April 8, 2015—Dan Natkin, Senior Director of Residential Products with Mannington Mills, and Kemp Harr discuss the growth potential for laminate flooring in light of the recent surge in LVT coupled with negative press from the Lumber Liquidators formaldehyde levels. Listen to the interview to hear Dan talk about the right fit for laminate flooring in the consumer's home and the ongoing growth potential.
April 2, 2015—Jenny Cross, VP of Sustainability for Mohawk Industries, and Kemp Harr, discuss this morning's ribbon cutting on a solar energy array on Mohawk's Summerville, Georgia Continuum plant. Listen to the interview to hear more about this event, plus get an update on where sustainability fits within Mohawk's global initiatives.
March 31, 2015—A.J. Boyajian, a partner in A.J. Rose Carpets & Flooring, and Kemp Harr, discuss how his retail flooring business in Boston has been impacted by the record snow. Listen to the interview to hear about the extent of the damages and a review of how his business is structured. A.J. Rose is an NFA member.
March 30, 2015—Jeff Macco, CEO with Macco's Floor Covering in Wisconsin and Hadinger Flooring in Florida, and Kemp Harr, discuss business conditions, consumer preference, reaction to Lumber Liquidators' news, and digital marketing. Listen to the interview to hear more details about what this successful retailer is doing to fuel growth.
March 27, 2015—Dave Gheesling, CEO with FloorExpo, and Kemp Harr, discuss Dave's outlook on the growth of the flooring business in the builder sector both near and long term. Listen to the interview to hear more details about the hurdles that must be overcome for growth in this sector. FloorExpo is a membership organization of flooring contractors focus on the builder market.
March 25, 2015—Dave Snedeker, Division Merchandise Manager of Flooring for Nebraska Furniture Mart, and Kemp Harr, talk about Nebraska Furniture Mart's new store opening at The Colony, just north of Dallas. Dave is also the president of the National Floorcovering Alliance which meets this weekend in Charleston. Listen to the interview for more details and for an update on retail market conditions.
March 20, 2015—Phil Schrimper, Owner of JP Flooring Systems, and Kemp Harr, discuss the firm's rapid growth since the beginning of the year. Listen to the interview to hear about this Cincinnati retailer's recent success at the Cincinnati Home and Garden Show, the continued shift to hard surfaces, and how his consumers are buying better end goods.
March 18, 2015—Mark Harman, Director of Product with J&J Flooring Group, and Kemp Harr, discuss the national news story that has been generated by the renovation of the carpet in Portland's International Airport. J&J was awarded the project to replace the 75,000 square yards of 30 year old Axminster carpet with new tufted broadloom carpet. The interesting piece of the story is that the old carpet is so endeared by the Portlanders that they have set up a website to sell sections of the old carpet. Listen to the interview for more details.
March 17, 2015—Jay Flynn, VP of Sales and Marketing for Creating Your Space, and Kemp Harr, discuss the ever-increasing importance of online marketing for influencing where the consumer chooses to shop. Listen to the interview to hear more about budgeting and balancing all the many components which include websites, search engine optimization, social media, and pay-per-click.
March 13, 2015—John Baugh, Managing Director with Stifel Nicolaus, gives Kemp Harr, a summary of the discussions held this week at Armstrong's headquarters related to the decision to spin off its flooring business from its ceilings business. In the interview, John points out that most of the flooring related performance issues that need to be addressed are in the residential hardwood business. Listen to the interview for more details.