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::: Choosing specialization
PROTAGONISTS of Giovanni Carlini
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Not common
in Europe, some
US companies
have based
their business
on specialization…
An inlaid compass
rose at the center
of a parquet floor
(marquetry)
is an expression
of style that gives
a room unique
personalization.
The parquet market in Italy isn't
doing badly at all, and
this holds true for Europe
and the rest of the world as well.
So just what's missing?
It's not that anything specific is
lacking. Without a doubt, as in
many another context, customers
are pushing more and
more for the most absolute personalization
of the products that
they buy and use.
From the USA, Mr. Barry Nelson
has come up with an original reply
to this request. Nelson usually
completes the parquet floors he
installs with (usually) centrally
positioned marquetry that personalize
their use
and ownership. Stimulated
and “educated”
in this respect
by Nelson's
sales team, the customer
himself
helps design the
marquetry in order to make the parquet that he has
installed/bought for his home
more uniquely his own.
Selling inlaid wood marquetry also
helps the US parquet industry
fight the chain stores that are so
strong in the USA. As much as
45% of the “economical” parquet
is sold by large chain stores like
The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Wal
Mart.
The “Do it yourself” craze is not
likely to end soon and this means
that many homeowners will be installing
their parquet floors by
themselves. What kind of response
does this important market
segment that often buys Chinese
products demand? One answer
is the greater personalization
of the floor through the use
of marquetry that can only be laid
by the professional floor installer
because of the artistic design
skills required.
This is what else Barry Nelson
had to say.
 How was Yarema Marquetry
born?
Barry Nelson: The crisis in the
US real estate market did not
arise only in the summer of 2007
but sinks its roots further in the
past. Without going into the details
of a purely financial question,
all I want to say is that it
lost me my job when the parquet
company I worked for stopped
showing a profit. Newly unemployed,
I was reluctant to leave a
field in which I'd worked in for 25
years, and I ended up starting my
own company.
I sharpened my skills and looked
around for what was missing in
the market and then placed my
bet on marquetry, in other
words the artistic completion of
the wood floor, a segment worth
over 100 million dollars in the
US alone.
That's how Yarema Marquetry
was born. We've been serving
both the Canadian and US markets
for 2 years now: that's why
you find us both here in Minnesota,
a highly industrialized state
on the Canadian border and in
Michigan, a more commercialized
location oriented towards
Ontario and Quebec.
What are your
best-selling
products?
Barry Nelson:
Marquetry and
personalized edging
account for half of our total
sales; the rest comes
from specially designed
wood floors.
 How is your work organized?
Barry Nelson: We use
CAD artists and designers
to design and personalize
our product to the different
needs of our clientele.
In addition to
our design and
production areas,
we also
have a commercial
office
that offers
customers consultation
service:
more than just designs
and floors, we
sell ideas.
Where do you obtain your
raw material?
Barry Nelson: We import from all
over the world, but only certified
wood. All our production is based
exclusively on certified, ecologically
sustainable lumber. People
abroad think that people in the US
are wasteful. That might have
been true in the past, but things
are different today. We don't
waste a thing in our production:
even the scraps are recycled at
our Troy recycling center where
they're used for finishing.
Is this the logic you use to justify
your prices?
Barry Nelson: Ecology is anything
but an excuse for us to keep
our prices high! Depending on the
inlay requested a product with
such a high degree of craftsmanship
costs around 3,000 dollars on
up for a 5x3 or 15 sq m room and
takes us 6 weeks from the moment
of order to make.
Have you ever thought about
exporting your products?
Barry Nelson: Although we
haven't started exporting
yet, we're more than receptive
to collaboration with
other producers, especially
those in Europe: you
have creativity, style,
and capacity ...
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