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Rhinoceros To Give Mohawk Carpet Unusual Test

August 12, 2009 By creatingyourspace 4 Comments

Mohawk as teamed with The Birmingham Zoo to put its SmartStrand(R) with DuPont(TM) Sorona(R) (SmartStrand) carpet to the mightiest of durability and stain resistance tests. On August 14, Mohawk will install SmartStrand triexta carpet in the indoor enclosure of The Birmingham Zoo’s only Eastern Black Rhinoceros, leaving it there for two weeks.

“Ricko the Rhino” – not your typical 12-year-old! – is a bold opponent for the SmartStrand Challenge. Once the carpet has been installed, Ricko will live as usual in his enclosure, eating, sleeping, rolling his 50-pound ball around and doing things that just come naturally to a 2,800-pound rhinoceros. All on Mohawk’s SmartStrand carpet!

Four day- and night-vision webcams will be strategically placed throughout the enclosure to capture his life on the carpet. The public is invited to check in on Ricko throughout the SmartStrand Challenge via its website: www.smartstrandchallenge.com. Watch Ricko as he romps and tromps around in his enclosure, giving SmartStrand carpet a run for its money.

“We feel so confident about the Mohawk SmartStrand carpet with triexta fiber that we wanted the public to be able to check in on the Challenge anytime, day or night,” said David Duncan, Mohawk’s Vice President of Marketing. “This will be the perfect demonstration of its durability. . .if SmartStrand can stand up to this wildlife, it can certainly stand up to your wild life.”

Visitors to The Birmingham Zoo and the SmartStrand Challenge website will have the opportunity to purchase t-shirts or plush rhinos created specifically for this event. Profits will be used to support both The Birmingham Zoo and the International Rhinoceros Foundation (IRF).

SmartStrand triexta carpet made with DuPont Sorona is a sustainable flooring option that is also luxuriously soft. Bio-PDO(R), which is made from corn sugar and is a renewable resource, makes up 37 percent of DuPont Sorona. Additionally, SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona provides superior stain resistance due to the way it’s engineered. Stain protectors are built-in the carpet fiber and will never wear or wash off. It will even resist discoloration from bleach.

To go along with the new carpet, Mohawk brought in Chip Wade, designer, expert craftsman and carpenter and cast member of Home & Garden Television’s (HGTV) TV shows “Curb Appeal” and “Designed to Sell.” As the Mohawk SmartStrand celebrity spokesman, he also wanted to be part of the Challenge. Chip has designed and renovated both Ricko’s public viewing area and his indoor enclosure with designs that were inspired by Ricko himself. Ricko’s visitors will enjoy seating while surrounded by vertical shading in the shape of rhinoceros horns ranging from three to 12 feet tall.

About Mohawk Industries:

Mohawk Industries has been a trusted name in carpets for more than 130 years and is a leading supplier of flooring for both residential and commercial applications. Mohawk offers a complete selection of broadloom carpet, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone, vinyl, rugs and other home products. These products are marketed under the premier brands in the industry, which include Mohawk, Karastan, Ralph Lauren, Lees, Bigelow, Columbia, Century, Dal-Tile, American Olean and Quick-Step. Mohawk’s unique merchandising and marketing assist our customers in creating the consumers’ dream. Mohawk provides a premium level of service with its own trucking fleet and more than 250 local distribution locations.

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Filed Under: Carpet, News Tagged With: mohawk, mohawk carpet, rhino carpet test, ricko, smartstrand

Comments

  1. Jeff says

    August 13, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    Thanks for posting this. I linked to it on my blog.

    Reply
  2. sandraraven15 says

    September 9, 2009 at 6:44 am

    Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. fromthefloorsup » Blog Archive » Ricko the Rhino and Smartstrand Video says:
    August 14, 2009 at 12:17 am

    […] 13th IS THE START of the Smartstrand challenge we talked about in yesterdays post that is going on day and night for the next two weeks. Click on the image to check out the YouTube […]

    Reply
  2. fromthefloorsup » Blog Archive » Checking in with Ricko the Rhino and the SmartStrand Challenge says:
    August 21, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    […] our last update on Ricko the Rhino and the SmartStrand Challenge from Mohawk. (see previous posts here and […]

    Reply

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