October 21, 2009—Allison Rea, Director of Marketing for FEI Group (formerly FloorExpo), and Kemp Harr discuss some of the myths of social media as a viable promotion vehicle for flooring companies. Listen to the interview to hear Allison's view of how flooring contractors should use the Internet to promote their business.
October 19, 2009—Rick McConnell, President of Hanley Wood Expositions, and Kemp Harr discuss his recent appointment to head up all of Hanley Wood's trade shows which includes Surfaces. Listen to the interview to hear more about Hanley Wood and plans for Surfaces in 2010.
October 16, 2009—Sam Roberts, owner of Roberts' Carpet and Fine Floors (and an NFA member), and Kemp Harr, discuss his strategy for maintaining sales even in this depressed economy. Listen to the interview to hear more about his newest store and his advertising strategy.
October 15, 2009—Gary Cissell, Director of Flooring at Nebraska Furniture Mart, tells Kemp Harr about the major remodeling of the firm's Omaha store, including the installation of a huge two-tier floorcovering feature wall to grab the consumer's attention. He also discusses how the strategy of selling floorcovering, furniture, and appliances all in one store leads to higher flooring sales.
October 14, 2009—Jeff Macco, President of the National Floorcovering Alliance, and Kemp Harr discuss the current tone of the membership, its outlook for 2010, and its latest new member. Listen to the interview to hear more about the group, its meeting, and its newest member--Levi for Floors.
October 13, 2009—Chris Davis, President and CEO of the World Floor Covering Association, tells Kemp Harr a little about the organization's history and its early roots as a labor negotiator for installers, along with details about this year's induction of new members into the organization's Hall of Fame. He also talks about his member's cautious optimism about the economy.
October 12, 2009—Russell Grizzle, Milliken's President of Global Flooring, and Kemp Harr discuss the recent news of Milliken's acquisition of Constantine. Listen to the interview to hear more about the synergies of the two companies and their integration plans moving forward.
October 8, 2009—Jay Smith and Dave Gheesling, President and CEO of the FEI Group (formerly FloorExpo), provide an overview on the health and scope of their organization and discuss the highlights from their annual convention held this week in Austin, Texas. Listen to the interview to hear details about what the economic recovery in the builder market might look like in the next couple of years.
October 5, 2009—Massimo Barbari, Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Florida Tile, and Kemp Harr have a candid conversation that provides valuable insight on the Cersaie show. Listen to the interview to hear more about the traffic, who attends, and the overall impact on the world tile market. Massimo also provides a brief update on Florida Tile's innovation initiatives. (approx. 10 minutes)
October 2, 2009—Armondo Cafiero, Managing Director with the Italian Tile Trade Association, and Kemp Harr discuss the source of the Italian tile leadership, the tone and traffic at Cersaie and growth opportunities for tile in the U.S. Listen to the interview to hear more from the man who runs the world's largest tile trade show and the Italian tile trade association.