Interview Archives

April 26, 2013—Brandon Culpepper, Vice President of Specialty Sales of Mohawk Home, and Kemp Harr, discuss Mohawk Home's business strategy around the Karastan and American Rug Craftsman brands. Listen to the interview to hear more about what Mohawk Home is doing and what independent flooring retailers can do to successfully compete in the rug market.

April 25, 2013—Kermit Baker, Economist with the Joint Center for Housing Studies and the American Institute of Architecture, and Kemp Harr, Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, discuss the favorable outlook for 2013 in the housing market. Listen to the interview for more details and also hear Kermit talk about the recent AIA billing index.

April 24, 2013—Elise Demboski, VP of Creative Services for Mohawk, and Kemp Harr, discuss the company's latest round of promotions for its proprietary Smart Strand carpet centered around the theme of License to Spill. Listen to the interview to hear the strategy behind this nationwide 12 city tour that puts emphasis on the carpet's stain free properties.

April 23, 2013—Jim Dion, a Retail Consultant, and Kemp Harr, discuss the two workshops he is scheduled to give at Coverings in Atlanta next week. Listen to the interview to hear Jim talk about how the current economy is affecting retail conditions and a brief review of the two workshops titled: "What every retailer can learn from Apple," and "The psychology of price and why it matters."

April 19, 2013—Neil Poland, President and CEO of Mullican Flooring, and Kemp Harr, discuss Mullican's new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Johnson City Tennessee. Listen to the interview to hear how Mullican has been able to move the majority of its engineered hardwood manufacturing back to the USA and is able to produce it on a lower cost basis. Also hear Neil talk abut hardwood pricing and his outlook for the near future.

April 18, 2013—Franco Rossi, President of Aquafil USA, and Kemp Harr, discuss several of the factors behind Aquafil USA's rapid growth. Listen to the interview to hear about their future expansion plans and some of their unique products that set them apart.

April 16, 2013—A.J. Boyajian, Co-owner of A.J. Rose Carpets & Flooring, and Kemp Harr, discuss business conditions with this two store retail flooring business based outside of Boston. A.J. Rose joined the NFA last year and I reached out to A.J. to see how yesterday's incident affected his business. Listen to the interview for more details.

April 11, 2013—Ron Dunn, Co-CEO with Alliance Flooring, and Kemp Harr, discuss the group's annual meeting held a few weeks ago in Orlando. Listen to the interview to hear details about the speakers, award winners and about two best practices books the group has published called "Proven Way".

April 10, 2013—Elena Grant, VP of Marketing for the Coverings Expo, and Kemp Harr, discuss the highlights for the upcoming Coverings Expo scheduled for April 29 to May 2 in Atlanta, Georgia. Listen to the interview to hear how the show has developed attractive programs for distributors, retailers, designers and installers.

April 9, 2013—Allen Clouse, Director of Retail Sales for Star Flooring and Decorating with two flooring stores in Wichita and Oklahoma City, and Kemp Harr, talk about the progressive business strategy that Star Decorating is using to distinguish itself in the retail flooring arena. One of the more interesting aspects of this strategy is Star's RSA compensation change. Listen to the interview to hear more about the unique and successful model that Star is practicing. Recorded at the NFA Spring meeting in Beaver Creek, CO.