April 19, 2011—Jeff Meadows, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer for Beaulieu of America, and Kemp Harr discuss the global market conditions that are resulting in higher carpet prices. Listen to the interview to hear Jeff explain why nylon, polyester and Polypropylene prices are at an all time high and what effect that has on the carpet industry.
April 18, 2011—Richard Friedman, President of DFS Flooring, and Kemp Harr discuss the strategy that has resulted in this Southern California commercial flooring contractor's 25% growth in the last two years. Listen to the interview to hear more about DFS' balance of maintenance to PI (product and installation) business. Also listen to Richard briefly talk about the highlights of this year's Starnet meeting in Phoenix.
April 15, 2011—Jeanne Matson, President of Starnet, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of Starnet's annual meeting held in Phoenix, Arizona this week. Listen to the interview to hear how the largest co-op of commercial flooring contractors is doing as the economy starts to show signs of life in the commercial flooring sector. Also hear more details about Starnet's annual design contest.
April 14, 2011—Clint Hubbard, CEO with Home Legend, and Kemp Harr discuss the recent acquisition of Baker's Creek hardwood flooring in Edwards, Mississippi. Listen to the interview to hear more details around the strategy behind this acquisition, including U.S.-based manufacturing, expanded product offering, and export opportunities.
April 11, 2011—Michael Martin, who has been hired to replace Ed Korzack as the head of the National Wood Flooring Association at the end of the year, and Kemp Harr discuss his background and the role of the association. Listen to the interview to hear where his focus will be as he takes the helm of this association.
April 7, 2011—Norm Voss, President and CEO of Kronotex USA, and Kemp Harr discuss the changes in the laminate market in the last year. Listen to the interview to hear Norm talk about the Kronotex's expansion, new technologies and future pricing.
April 5, 2011—Steve Roan, VP of Karastan Rugs, and Kemp Harr discuss the traffic at this week's High Point Home Furnishings Show in North Carolina. Listen to the interview to hear Steve talk about their decision to exhibit at this show after a 6-year absence.
April 1, 2011—Bob Holm, Principal with HDR Architecture, and Kemp Harr discuss Holm's recent healthcare office building project in Omaha that won a Powerbond award from Tandus. Listen to the interview to hear Bob talk about his preference to use carpet--especially in pediatric healthcare environments.
March 31, 2011—Tyrone Johnson, Amtico's North American President, and Kemp Harr discuss Amtico's decision to drop its Stratica non-PVC line of resilient flooring. As you will hear in the interview, Amtico developed this product in 1998 to satisfy the need for specifiers who were concerned about using PVC based flooring, but today demand does not warrant the continued offering of the product. Listen to the interview to hear Tyrone give more details and also talk about current market conditions.
March 30, 2011—Charlie Monroe, president and chairman of Card-Monroe, discusses the new book, Tufting Legacies, which talks about the history of the carpet industry from the standpoint of the machinery that made carpet available to the masses. Listen to the interview to find out more about the inventors of the technology and how it played a key role in making Dalton, Georgia the carpet capital.