Flooring Podcast

Bob Murray with McGraw-Hill Discusses the Construction Outlook for 2012

November 29, 2011—Bob Murray, VP of Economic Affairs with McGraw-Hill, and Kemp Harr discuss his Construction Outlook Publication for 2012. Listen to the interview to hear Bob say that construction spending for 2012 will be up 10% for for single-family housing, up 18% for multi-family housing, up 8% in commercial buildings but slip 2% in institutional buildings (McGraw-Hill puts schools and hospitals in the institutional category).

Victoria Redshaw Discusses Interior Fashion Trends and the Surfaces Expo

November 28, 2011—Victoria Redshaw, Interior Trends Forecaster with Scarlet Opus, and Kemp Harr discuss the current trends in the interior furnishings market and her upcoming presentation at the Surfaces Expo. Listen to the interview to hear details about what the consumer wants to know about a product before they buy, and what her buying trends are telling us about the frequency and quality of the products she buys.

Lou Morano Discusses Retail Business Conditions in South Florida

November 28, 2011—Lou Morano, Owner of Capitol Carpet and Tile (a six store flooring retailer in Palm County, Florida), and Kemp Harr discuss Lou's recent business success. Listen to the interview to hear more details and also hear Lou talk about the upcoming Mohawk Floorscapes/Color Center meeting scheduled for next week in Nashville, Tennessee.

Paul Friederichsen and Kemp Harr Discuss the Future Focus Awards

November 21, 2011—Paul Friederichsen, Owner of Brand Biz, and Kemp Harr discuss the Future Focus awards created to identify and give recognition to the rising leaders of the floorcovering industry. Listen to the interview to hear more details about this noteworthy initiative and the process for nominating candidates.

Alexander Collot d'Escury Discusses New European Research Proving Carpet is Better for Indoor Air

November 18, 2011—Alexander Collot d'Escury, Chief Commercial Officer for Desso, and Kemp Harr discuss recent independent research by TNO in Holland that proves carpet absorbs more particulates from the air than hard surfaces. Listen to the interview to hear how the European carpet market is using this information to reverse the trend by asthma and allergy doctors to advise patients to remove their carpet.

Michael Vogel Discusses The DCS Partnership Meeting Held Last Week in Sonoma California

November 17, 2011—Michael Vogel, CEO and Founder of the DCS Partnership Group, and Kemp Harr discuss the DCS Annual Meeting that was held last week in Sonoma, California. This year the meeting was focused on the builder sector of his business. Listen to the interview to hear the highlights of this meeting and the tone of the flooring contractors who focus on this sector of the market.

Gary Cissell Discusses Nebraska Furniture Mart's Decision to Open Its Fourth Store In Dallas

November 16, 2011—Gary Cissell, Director of Floors for Nebraska Furniture Mart, and Kemp Harr discuss NFM's decision to open its 4th superstore location in The Colony, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. Listen to the interview to hear more details about this new store and about the current sales levels for flooring in NFM's existing stores in the Midwest.

Frank Hurd Discusses Highlights from CRI's Annual Meeting and Recent Budget Cuts

November 15, 2011—Frank Hurd, COO with the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of CRI's annual meeting held last week in Dalton. Listen to the interview to hear more details about the meeting, changes to the Board of Directors, how the carpet industry is tracking for 2011 and about the CRI's reduced budget moving forward.

Dan Natkin Discusses Mannington's Thoughts on Last Week's Wood Tarrif Decision

November 14, 2011—Dan Natkin, Director of Hardwood and Laminate at Mannington Mills, and Kemp Harr discuss last week's decision by the International Trade Commission to affirm punitive duties on engineered hardwood flooring imported from China. Listen to the interview to hear details from Dan, who has attended most of the hearings on this case.

Michelle Miller Discusses the Highlights of the NAFCD Annual Meeting

November 11, 2011—Michelle Miller, Executive VP of the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of this year's annual meeting held this week in Nashville, Tennessee. Guest speakers this year were Dr. Barry Asmus (economist), Stuart Varney (TV Journalist), and Jonathan Trivers. Listen to the interview to hear more details about the health of this sector of the floorcovering industry.