Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 10

October 2020

n k b a

THERE'S NO STOPPING THE FUTURE

he future ain't what it used to be." That famous gem, uttered decades
ago by the immortal Yogi Berra, could not be more appropriate for
today's unsettled world. The current health crisis and other turmoil
enveloping different aspects of our lives have created an aura of uncertainty, disruption and, frankly, fatigue.
No one knows what's ahead. The COVID-19 virus completely changed
our world in just five months - most of us could not have imagined the magnitude of the change, nor can anyone predict where we'll be five months from
now - or how much the world could potentially change again.
Yet, we must keep our eyes and focus on the future, because that's where
the hope is. I know I am hopeful for a number of reasons, especially about
the future of our industry. In the past half year, those of us who have been
fortunate enough to work from home have been doing so, and in the process
have noticed quite a lot about our homes that needs updating - if not outright
repair or replacement. Our industry provides that essential service. This is
evident in our most recent NKBA "Kitchen & Bath Market Index," which
reported improved ratings from the first quarter to the second quarter among
all four member segments polled: designers, builders, manufacturers and
retailers. It's true that some measures show contraction - for instance, 2020
sales are projected to be down 4.4 percent from 2019 - but even that is a big
improvement over first-quarter projections for a drop of nearly 14 percent.
Another positive note is the outlook for future conditions, which has
turned optimistic. That projection has leapt to an overall rating of 61.9 (on
a scale of 1 to 100) - up from a dismal 19.8 in the first quarter and a solid
improvement over the 31.3 rating for current Q2 conditions. Builders are
the most optimistic among the four groups, with two-thirds reporting jobs
are back on schedule and rating their Q3 expectations the highest, at 69.1.
Companies across the four industry segments report strengthening demand-side fundamentals, even though the supply side is still an issue. But
most firms are learning to adapt to the challenges, shifting their sourcing
strategies so they can meet their customers' needs. And in another sign of

n o t e

improving conditions, residential construction
employment rose by 83,200 jobs in June, after
adding 224,200 jobs in May.
These are all fairly current indicators or are
looking at the short-term future. But I also have
high hopes for the longer term. In this issue, we
report on our Student Design Competition for
the 2019-2020 school year.We received about 200
submissions, and according to our judges - Danielle Burger, CMKBD; Mark Haddad, CMKBD;
and Mac Dodge Junker, CKBD - the caliber of
drawings and creativity was impressive. And, as
necessitated by restrictions on travel and gathering caused by the pandemic, everything took place
digitally this year, from submissions to judging.
These aspiring designers demonstrated technical acumen, creative expression and an awareness
of innovation in the marketplace. The winners
also displayed an understanding of their fictional
clients' preferences, needs and wish lists, as well
as the problems they faced, and they proposed
imaginative yet practical solutions to complete
their projects.
The competition shows, however, that now
more than ever, it's about more than a good kitchen or bath drawing. It's about anticipating issues
and finding creative solutions to proactively solve
them, through design, technology or using other
tools. These students will herald a whole new era
in the way kitchens and baths are designed. They
show how the future is about adapting to changing conditions and using new tools to work.
This holds true for KBIS, too. In a hybrid environment, where digital components enhance the
live event, we'll also have to learn the virtues of
virtual - and if face-to-face contact ultimately is
not practical, we have to adapt and conduct business in the best possible way.
We've learned a lot in the past six months, and
while there's still a lot of uncertainty, one thing's
for sure: The future is changing at a faster pace
than anyone could have anticipated. We have to
be prepared to change with it.


BILL DARCY
CEO
National Kitchen + Bath
Association
BDarcy@nkba.org
Twitter: @NKBA_CEO

/ OCTOBER 2020 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

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Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020