January 7, 2013—Bruce Zwicker, President and CEO of J.J. Haines, the largest floorcovering distributor in the U.S., and Kemp Harr, Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, talk about the strategy behind last week's acquisition of Allied Products, Inc., a smaller floorcovering distributor based in Baltimore, MD. Listen to the interview to hear more about Haines' growth strategy.
January 3, 2013—John (JT) Turner, President of Daltile, and Kemp Harr, discuss the strategy behind Mohawk's decision to buy the Marazzi Group. Listen to the interview to hear more details about how Marazzi fits within Mohawk's overall growth strategy.
January 2, 2013—Dan Frierson, Chairman of the Dixie Group, and Kemp Harr, discuss Dixie Home's decision to buy the rights to produce select Stainmaster products from Gulistan—effective immediately. Listen to the interview to hear Dan talk about the strategy behind this decision in addition to talking about recovery of the luxury sector of the market, the continued focus on "ultra-soft" carpet and his outlook for 2013. After the interview, Dan emphasized that the existing Gulistan samples should continue to be used as a selling tool.
December 20, 2012—Aaron Pirner and Nick Freadreacea, two leading flooring retailers who serve on the Board of the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and Kemp Harr discuss business conditions, the status of the search for a new WFCA leader and their outlook for 2013.
December 18, 2012—Paul Murfin, Co-CEO with IVC-US, and Kemp Harr, Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, discuss the progress IVC has made in the past year selling the capacity of the $75 million sheet vinyl plant that the Belgium based company built in Dalton in 2010. Listen to the interview to hear more details about their customer base and their channel strategy.
December 13, 2012—Werner Braun, President of the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr, discuss a pending ban in the state of California on nylon carpet based on the state's interpretation of the acceptable exposure levels of caprolactam. Caprolactam is an organic compound used to produce nylon 6. Listen to the interview to hear more details about where this issue stands.
December 12, 2012—Vinnie Virga, a New England Floorcovering retailer with two new stores in Massachusetts, and Kemp Harr Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, discuss what it takes to be successful in the retail business today. Listen to the interview to hear Vinnie talk about picking store locations, building consumer traffic, technology and commitment.
December 11, 2012—Jeff Trapp, Director of Sales with Creative Touch Interiors, and Kemp Harr, Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, discuss CTI's focus on supplying floorcovering to the builder market. Listen to the interview to hear more on their ownership, size and scope and outlook for the future.
December 10, 2012—Michelle Miller, Executive VP with the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD), and Kemp Harr, discuss the highlights of their annual meeting held recently in Orlando. Listen to the interview to hear feedback on the new trade show format, highlights from economist Alan Beaulieu's talk and the ongoing challenges that the flooring distributors face.
December 6, 2012—Lauren Voit, General Manager at Great Western Flooring Company, and Kemp Harr, discuss Great Western's three store retail flooring business in the suburbs of Chicago and Lauren's perspective of the annual Mohawk's Floorscapes meeting. Listen to the interview for more details.