January 3, 2017—Suzanne Winn, Interior Designer and Anaheim based fashion flooring retailer, and Kemp Harr discuss the Surfaces design house and speed trending breakfast that are two new programs at Surfaces that have been created to help retailers understand the latest style trends and use that information to offer their consumers the right products.
December 21, 216—John Baugh, Managing Director with Stifel Nicolaus, and Kemp Harr, discuss John's enthusiasm for business growth in 2017 in light of the pro-business climate related to changes in Washington, DC. Listen to the interview to hear how increases in interest rates make housing more expensive but could well be followed with increased wages and other growth drivers.
December 19, 2016—Gary Lanser, president of Mohawk's hardwood and laminate business, and Kemp Harr discuss Mohawk's new product introductions for 2017 in the hardwood and laminate categories. Listen to the interview to hear Gary talk about his retooled Arkansas plant and about the hardwood category overall.
December 16, 2016—Karen Mendelsohn, SVP of Marketing for Mohawk, and Kemp Harr discuss some of the subtle branding changes that Mohawk is making, as well as their Omnify digital marketing tool for independent retailers that was introduced at this year's Solutions convention last week in Dallas.
December 15, 2016—Tom Lape, president of Mohawk's residential business, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of Mohawk's new residential carpet introductions for 2017. Listen to the interview for more details and to hear Tom talk about the prospects for growth in the residential carpet sector.
December 14, 2010—Bob Murray, Chief Economist with Dodge Data and Analytics, and Kemp Harr, review his organization's outlook for construction spending in 2017. Listen to this ten minute interview to hear Bob go through all the core sectors that consume both residential and commercial flooring to get a better outlook on growth expectations for 2017. Overall, Dodge is calling for an 8% growth across all building sectors.
December 13, 2016—Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw Industries, and Kemp Harr discuss the strategy behind Shaw's acquisition of US Floors and the plans for capturing more marketshare in the future. Listen to the interview for more details and to hear Vance's outlook for floorcovering growth in 2017.
December 12, 2016—Brian Carson, President with Mohawk, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of last week's Solutions aligned dealer convention in Dallas. Listen to the interview to hear more about Mohawk's key focus for 2017, an historic perspective on the last 20 years and the company's ongoing capital investments.
December 9, 2016—Paul Murfin, president of Mohawk's North American resilient business, and Kemp Harr discuss Mohawk's new resilient product introductions for 2017 and the expansion of their Dalton based manufacturing facility. Listen to the interview to hear more about Mohawk's resilient business, including their entry into the rigid core business with Solid Tech.
December 7, 2016—Kermit Baker, the chief economist with the American Institute of Architecture, and Kemp Harr discuss the outlook for the U.S. economy in light of the recent news that Donald Trump will be our next president. Listen to the interview to hear Kermit talk about the private and public sectors of the commercial construction market as well as his outlook for housing growth for 2017.