May 19, 2011—David Jolly. President of J&J Industries, and Kemp Harr discuss J&J approach to the hospitality market with their newly acquired Templeton brand. Listen to the interview (recorded from the floor of the HD Show in Vegas) to hear David talk about J&J's strategy for the hospitality market.
May 18, 2011—Jack Thomasson, Builder and Project Manager for HGTV and Kemp Harr discuss the 2011 HGTV Green Home from the Stapleton area of Denver, CO. Listen to the interview to hear about the Shaw Industries' hardwood, tile and area rugs used in this project. Also learn specifics about how this home earns its "green" rating.
May 17, 2011—Xavier Steyaert, CEO of IVC-USA, and Kemp Harr discuss the grand opening of IVC's Dalton Georgia vinyl sheet flooring plant. Listen to the interview to hear details about its capacity and IVC's long-range strategy for market penetration in the U.S.
May 16, 2011—Chris Abbate, President of Novita Communications, and Kemp Harr discuss the annual ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) held this week at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. This show is the U.S. version of the Milan Furniture Show held in Italy in April. Listen to the interview to hear about the improved tone and traffic and other highlights.
May 12, 2011—Bruce Odette, Owner of Carpet Exchange in Denver, and Kemp Harr discuss his decision to support Shaw's HGTV licensed flooring products in all 19 of his retail stores. Listen to the interview to hear Bruce talk about market conditions and the benefits of this new program with Shaw Industries and HGTV.
May 11, 2011—Gianni Mattioli, President and CEO of Marazzi USA, and Kemp Harr discuss Marazzi's recent gift to the North Alabama Red Cross to help victims of the recent tornados in the area around their plant in Florence Alabama. Listen to the interview to hear more about this and about current market conditions in the U.S. ceramic/porcelain flooring market.
May 6, 2011—Steve Merrick, Owner, President and CEO of Somerset Hardwood, and Kemp Harr discuss Somerset's decision to expand its U.S. based production by building an engineered hardwood plant in Crossville, Tennessee. Listen to the interview to hear more details about Somerset and its expansion.
May 5, 2011—Santo Torcivia, an economist who focuses on the floorcovering industry, and Kemp Harr discuss his projections for the growth of the hardwood market in the U.S. Listen to the interview to hear Santo discuss the role Lumber Liquidators and the home centers play in this market and other details that affect this market.
May 4, 2011—Georgina Sikorski, Executive Director with CARE, and Kemp Harr discuss the Carpet America Recovery Effort's annual report which was released at last week's annual CARE convention. Listen to the interview to hear a quick review of how CARE is doing on its mission to divert post-consumer carpet from landfills.
May 3, 2011—Bill Kilbride and Jenny Cross, the leaders of Mohawk's sustainability initiatives, discuss Mohawk's top 5 ranking in the GreenBusiness Works Southeastern Corporate Sustainability Rankings. Listen to the interview to hear details of how Mohawk was picked for this honor and where sustainability fits in Mohawk's strategic plan.