September 5—John Baugh, Managing Director with Stifel Nicolaus, and Kemp Harr discuss John's research into the LVT flooring business. Listen to the interiew to hear more about how it's impacting the total flooring business, the growth drivers and the potential impact tariffs could have on the business. To read the whole report, click here.
August 31, 2018—Rom Reddy, CEO with Sprinturf, and Kemp Harr discuss the growth and segments of the synthetic turf business as well as a brief profile on Sprinturf—one of the top three brands in the business. Listen to the interview for more information.
August 30, 2018—Santo Torcivia, an economist with Market Insights, and Kemp Harr discuss product category shifts within the flooring industry in the last 10 years. Listen to the interview to hear how the total business is about the same size, but the mix is much different.
August 28, 2018—Harlan Stone, CEO with Halstead and MetroFlor, and Kemp Harr discuss last week's hearings in Washington to determine if flooring produced in China should be included in the proposed $200 billion tariffs that go into effect next month. Listen to the interview to hear more details about this heated debate and to learn that the most important trigger point for the U.S. Government is whether there is available capacity in other parts of the world for the products being considered.
August 27, 2018—Dave Snedeker, Executive VP at Bob’s Carpet and Flooring, and Kemp Harr discuss Dave's career shift from Nebraska Furniture Mart to Bob’s—a 16-store chain of flooring stores in Florida. Listen to the interview for more details.
August 23, 2018—Lloyd Wood, Director of Public Affairs with the National Council of Textile Organizations, and Kemp Harr discuss the background and purpose of the Section 301 tariffs that are being debated this week in Washington in several flooring categories. Listen to the interview for more details on when tariffs should be considered to potentially restrict trade from other countries.
August 13, 2018—Jack Ganley, President of Mannington Commercial, and Kemp Harr discuss the strategy and details surrounding Mannington's $42 million investment to expand the firm's rubber flooring business in Calhoun, Georgia. Listen to the interview to hear more details.
August 9, 2018—Ed Keller, CEO with Hadinger Flooring in Naples, Florida, and Kemp Harr discuss business conditions as well as Hadinger's new waterproof gallery. Listen to the interview to hear more about how this successful retailer is drawing more attention to the multilayered flooring category. At the end, Ed also gives his thoughts on potential Chinese tariffs.
August 7, 2018—Geoff Gordon, Executive Director with the Fuse Commercial Flooring Alliance, and Kemp Harr, Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, discuss the growth within the membership for the first half of the year as well as the news that Spectra has joined the task force that Starnet and Fuse started last year. Listen to the interview for more details. The focus of the task force is recruiting and training labor as well as concrete monster issues.
August 1, 2018—Andrew Bonham, President and CEO of Tarkett North America, and Kemp Harr discuss Andrew's background and the strategic plans for the firm's North American flooring business. Listen to the interview for more on Andrew's past, company financials and future plans.