March 10, 2011—Frank Hurd, COO with the CRI, and Kemp Harr discuss the congressional meetings held this week to proactively address legislative issues that are important to the carpet industry. Listen to the interview to hear who attended these meetings and what was discussed. At the end of the interview we also discuss the progress that's been made to implement California AB 2398 on July 1st.
March 9, 2011—Gary Asbury, Co-President of Professional Testing, and Kemp Harr discuss a recent peer review validation of the XRF test method that CRI uses to test vacuum cleaners and hot water extraction equipment as part of its Seal of Approval process. Listen to the interview to hear Gary talk about X-ray fluorescence testing, where it is used, and what this peer review means to the industry.
March 7, 2011—Jonathan Train, Product Manager with Swiff-Train and Spokesperson for the Alliance for Free Choice and Jobs in Flooring (AFCJF), talks about the recent deadline extension on the Anti-Dumping ruling for Chinese sourced engineered hardwood flooring. Listen to the interview to hear the background on this debate and where it stands today.
March 4, 2011—Keith Campbell, Chairman with Mannington Mills, and Kemp Harr discuss today's launch of Mannington's "Make Some Noise" campaign designed to promote the fact that most of its products are made in the U.S. Listen to the interview to hear how Mannington plans to use social media and the Internet to promote this message. Go to www.ManningtonMakesNoise.com to see this creative message around keeping Americans employed.
March 3, 2011—Ron Lee, Executive Director of the Resource Commercial Flooring Network, and Kemp Harr discuss the business condition improvements his members are seeing in the marketplace. Listen to the interview to hear the highlights of their meeting in San Francisco and more details around business conditions within this group of commercial flooring contractors.
March 2, 2011—Jennifer Hoff, Executive Director with NTP who hosts the Coverings Show, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlighted speakers and programs for the upcoming Coverings Expo in Las Vegas in mid-March. Listen to the interview to hear what Jennifer thinks are the most important events to see.
March 1, 2011—Glenn King, VP of Marketing for Beaulieu Commercial, and Kemp Harr discuss recent organization changes and strategy that have resulted in marketshare gain for Beaulieu's "nimble" commercial carpet business. Listen to the interview to hear more about this and about Glenn's background in the industry.
February 25, 2011—Interior designer Shashi Caan of the Shashi Caan Collective, and Kemp Harr, discuss recent work by the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers to build more respect for the profession and greater clarity for what interior design specialists do. Specifically, she talks about the IFI Design Frontiers: Interiors Entity, an effort that included designers and architects from 76 countries to develop a consensus about the profession. It resulted in the IFI Interiors Declaration, which will be released next month. She also talks about the Floor Focus Visions Design Awards, which is taking entries through March 1.
February 24, 2011—Kermit Baker, an economist with the American Institute of Architecture, and Kemp Harr discuss the flat January billings index. According to Kermit, he's not too concerned with this flat reading and still thinks we are "clawing our way" out of this recession. Listen to the interview to hear more details about this and his view of the residential remodel outlook for 2011.
February 23, 2011—Ed Korczak, CEO of the NWFA, and Kemp Harr discuss the contributions that Virgil Hendricks, the National Wood Flooring Association's founding president, made to the hardwood business. Listen to the interview to hear details about Virgil's business career. Hendricks passed away on February 19, 2011.