May 25, 2010—Ed Korczak, Executive Director and CEO of the National Wood Flooring Association, and Kemp Harr discuss wood flooring's inclusion in the proposed Home Star Energy Retro Fit Act. While this $6 billion home owner stimulus package has yet to pass the Senate, Ed says there's a good chance this will become law if Congress can find a source for the funds. Listen to the interview to hear more detail.
May 21, 2010—Jeff West, Director of Sustainability for Shaw Commercial, and Kemp Harr discuss yesterday's launch of the Green Products Innovation Institute. Listen to the interview to learn that Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart are transferring the Cradle to Cradle certification from MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) to the GPII (Green Products Innovation Institute).
May 20, 2010—Pamela Rainey, Product Design Manager with Shaw Hospitality, and Kemp Harr discuss how external factors like the economy and generational demographics have affected design trends in the hospitality market. Listen to the interview to hear more about the latest flooring trends in the lodgings sector of this business.
May 19, 2010—Chris Bryant, VP of Product Development and Steve Sieracki, VP of Residential Marketing and Kemp Harr discuss the R2X stain protection technology and the consumer research that enables them to offer a lifetime stain and soil warranty on the nylon carpet. Listen to the interview to hear more about the R2X patented protection and life expectancy of fashion oriented home furnishings.
May 18, 2010—Michael Zmijewski, Vice President with Mr. Davids, and Kemp Harr discuss the Central Dupage Hospital-Pediatric Suite project that won the Starnet Design Award Grand Prize. Listen to the interview to hear more about Mr. Davids and this project.
May 17, 2010—Tom Lape, President of Mohawk's Residential Business, and Kemp Harr discuss the continued success of Mohawk's SmartStrand carpet made with triexta polymer. Listen to the interview to hear about new investments in capacity by both DuPont and Mohawk Industries. Also listen to the end of the interview where Tom gives his outlook on consumers' buying habits at the early stages of this economic recovery.
May 14, 2010—Frank Douglas, Vice President of Business Development for Crossville Tile, and Kemp Harr discuss the Coverings 2010 show, some of Crossville's recent investments and how it achieves success in the commercial marketplace. Listen to the interview to hear more about Crossville's latest news and the Coverings 2010 show.
May 13, 2010—David Polley and Kemp Harr are starting a new series of interviews where they address some of the topics that are top of mind in the industry. As many of you know, David has held leadership positions in the carpet industry for most of his career and he has a solid understanding of the industry and is good at verbalizing his thoughts. In this interview, we discuss the topic of lifetime warranties on nylon carpet. We hope you enjoy this interview and the series that David and Kemp will try to entertain you with in the future. Stay tuned next week for an interview on how independent flooring retailers should view the home centers in the overall retail mix.
May 12, 2010—Randy Weis, a New York based flooring contractor and Chairman of the Board for Starnet, provides an overview of his R.D. Weis business and what Starnet has been doing to help its membership during these trying economic times. Listen to the interview to hear how Randy's business is doing and his outlook for the future.
May 11, 2010—Jay Smith, president of the FEI Group, and Kemp Harr, discuss the emerging signs of the start of a turnaround in the builder business this year. Some major builders are projecting a profit this year, and others have started buying land again as they are flush with cash. Also, listen as Smith decribes how FEI's membership is growing, including eight new flooring-related members this year.