June 8, 2011—Jim Walters, upcoming Chairman for the World Floor Covering Association, and Kemp Harr discuss the role of the organization and its focus for the coming year. Listen to the interview to hear Jim talk about his background and how Macco's Flooring is currently doing at retail in Wisconsin.
June 7, 2011—Tracy Hammond, VP with Dutco Worldwide (the lobbying firm for the Carpet and Rug Institute), and Kemp Harr discuss the current partisan paralysis in Washington, DC. Listen to the interview to hear an insider's perspective on when we might start seeing any positive legislative movement that will allow our economy to start to move forward.
June 6, 2011—Greg Colando, President of InterfaceFlor, and Kemp Harr discuss where Interface's four urban retail stores fit into its consumer marketing strategy for the company's residential modular tile products. Listen to the interview to hear more about how it picks store locations, as well as information on product styling and future plans.
June 3, 2011—Graham Howerton and Jay Smith with the FEI Group (formerly Floor Expo), and Kemp Harr discuss the strength of the multifamily housing sector. Listen to the interview to hear current and future statistics about occupancy, growth, and changes in the types of flooring used in the rental markets.
June 2, 2011—Stefan Hoher, Director of Market Technologies for Tuftex, and Kemp Harr discuss the strategic marketing decisions that this west coast carpet producer has made to make it stand out in the market place. Listen to the interview to hear Stefan talk about the many brand changes, who its targeting and where it fits in Shaw's overall brand strategy.
May 26, 2011—Summer Turner, Owner of two House of Carpets retail stores in Middle Tennessee, and Kemp Harr discuss market conditions at retail and what she is doing to grow her business. Listen to the interview to hear Summer give details about her business and a brief recap of the recent WFCA board meeting in New Orleans.
May 25, 2011—John Baugh, Managing Director with Stifel Nicolaus, and Kemp Harr discuss the 1st quarter results of the publicly traded floring companies. Listen to the interview to hear a quick summary of Mohawk, Armstrong and Interface's performance and outlook.
May 24, 2011—Pamela Rainey, Design Manager for Shaw Hospitality, and Kemp Harr discuss current design trends related to flooring in the hospitality market. Recorded at the HD Expo show in Las Vegas last week, Pamela also discusses Shaw's best of show award for a new carpet collection called Global Reason and for their booth display.
May 23, 2011—John McIntosh, VP of Sales and Marketing with Signature Hospitality Carpet, and Kemp Harr discuss Signature's approach to the hospitality market. Listen to the interview recorded from the floor of the Hospitality Design show in Las Vegas to hear more details about what Signature is doing to set themselves apart in this market.
May 20, 2011—Jennifer Busch and Kemp Harr discuss her decision to leave Contract Magazine and join InterfaceFlor as VP A&D Market Development. Listen to the interview, recorded at the HD Expo in Las Vegas, to hear more details about Jennifer's move and her new role.