June 14, 2017—Reesie Duncan, VP of global design with Shaw Contract, and Kemp Harr discuss Shaw's personal alchemy NeoCon theme and how the firm's new collections are tailored for some of the prevailing A&D trends in the market. Listen to the interview for more details and to hear about the collections that won awards at the show this year.
June 13, 2017—Jackie Dettmar, VP of design and product development with the Mohawk Group, and Kemp Harr discuss the story behind Mohawk's three award winning products: Lichen, which won the gold Best of NeoCon in the modular carpet category; Lineate, the winner of the gold award in hard surface; and, Visual Interactive Studio, which won the gold software award. Listen to the interview for more details.
June 12, 2017—Deb Lechner, director of channel marketing with Armstrong, and Kemp Harr discuss Armstrong's new partnership with BIMsmith. Listen to the interview to hear how A&D clients can use this free cloud based tool that is funded by the manufacturers to assist in building design work.
June 9, 2017—Joe Yarbrough, President of the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr discuss CRI's 2017 focus in the areas of supporting post consumer recycling, installation standards, government procurement, consumer communications via social media and adding technical staff. Listen to the interview for more details.
June 8, 2017—Sharon Exley, co-founder of Architecture is Fun, discusses how she works the annual NeoCon show in Chicago to get the most out of her time investment in attending the show. Listen to the interview to hear Sharon's insight which includes a little advanced planning. So listen today, it's not too late.
June 7, 2017—Robert Dietz, Chief economist with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and Kemp Harr discuss the continued growth of single family housing starts, the leveling off in the Multifamily sector as well as moderate growth in the existing housing market. Listen to the interview to hear more about what's driving this, the forecast for growth in the future and the desirability of home ownership primarily in the suburbs.
June 1, 2017—Chris Stulpin, SVP of Design for Tarkett, and Kemp Harr discuss Tarkett's expanded presentation in the merchandise Mart in a permanent showroom on the third floor that is three times bigger than the firm's previous presentation. Listen to the interview to hear more about this investment as well as a preview of the scope of Tarkett's NeoCon product launches.
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.