March 15, 2012—Don Finkell, Shaw's CEO for Hardwood Flooring, and Kemp Harr, Publisher of Floor Focus Magazine, discuss the retail concept store in Shanghai, China. Listen to the interview to hear Don talk about the strategy behind this retail store, how flooring is sold in China and how the market has evolved in the past 10 years.
March 14, 2012—Santo Torcivia, an Independent Flooring Economist who publishes a quarterly report called the Market Monitor, and Kemp Harr discuss his latest report which was released yesterday. Listen to the interview to hear Santo talk about where the economy is today, mild marketshare gains by the home centers, and share shift between flooring categories.
March 13, 2012—Andrea Guidetti, Export Manager from Fiandré in Italy, and Kemp Harr discuss the latest news from one of the most innovative tile companies in Italy. Listen to the interview to hear about their name change, their heritage as the company who developed the porcelain category and their latest architectural skin product—called Extreme. This interview was recorded in Sao Paulo at the Revestir Brazilian tile expo.
March 12, 2012—Russell Grizzle, President and EO of Mannington Mills, and Kemp Harr discuss Mannington's acquisition of Amtico—an international manufacturer of LVT flooring. Listen to the interview to hear Russell talk about the strategy behind the decision to buy Amtico and the integration plans moving forward.
March 9, 2012—Antonio Carlos Kieling, CEO with Anfacer (the Brazilian trade association for tile manufacturers), and Kemp Harr discuss Antonio's recipe for drawing such a large crowd to the Annual Revestir Brazilian tile show. Listen to the interview to hear Antonio discuss the size of the crowd, the tie-in of great speakers, and the cause of the decline in Brazilian tile imports into the U.S.
March 8, 2012—Marcio Muller, VP of North American Sales for Eliane, and Kemp Harr discuss Eliane's position as the largest tile producer in Brazil and the only Brazilian tile company with a presence in the U.S. Listen to the interview taped yesterday at the Revestir Brazilian Tile Expo in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
March 7, 2012—Shannon Bilby Vogel, Director of Social Media for Creating Your Space, and Kemp Harr discuss how the new social media website Pinterest can help flooring retailers and consumers. Pinterest, the fastest growing social media website, organizes photos around topics of interest, which can help anyone who's thinking about remodeling. Nearly all of the use of Pinterest is by women.
March 6, 2012—Elena Grant, VP of Marketing for the Coverings International Tile Trade Show, and Kemp Harr discuss the upcoming show in Orlando in April. Listen to the interview to hear more about Coverings Central, which will have sessions focusing on social media and how it pertains to the tile industry. Also hear about the new Coverings Installation and Design Awards, recognizing the synergy between design and installation, and another new event, Contractor Days.
March 5, 2012—John Baugh, Managing Director with Stifel Nicolaus, and Kemp Harr discuss the 4th Qtr and Year end results for Mohawk, Armstrong and Interface—three of the publicly traded companies in the floorcovering industry. Listen to the interview to hear John give a brief summary of each company's performance and give his outlook on where we stand economically as it relates to the interior furnishings market.
March 2, 2012—Frank Peters, former President of Mohawk's Flooring Division, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of his career in the floorcovering industry. Listen to the interview to hear Frank discuss his decision to retire and the future outlook for the industry.