February 4, 2010—Two Flooring America Dealers, Scott Steel and Kelby Frederick, talk to Kemp Harr about their decision to merge their two businesses and form a six-store chain that services Houston, Dallas and Texarkana. Listen to the interview to hear how this came about and the synergies they hope to achieve by combining the business.
February 2, 2010—Gary Cissell, Director of Flooring at Nebraska Furniture Mart, and Kemp Harr talk briefly the day before Surfaces about why Gary comes to Surfaces every year. Listen to the interview to hear Gary talking about the show and about the NFA Meeting that is held every year prior to the show.
January 29, 2010—Christine Whittemore, with Simple Marketing Now, and Kemp Harr discuss the nuances of selling flooring to women. Listen to the interview to hear some statistics about women and to hear what their hot buttons are when it comes to buying flooring.
January 27, 2010—Bridgette Kelly (British Wool) and Kemp Harr discuss the roll out of "The Wool Project," a five-year promotional campaign supported by the Prince of Whales (Prince Charles). Listen to the interview to hear about wool's role in the carpet industry and what this campaign could mean to retailers.
January 26, 2010—Laurie Lyza, Director of Marketing for Crossville Tile and Kemp Harr discuss the 2010 Vision Design Award. Listen to the interview to hear more about new contest designed to provide recognition to architects and interior designers for their creative integration of flooring and overall design. For more specific details or to enter go to www.floorfocus.com/designaward
January 25, 2010—David Elyachar and Scott Perron discuss the highlights of their 17th Annual Convention. Listen to the interview to hear about how this year's convention focused on selling to women and also what their outlook is for 2010.
January 22, 2010—Dana Teague, Show Director for Surfaces Expo, and Kemp Harr discuss the anticipated attendance and a few of the new enhancements attendees will see at this years show. Listen to the interview to hear more about this and about what motivated the show to move to the Mandalay Bay next year.
January 20, 2010—Jim Dion, President of Dionco, an expert in consumer buying habits, and Kemp Harr discuss the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts and what effect, if any, that election might have on consumer confidence. Listen to the interview to hear Jim's thoughts on what 2010 will look like at retail.
January 19, 2010—Nicklas Hakansson, R&D Manager with Valinge, and Kemp Harr discuss Valinge's new paperless laminate flooring system (Wood Power) that they will be launching at Surfaces this year. Listen to the interview from Domotex where Nicklas talks about the development and advantages vs. traditional laminate. Valinge spent two years and 20 million Euro developing this product.
January 18, 2010—Susanne Klaproth, Director of Domotex Germany, the largest international flooring show in the world, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights of the show from Hannover, Germany. Listen to the interview to hear more about how the economy has affected this show and details about what the show has done to make the exhibitors and attendees get more from their visit here.