Flooring Podcast

John Bowes Discusses XGS' Ownership Change and Floorcovering Focused Logistics

July 28, 2015—John Bowes, President of Xpress Global Systems, Inc., and Kemp Harr,  discuss the recent ownership change and services offered by XGS. For the past 30 years, XGS has been a division of U.S. Xpress and is now a standalone company. Listen to the interview to hear John talk about the specialized services and magnitude of this freight logistics company that focuses solely on the distribution of floorcovering products.

Lew Migliore Discusses Criteria to Determine if Installers are Independent Contractors

July 27, 2015—Lew Migliore, Principal of LGM and Associates, and Kemp Harr, Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, discuss 6 key areas that determine if a floorcovering installer is an independent contractor or an installer. Listen to the interview to hear Lew talk through the Department of Labor list which can be found here.

Aaron Pirner, Cap Carpets, Discusses his Strategy for Growth Both in Retail and Manufacturing

July 24, 2015—Aaron Pirner, President and CEO of Cap Carpets, and Kemp Harr discuss Aaron's multi-brand flooring store strategy in the mid West. Cap Carpets operates stores under the Carpet One, Prosource, The Flooring Project and Cap Carpets brands. Aaron also provides an update on the expansion of his white oak carpet manufacturing operation in Spindale, North Carolina. Listen to the interview for more details.

Keith Spano Discusses Flooring America's Growth and Last Week's Summer Convention

July 21, 2015—Keith Spano, President of Flooring America/Canada, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of last week's Summer ConneXtion meeting. Listen to the interview to hear about the group's growth and focus on product diversification and digital marketing. Also hear Keith talk about the firm's upcoming Building Buzz conference on digital marketing and social media which will be in Tampa in September.

Paul Murray Discusses Shaw's Shift in Focus with its Evergreen Recycling Facilites

July 17, 2015—Paul Murray, VP of Sustainability with Shaw Industries, and Kemp Harr discuss Shaw's evolving Evergreen recycling program as they shift from operations in Augusta to a repurposed facility in Ringgold, Georgia. Listen to the interview for more details on why Shaw is shutting down its depolymerization plant in Augusta and expanding the types of yarns it can recycle in Ringgold.

Eric Demaree Discusses the Key Components for Success with Carpet One

July 16, 2015—Eric Demaree, President of Carpet One Floor and Home, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of the Summer Convention and the key ingredients for success with independent floorcovering retailers. Listen to the interview for more details.

Cathy Buchanan Discusses the Rapid Growth in Her Michigan Retail Flooring Store

July 15, 2015—Cathy Buchanan, Operations Manager at Independent Carpet One in Westland, Michigan, and Kemp Harr discuss the 29% year-to-date growth in Cathy's retail store. Listen to the interview to hear more about her advertising and product mix strategy.

Andy Brumlow Discusses Area Rug Trends and Oriental Weaver's New Products

July 13, 2015—Andy Brumlow, VP of Product Development with Oriental Weavers, and Kemp Harr discuss trends in area rug sales. Listen to the interview to hear more information about key products introduced at the Atlanta Rug Market as well as a background on Oriental Weavers, the world's largest producer of man made area rugs.

Brandon Culpepper Discusses Rug Market Trends and Karastan's New Rugs

July 10, 2015—Brandon Culpepper, VP of Specialty Sales for Karastan (Mohawk Home), and Kemp Harr discuss the latest rug introductions and market trends in the area rug business. Listen to the interview, recorded at the Atlanta Rug Market, to hear more about price points, channel to market and product trends.

Santo Torcivia Discusses His Estimate of Home Depot's Marketshare in Retail Carpet Sales

July 9, 2015—Santo Torcivia, Economist with Market Insights LLC, and Kemp Harr discuss Home Depot's carpet marketshare and the industry shift toward store brands. Listen to the interview to hear how Santo calculates his marketshare estimates.