement in concrete
• Ground-up scrap Corian® sheet is used as recycled content in first grade products - such as the company's Terra Collection of Corian® solid surfaces that now contain up to 20 percent recycled content;
• Crushed scrap Corian® is sold for use as road sub-base material and as landscape stone;
• Shipping pallets are repaired, reused or ground into animal bedding;
  
• Carrier belt firm is melted and used to make adhesives, and
  
• Cafeteria waste is recycled into worm bedding or converted into energy