May 26, 2017—Phil Koufidakis, Owner of Baker Brothers in Phoenix, and Kemp Harr discuss the growth of his retail flooring business as well as his recent distinction as the Armstrong Gold Elite dealer of the year. Listen to the interview to hear more details and to hear Phil's outlook for the remainder of the year.
June 24, 2017—A.J. Boyajian, a partner in A.J. Rose Carpets and Floors, and Kemp Harr discuss the family's decision to add the Williston Weaves brand to their existing retail flooring business in the greater Boston area. Listen to the interview to hear more details about how this decision brings another channel dimension to their operation. Williston Weaves is a well known trade only brand in the area.
May 22, 2017—Santo Torcivia, an economist with Market Insights, and Kemp Harr discuss growth rates within the domestic flooring business by surface type and by sector. Listen to the interiew for more details to see which sectors are offering the most growth and which are lagging.
May 16, 2017—Byron Morton and Julie Kohl, both with the Merchandise Mart, and Kemp Harr discuss highlights and enhancements to next month's NeoCon show scheduled for June 12 to 14 in Chicago. Listen to the interview to hear details of physical enhancements to the property as well as the great programming that's been developed for the show.
May 15, 2017—James Lesslie, Executive VP of Sales and Marketing with Engineered Floors, and Kemp Harr discuss the firm's new carpet tile plant that is under construction in Dalton, Georgia. Listen to the interview for more details plus a little background on Engineered Floors' growth and ranking in the carpet industry.
May 11, 2017—Bob Peoples, Executive Director with the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), and Kemp Harr discuss the progress and challenges that CARE is facing to accomplish its mission. Listen to the interview to get an update on California's AB-2398 issues, on CARE's recently published Annual Report and on new outlets for post consumer carpet components.
May 9, 2017—Keith Campbell and Russell Grizzle, Chairman and CEO respectively, with Mannington Mills, and Kemp Harr discuss the business strategy behind Mannington's decision to sell its VCT business to Armstrong. Listen to the interview to hear more details around this decision and why it makes sense for all parties involved.
May 8, 2017—Paul Cleary, CEO with Lexmark, and Kemp Harr discuss last week's Hospitality Design show in Las Vegas and trends in the hospitality sector. Listen to the interview to hear Paul talk about a few of the flooring trends in hotel rooms as well as the momentum of the business overall.
May 2, 2017—Rob Hailey, President and Owner of Howard's Rug Company, and Kemp Harr discuss Rob's contribution to Starnet in the form of creative incentive and professional development programs. Listen to the interview for more details as well as to learn more about his successful commercial contracting business based in San Diego. Here is a link to the Best Practices feature on Howard's Rug Company published in Floor Focus Magazine.
May 1, 2017—Jeanne Matson, President and CEO of Starnet, and Kemp Harr discuss the group's 25th anniversary meeting in Carlsbad, California. Listen to the interview to hear Jeanne talk about the health of the member's commercial contracting businesses overall and other highlights from the meeting.