September 27, 2010—Phil Schrimper, Owner of JD Flooring, and Kemp Harr discuss the recent uptick in retail traffic that Phil's seen at his Cincinnati store and his decision to open a store in Columbus, Ohio. Listen to the interview to hear more about JD Flooring and the secret to his success.
September 23, 2010—Chris Abbate, a principal with the PR Agency (in the U.S.) for the Italian Tile Industry, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights for next week's Cersaie Show--the largest tile show in the world. Listen to the interview to hear about the key guest speakers and more details about the show in Bologna, Italy.
September 21, 2010—David Duncan, VP of Marketing with Mohawk, and Kemp Harr discuss the new Smartstrand challenge for 2010 that uses 6 elephants for 2 weeks in the Dallas Zoo. Listen to the interview to hear David talk about this new torture test for stain and resiliency and also give an update on current business conditions.
September 17, 2010—Charley Knight, VP of Sales for Shaw Hospitality, and Kemp Harr discuss the traffic and tone at this week's Hospitality Design Boutique Show held in Miami, Florida. Listen to the interview to hear more about the show and the hospitality market.
September 16, 2010—Werner Braun, President of the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr discuss California Bill AB-2398 that will add a landfill diversion fee when carpet is initially purchased at retail of $.05/square yard. This money will go into a fund and be distributed to companies that develop processes that divert post consumer carpet from the landfill. Listen to the interview to hear more about how this bill came about and who will benefit when it becomes law. Some feel this could become a model for legislation on a broader national scope.
September 15, 2010—John Sadlon, a principal with Mancini Duffy in Manhattan, discusses his firm's grand prize award in this year's Vision Design Award. Listen to the interview to here more about Mancini Duffy, this award winning project, and the 2010 Vision Design Award.
September 9, 2010—David Wilkerson, Director of Sustainability with Shaw, and Kemp Harr discuss tomorrow's meeting of leading carpet industry manufacturers with the U.S. Department of Commerce as part of its SMART tour. Listen to the interview to hear more about tomorrow's agenda for this meeting in Dalton, Georgia. SMART is an acronym for Sustainable Manufacturing American Regional Tours. More specific information on this meeting can be obtained by contacting Susan Rich at Shaw Industries.
September 8, 2010—Jim Seger and Nia Evans with G.E. Money discusses their new preferred supplier relationship with CCA Global and the state of the consumer credit market at retail. Listen to the interview to hear details around how retailers use private label consumer credit from GE to build store traffic and also enhance their relationship with consumers.
September 3, 2010—Travis Bass, VP of Sales & Marketing for Kronotex, and Kemp Harr discuss Kronotex's recent decision to invest $45 million in U.S. laminate manufacturing capability. Listen to the interview to hear more details around Kronotex's business and how this expansion will position Kronotex for future growth.
September 1, 2010—Marc Ammen of Universal Fibers and Kemp Harr discuss how Universal has been able to continue its growth over the last year despite contraction in the carpet market. Listen as Ammen discusses his company's focus on innovation, its industry leading color range, and the company's EarthSmart Technology.