July 10, 2012—Larry Press, Director of Flooring with Helmitin, and Kemp Harr discuss the 14 year process of developing the ASTM standard for carpet adhesives. Listen to the interview to hear Larry talk about what drove him to marshal the development of ASTM D7799 and which companies were on the consensus committee.
July 9, 2012—Jenny Cross, Director of Global Sustainability at Mohawk, and Kemp Harr discuss Mohawk's third Annual Sustainability Report released this week. Listen to the interview to hear a few highlights of this report. This is more than a green update, but a strategic review of their entire business. You can see the report at www.mohawksustainability.com.
July 3, 2012—Randy Merritt, President of Shaw Industries, and Kemp Harr discuss Shaw's decision to sponsor the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. Listen to the interview to first hear Randy talk about current market conditions and why Shaw selected St. Jude to be its core philanthropic beneficiary.
July 2, 2012—Paul Murray, VP of Sustainability with Shaw Industries, and Kemp Harr discuss Shaw's 2011 Sustainability report released last week. Listen to the interview to hear a few highlights of Shaw's sustainability achievements in 2011 and other financial data points you will find in this report. The report is available online at www.sustainability.shawgreenedge.com.
June 29, 2012—Kermit Baker, Economist with Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, and Kemp Harr discuss Kermit's latest read on the U.S. housing market. Listen to the interview to hear Kermit summarize his most recent annual report on the U.S. housing market. This report is available for free at www.jchs.harvard.edu.
June 28, 2012—Simon Mills, Director of Sales with Amtico in the UK, and Kemp Harr discuss the ongoing international integration of Amtico—since the acquisition by Mannington in March—and Simon's perspective on the current European debt crisis. Listen to the interview for more details.
June 27, 2012—Lane Brettschneider, Owner of Lane's Floor coverings & Interiors—a Manhattan based commercial flooring contractor, and Kemp Harr discuss the recent news that Lane's has merged with Fraser Gold and Stanley Licker is hoping to eventually dial back his involvement in the business. Listen to the interview to hear how the business will position itself moving forward.
June 22, 2012—Norm Voss and George Kelly with Kronotex USA discuss the leadership transition scheduled for July 1st as Norm hands the reins over to George. Listen to the interview to hear these two leaders talk about the industry, the company and Kronotex's fit in the laminate market moving forward.
June 12, 2012—David Duncan, Sr. VP of Marketing for Mohawk Flooring, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of Mohawk's contract commercial message at NeoCon 2012. Listen to the interview to hear how they carried the "state of mind" theme throughout their showroom at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.
June 20, 2012—Recorded in Chicago at NeoCon 2012, Kathryn Ross, Director of Marketing and Product Development for Ecore International, and Maurie Welsh O'Neill of O2 Strategies, talk to Kemp Harr about Ecore's new recycled rubber Studio Collection developed by Maurie. Listen to the interview to hear about what went into designing this collection and to hear more about Ecore International.