September 3, 2014—Tim Elliott, President of Hardwoods of Morristown, and Kemp Harr, discuss his company's backwards integration with its own sawmill plus its diversity into specialty products which allow for better margins. Listen to the interview to hear more about this unique approach as a nimble manufacturer of hardwood flooring products—both finished and unfinished.
September 2, 2014—Mike Sage, VP of Sales for Nora, and Kemp Harr, discuss a new sheet rubber product, Noraplan nTx, that has no moisture or pH limits. Listen to the interview to learn more about this product and also about Nora's primary market focus.
August 28, 2014—Gary Johnston, Director of Marketing Communications at Invista, and Kemp Harr, discuss the recent surge in consumer advertising to promote Stainmaster's Pet Protect carpet. Listen to the interview to hear more details about this investment, how long it will run and the strategy behind the investment.
August 26, 2014—Bob Harding, President of Van De Wiele - USA, and Kemp Harr, discuss Van De Wiele's decision to invest $5 million to build a tufting machine plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Van De Wiele bought Cobble in May of 2013 and is moving and expanding its Dalton operation to Chattanooga. Cobble is the oldest tufting machine company in the world. Listen to the interview to hear more about Cobble, Van De Wiele and the company's overall fit in the carpet manufacturing business.
August 25, 2014—Santo Torcivia, with Market Insights, and Kemp Harr, discuss Santo's view of the economy today and into the future as well as his read on how the floorcovering business is tracking today and what he expects to see in both the near and extended future. Santo publishes the U.S. FlooReport and is one of the few resources for forecasts that is focused on the floorcovering business.
August 22, 2014—Jay Smith, President of FloorExpo (FEI Group) and Kemp Harr, discuss a few of the reasons why year-to-date flooring sales in the home builder market have been softer than many companies forecasted. Listen to the interview to hear that some markets are stronger than others and also learn more about Floor Expo's annual meeting scheduled for early September at Lake Tahoe.
August 20, 2014—Mili Washington, Standards Director for the IICRC, and Kemp Harr, discuss the status of the S600 carpet installation standard. Listen to the interview to hear more about where the development of this standard stands today and what role it will serve once it is published.
August 15, 2014—Satya Tiwari, President of Surya, and Kemp Harr, discuss Surya's expansion into Cartersville, Georgia. Listen to the interview for more details on this expansion plus learn more about Surya's channel strategy, growth strategy and U.S. manufacturing plans. Surya is a supplier of area rugs and other home furnishings.
August 13, 2014—Dan Frierson, Chairman of The Dixie Group, and Kemp Harr discuss Dixie's second quarter performance where the company's revenue growth continued to outpace the rest of the industry. Listen to the interview to here more details about this recent quarter and a few details about what differentiates the company in both the commercial and residential markets.
August 12, 2014—Cathy Buchanan, a Carpet One retailer in Westland, Michigan, and Kemp Harr discuss a few highlights from last week's Carpet One Floor and Home summer convention and how her store is performing this year. Listen to the interview to hear Cathy talk about product shift and year over year sales comparisons.