The rising popularity of exotic hardwood floors has a growing Venezuelan company poised to put down roots in Lawrence.

Venteak Corp. plans to establish a distribution center in the Lawrence area, possibly later this year, said Rodolfo Goetz, Venteak president.

The plan comes as the company’s U.S. sales of teak, ipe, jatobá, Caribbean koa and other hardwood flooring materials approached $2 million last year, he said, building on the company’s use of trees grown on a company plantation rather than being clear-cut from rain forests.

Such sales of imported, exotic woods quickly are outpacing sales of domestic hardwood flooring, according to the National Wood Flooring Assn.

Goetz wants the Lawrence distribution center to feed into untapped markets in Chicago, Kansas City and other areas within a 10-hour drive. Until the center opens — the company has not located a site or set a definitive timeline — he’ll be trucking products in from another center in Houston.

“We’re aiming for the high-end market in the U.S.,” said Goetz, in a telephone interview from Venezuela. “That market is definitely concerned about the environment. If you talk to architects and people who are in high-end homes, they are all very interested in that. It’s slightly more expensive, but, then again, you’re living in harmony with what’s around us.”

Anita Howard, of the St. Louis-based flooring association, said that the domestic industry had $2.5 billion in sales last year, up 12 percent from $2.2 billion in 2003. But the amount of flooring sold — a little more than a billion square feet — increased only 5 percent, suggesting that prices are on the rise.

With mortgage interest rates staying relatively low and baby boomers looking for sound investments, Howard said, an increasing number of Americans are turning to wood floors, especially imported varieties.

“And people are willing to pay for it,” she said.

Dale Smith, sales manager for Bud Jennings Carpet One in Lawrence, said that hardwoods accounted for only about 8 percent of the store’s sales and installations. Exotic hardwoods account for even fewer sales.

But just as granite countertops and stone floors gained popularity in recent years, he said, so have the vibrant colors and unique designs available through imports from South America, Africa, Europe and China.

Even at three to four times the price of many domestic varieties, Smith said, the exotic floors are drawing increasing interest at the store and others in the area.

“People in my age group are looking to spend money for good things — it’s people with the money,” said Smith, 55, who’s been at Bud Jennings for eight years. “I wish I was one of them.”

Goetz said Venteak’s primary market was for homes in the $700,000 to $800,000 range. The company, with U.S. operations based in Miami, already has distribution operations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Hilton Head, N.C.; Wilmington, N.C.; Stafford, Conn.; Houston; Denver; and Los Angeles.

The Lawrence center would cover only about 5,000 square feet, he said, but be equipped to handle increasing sales throughout the Midwest.

“Lawrence is an incredible market,” he said.

Venteak is introducing its products during two open houses in Lawrence:

• One for contractors and other professionals from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Jack Hope Design/Build Inc., 1440 N. Third St.
• One for the general public from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, also at Jack Hope Design/Build.

Elisabeth Neigert, a Kansas University graduate who’s known Goetz since their childhood in Caracas, Venezuela, is leading the company’s introduction in Lawrence. She and her parents agreed to run the Lawrence partnership.