July 28, 2010—Aaron Pirner, a leading specialty floorcovering retailer based in Kansas, and Kemp Harr discuss what it takes to be successful in these market conditions. Listen to the interview to hear Aaron talk about advertising, and competing with the big box home centers.
July 26, 2010—Werner Braun, President of the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr discuss key findings on the performance of carpet from their recent commercial market research. Listen to the interview to hear more about how carpet is perceived in the major vertical segments within the commercial market. Werner also provides an update on the statistical business performance of carpet over all.
July 22, 2010—Eric Demaree, President of Carpet One, and Kemp Harr discuss how Carpet One retailers have fared during the downturn and the advantages they have by being part of the Carpet One organization. Listen as Eric discusses how Carpet One retailers compete against the home centers, and how successful its Tigressa campaign with Shaw has been.
July 21, 2010—Vinnie Virga, President of Flooring America, and Kemp Harr discuss the current retail business activity with his membership, his outlook for the rest of the year and the highlights of the summer convention being held this week in Houston. Listen to the interview to hear more about new products and programs with Flooring America.
July 19, 2010—Recorded on the first day of the AmericasMart Summer Rug Show, Chas Sydney, Senior VP of Business Development, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of the show and the effect the economy has had on the show. Listen to the interview to hear about the current rug trends and about AmericasMart's Icon awards event.
July 16, 2010—Gary Cissell, Director of Flooring at Nebraska Furniture Mart, and Kemp Harr discuss the positive flooring sales results NFM has seen in recent months. This interview was conducted at the Atlanta Rug Market. Listen to the interview to hear Gary tell our listeners details about NFM's current promotions and specifics about what's selling in the area rug category.
July 14, 2010—Industry veteran David Polley and Kemp Harr discuss the flat conditions with retailers in June and how independent retailers should view the home centers from a competitive standpoint.
July 12, 2010—Amy Chai, Senior Legal Council for the NAHB, and Kemp Harr discuss the NAHB's lawsuit against the EPA's Lead Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RPP) rule. Listen to the interview to hear the biggest issue is the EPA's removal of the "opt-out" provision which allowed home owners that didn't have children under six or a pregnant woman in the home to bypass the rule.
July 9, 2010—Jon Namba, a leading spokesperson for floor covering installers, and Kemp Harr discuss the impact of the EPA's new lead paint rule (called the Contractors Renovation Repairs and Painting Rule (RRP)) on floor covering installers. Listen to the interview to hear Jon give the details about the certification process and some of the grey area that is causing confusion.
July 8, 2010—Alexander Collot d'Escury, Chief Commercial Officer for Desso Carpets, and Kemp Harr discuss the company's AirMaster commercial carpet, which the company claims uses a patented process to reduce the "fine dust" particulates in rooms where it is installed. Listen to the interview to hear more about AirMaster and Desso.