Interview Archives

July 13, 2012—Eric Demaree, President of Carpet One Floor and Home, and Kemp Harr talk about what is happening within that organization and the retail market in general. Listen to the interview recorded in Orlando at the Carpet One summer convention to hear more about the state of the market and ways in which retailers are distinguishing themselves from their competition.

Santo Torcivia, Flooring Economist and Floor Focus Partner talks to Kemp Harr about the newly released US FLOOReport . Listen to the interview to hear economic predictions for next year, particularly as it relates to flooring, and to find out more about some of the valuable information you can find in this years US FLOOReport.

July 11, 2012—Carl Bouckaert, Founder and Co-owner of Beaulieu of America, and Kemp Harr discuss Carl's recent selection to be one of five teammates on the Belgium equestrian team invited to participate in the Summer Olympics at the end of July. Listen to the interview to hear Carl give details about his event. More information about the specific timing of the event can be found at www.london2012.com/equestrian/eventing/.

July 10, 2012—Larry Press, Director of Flooring with Helmitin, and Kemp Harr discuss the 14 year process of developing the ASTM standard for carpet adhesives. Listen to the interview to hear Larry talk about what drove him to marshal the development of ASTM D7799 and which companies were on the consensus committee.

July 9, 2012—Jenny Cross, Director of Global Sustainability at Mohawk, and Kemp Harr discuss Mohawk's third Annual Sustainability Report released this week. Listen to the interview to hear a few highlights of this report. This is more than a green update, but a strategic review of their entire business. You can see the report at www.mohawksustainability.com.

July 3, 2012—Randy Merritt, President of Shaw Industries, and Kemp Harr discuss Shaw's decision to sponsor the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. Listen to the interview to first hear Randy talk about current market conditions and why Shaw selected St. Jude to be its core philanthropic beneficiary.

July 2, 2012—Paul Murray, VP of Sustainability with Shaw Industries, and Kemp Harr discuss Shaw's 2011 Sustainability report released last week. Listen to the interview to hear a few highlights of Shaw's sustainability achievements in 2011 and other financial data points you will find in this report. The report is available online at www.sustainability.shawgreenedge.com.

June 29, 2012—Kermit Baker, Economist with Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, and Kemp Harr discuss Kermit's latest read on the U.S. housing market. Listen to the interview to hear Kermit summarize his most recent annual report on the U.S. housing market. This report is available for free at www.jchs.harvard.edu.

June 28, 2012—Simon Mills, Director of Sales with Amtico in the UK, and Kemp Harr discuss the ongoing international integration of Amtico—since the acquisition by Mannington in March—and Simon's perspective on the current European debt crisis. Listen to the interview for more details.

June 27, 2012—Lane Brettschneider, Owner of Lane's Floor coverings & Interiors—a Manhattan based commercial flooring contractor, and Kemp Harr discuss the recent news that Lane's has merged with Fraser Gold and Stanley Licker is hoping to eventually dial back his involvement in the business. Listen to the interview to hear how the business will position itself moving forward.