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August 12, 2009

A rhino vs. Mohawk carpet

Who will win?

Calhoun-based Mohawk Industries has teamed with The Birmingham Zoo to put its SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona 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 Web cams 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 the Web site: 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 Web site 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).

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 TV shows “Curb Appeal” and “Designed to Sell.” As, the Mohawk SmartStrand celebrity spokesman, he also wanted to be part of the Challenge. Wade 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.

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