June 16, 2010—Rick Evans, vice president of sales for Milliken and Constantine, and Kemp Harr, discuss how combining the technologies of the two companies resulted in a Best of NeoCon Innovation Award this year for two carpet collections. Milliken purchased Constantine last fall, and NeoCon represents a coming-out party for the combined companies.
June 15, 2010—Mark Falanga, senior vice president for the Merchandise Mart, and Kemp Harr discuss the early traffic at this year's NeoCon show and how it compares to previous years. The show has more than 1,000 companies and more than 1 million square feet, and flooring is the second largest category after furniture. Learn how NeoCon keeps in contact with designers throughout the year and keeps them coming to the show.
June 10, 2010—Gary Frankhouse, Jr., a full line flooring retailer in Galion, Ohio, and Kemp Harr discuss the benefits of conducting a benchmarking analysis whereby a retailer can compare his results with other similar retailers across the country. Listen to the interview to hear more details on this process. (This is a rerun of an interview conducted earlier this year.)
June 4, 2010—Tom Gifford, U.S. representative for Groz-Beckert, and Kemp Harr discuss a recent 30% increase in demand for tufting needles and how that correlates with manufacturing activity in the carpet market. Listen to the interview to hear more about Groz-Beckert and Tom's view on the early stages of recovery in the carpet market.
June 2, 2010—Peter Greene, Vice President of Marketing with InterfaceFlor, and Kemp Harr discuss his background and Interface's new introductions for NeoCon 2010. Listen to the interview to hear about two new modular carpet collections and their sustainability message.
June 1, 2010—John Wells, President of Interface Americas, and Kemp Harr discuss Interface's new arrangement with the Bravo Network of Distributors to sell an exclusive collection of modular carpets to the mainstreet sector of the commercial market. This new collection was designed by David Oakey. Listen to the interview to hear more details of this and also hear John talk about market conditions overall and provide an update on Ray Anderson's fight against cancer.
May 26, 2010—Liz Calandrino talks about her sister Sonna's passion for fashion and provides a quick synopsis of her childhood and 30-year focus on the flooring industry. Listen to the interview to hear more about Sonna's professional career. Sonna passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, May 23.
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.