Flooring Podcast

Werner Braun Discusses How CRI's SOA Program Enhances Carpet Cleaning Equipment Performance

June 24, 2010—Werner Braun, President of the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr discuss how CRI's Seal of Approval (SOA) process has improved the performance of carpet cleaning systems and vacuum cleaners since its early development. Listen to the interview to hear more about CRI's testing system and its collaboration with NASA and Georgia Tech to make sure the tools consumers use to clean carpet work effectively.

Jack Thomasson With HGTV Discusses The Latest Green Home in Plymouth, Massachusetts

June 23, 2010—Jack Thomasson, Builder and Project Manager for the HGTV Green Home, and Kemp Harr discuss his latest green house recently completed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Listen to the interview to hear details about what makes this home green and the scrutiny that HGTV puts in vetting suppliers for this project. This home will be given away next week and all of the floors were provided by Shaw Industries.

Cathy Mansour Discusses Beaulieu Commercial's New Pure Brand and TacFast license

June 22, 2010—Cathy Mansour, Director of Marketing for Beaulieu Commercial, and Kemp Harr talk about Beaulieu's new Pure Contract brand and their exclusive license with TacFast lock plate system. The new Pure brand was developed to represent a new collection of carpet tile products that have fresh, clean styling. As part of its display at Neocon, the Pure brand suite on the 11th floor featured a glueless floating floor installation that uses a hook and loop panel system for easy installation and modification. Listen to the interview to hear more about Pure and TacFast.

Natalie Jones Discusses Mannington Commerical's NeoCon Best of Show & TxStyle Design Winners

June 21, 2010—Natalie Jones, VP of Brand Development for Mannington Commercial, and Kemp Harr discuss Mannington's Best of NeoCon awards for its showroom space and its Earthly Elements hardwood collection. Listen to the interview to hear Natalie discuss the show and also hear Laurel Harrison, one of the two Tx:style award winners, discuss how she learned about the design contest.

Reesie Duncan Discusses Shaw Contract's Best of NeoCon Award for 2010

June 18, 2010—Reesie Duncan, Creative Director for Shaw Contract, and Kemp Harr discuss Shaw's 18x36 modular carpet collection which won a Silver Best of NeoCon award. Listen to the interview to hear more about this collection and Shaw Contract's experience at NeoCon 2010.

Maurie O'Neill Discusses New Bentley Prince Street Coordinates Collection Called Astronomie

June 17, 2010—Maurie O'Neill, with O2 Strategies, and Kemp Harr discuss the new Astronomie collection of coordinated luxury vinyl tile from Parterre and carpet from Bentley Prince Street. Maurie, who is an interior designer, worked with both firms to select product that worked well together and assembled an architectural folder containing 18 coordinates of hard and soft products. Listen to the interview to hear more about the range of looks and the background behind the collection. Designers who seek more information about this collection should contact their Bentley Prince Street representative.

Rick Evans Discusses Milliken and Constantine's NeoCon Best Of Show Awards

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.

Mark Falanga Discusses the Anticipated Traffic for Neocon 2010

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.

Ohio Retailer Gary Frankhouse, Jr. Discusses The Benefits of Benchmarking

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.)

Tom Gifford Discusses the Rapid Increase in Demand for Carpet Tufting Needles

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.