November 25, 2014—Bob Murray, Chief Economist with Dodge Data and Analytics, and Kemp Harr, talk about the Dodge Construction Outlook 2015 Report which was published in October. Listen to the interview to hear Bob talk about which of the vertical sectors are predicted to grow next year.
November 20, 2014—Chris Stulpin, Creative Director with The Mohawk Group, and Kemp Harr, discuss the Future of Workplace Design (FWD) meeting held this week in New York City which is a combination of entertainment, education and collaboration in Mohawk's commercial product development process. Listen to the interview to hear about the meeting's tie in with Trend Union at the Parsons School of Design and how Mohawk collaborates with specifiers and end users from throughout North America.
November 19, 2014—Paul Friederichsen, Branding and Marketing Consultant with BrandBiz in Atlanta, and Kemp Harr, discuss leadership in the floorcovering industry. In particular, they talk about Floor Focus Magazine's November feature on the top 25 leaders under age 40 in the industry. Friederichsen, a judge who helped determine the list, talks about some of the interesting traits of the leaders and what makes them outstanding in the industry.
To see the article click here.
November 17, 2014—Doug Young, Executive VP of Schönox, and Kemp Harr, discuss the "Worst Subfloor in North America" Contest which is being held to highlight how easy it is to use Schönox to prep damaged floors using Schönox's synthetic gypsum self leveling system. Deadline for entry into the contest is December 15. Listen to the interview to hear how Schönox differs from other floor prep products.
November 14, 2014—Kermit Baker, a Harvard Economist and the Economist for American Institute of Architects, and Kemp Harr, discuss the AIA Billing Index along with other key economic factors that are pointing to a strong year in 2015 for construction spending. Listen to the interview to hear more details about what happened in 2014 and how economic conditions are lining up for the coming year.
November 13, 2014—Joe Yarbrough, President of the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr, discuss the awards and 2015 initiatives that were presented at yesterday's annual CRI meeting held in Dalton, Georgia. Listen to the interview to hear Joe talk about his 2015 plans to update the carpet installation standards, co-fund a caprolactam inhalation study, and create a voluntary product stewardship (VPS) program. For awards, Susan Rich Farris, Director of Corporate Communications with Shaw Industries, won the Joseph J. Smrekar Award and John Garger won the CRI Chairman's award.
November 12, 2014—Darius Helm, Executive Editor with Floor Focus Magazine, and Kemp Harr, discuss the BDNY show held earlier this week in New York City. Listen to the interview to hear about its hospitality focus, its rapid growth and a few of the trends seen on the show floor.
November 11, 2014—Susanne Klaproth, Director of Domotex Germany, and Kemp Harr, discuss the additional programs and speakers that are slated for next January at the largest International floorcovering show in the world. Listen to the interview to hear more about the Innovations@Domotex program, and two of the architects that are speaking, Ross Lovegrove, from the U.K, and Roberto Palomba, from Italy. Next year, this show takes place in Hannover, Germany on January 17-20.
November 10, 2014—Tracy Hammond, Senior Policy Advisory for Polsinelli, and Kemp Harr, discuss the potential ramifications of having a Republican majority in the House and Senate on the floorcovering business. Listen to the interview to hear Tracy's perspective. Polsinelli is the Carpet and Rug Institute's lobby firm.
November 6, 2014—Michel Giannuzzi and Alexander Collot d'Escury, CEO of Tarkett Worldwide and Desso (respectively), and Kemp Harr, discuss the recent news that Tarkett is buying Desso. Tarkett is the third largest flooring company with over $3 billion in sales worldwide and Desso is a carpet and sports turf producer based in the Netherlands with an estimated $253 million in sales (in 2013). Listen to the interview for more details about how Desso fits into Tarkett's global growth picture.