Flooring Podcast

Donato Grosser Discusses the Growth of the U.S. Tile Market

May 1, 2013—Recorded at Coverings 2013 in Atlanta, GA, Donato Grosser, Consultant to the Italian Ceramics Association, and Kemp Harr, talk about the housing market recovery and its affect on the consumption of ceramic tile. Listen to the interview to hear Donato's predictions for the future of the tile industry, how and where tile is being used in today's market and his thoughts on the recent acquisition of Italian tile producer Marazzi by Mohawk Industries.

Bob Peoples Discusses CARE's Accomplishments in the Last Year

April 30, 2013—Dr. Bob Peoples, executive director of Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), and Kemp Harr, discuss last week's annual CARE meeting at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa. Listen to hear about some of the highlights of the meeting, who was in attendance and statistical numbers around CARE's goal to reduce the amount of carpet that ends up in our nation's landfills. Specifically, Bob talks about CARE's Annual Report, issues around polyester carpet recycling and progress on California's AB2398 (the CA fund created to minimize the carpet going to CA landfills).

Jeanne Matson Discusses the Highlights of Starnet's Spring Meeting

April 29, 2013—Jeanne Matson, President and CEO of Starnet Worldwide (the largest group of commercial flooring contractors in the U.S.), and Kemp Harr, talk about the Spring Meeting and what Starnet members have been doing to remain successful during the economic downturn. Recorded in Pal Desert, CA, Jeanne and Kemp discuss some of the highlights of the meeting and some key initiatives for the group in 2013.

Brandon Culpepper Discusses Mohawk Home's New Area Rug Strategy for Growth

April 26, 2013—Brandon Culpepper, Vice President of Specialty Sales of Mohawk Home, and Kemp Harr, discuss Mohawk Home's business strategy around the Karastan and American Rug Craftsman brands. Listen to the interview to hear more about what Mohawk Home is doing and what independent flooring retailers can do to successfully compete in the rug market.

Kermit Baker Presents an Optimistic Outlook for the Housing and Commercial Flooring Markets

April 25, 2013—Kermit Baker, Economist with the Joint Center for Housing Studies and the American Institute of Architecture, and Kemp Harr, Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, discuss the favorable outlook for 2013 in the housing market. Listen to the interview for more details and also hear Kermit talk about the recent AIA billing index.

Elise Demboski Provides an Overview of Mohawk's Recent License to Spill Events for Smart Strand

April 24, 2013—Elise Demboski, VP of Creative Services for Mohawk, and Kemp Harr, discuss the company's latest round of promotions for its proprietary Smart Strand carpet centered around the theme of License to Spill. Listen to the interview to hear the strategy behind this nationwide 12 city tour that puts emphasis on the carpet's stain free properties.

Jim Dion Discusses His Two Education Workshops at Coverings 2013

April 23, 2013—Jim Dion, a Retail Consultant, and Kemp Harr, discuss the two workshops he is scheduled to give at Coverings in Atlanta next week. Listen to the interview to hear Jim talk about how the current economy is affecting retail conditions and a brief review of the two workshops titled: "What every retailer can learn from Apple," and "The psychology of price and why it matters."

Neil Poland Discusses Mullican's Manufacturing Expansion in Johnson City Tennessee

April 19, 2013—Neil Poland, President and CEO of Mullican Flooring, and Kemp Harr, discuss Mullican's new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Johnson City Tennessee. Listen to the interview to hear how Mullican has been able to move the majority of its engineered hardwood manufacturing back to the USA and is able to produce it on a lower cost basis. Also hear Neil talk abut hardwood pricing and his outlook for the near future.

Franco Rossi discusses Aquafil's Recent Growth and Expansion Plans

April 18, 2013—Franco Rossi, President of Aquafil USA, and Kemp Harr, discuss several of the factors behind Aquafil USA's rapid growth. Listen to the interview to hear about their future expansion plans and some of their unique products that set them apart.

A.J. Boyajian Discusses His Retail Business in the Boston Area

April 16, 2013—A.J. Boyajian, Co-owner of A.J. Rose Carpets & Flooring, and Kemp Harr, discuss business conditions with this two store retail flooring business based outside of Boston. A.J. Rose joined the NFA last year and I reached out to A.J. to see how yesterday's incident affected his business. Listen to the interview for more details.