July 10, 2009—Werner Braun, President of the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr discuss where the carpet order rate is now and how it has historically been an early indicator to economic recovery. Listen to the interview to hear more about this and what the CRI sees as their mission and where they are spending their efforts this year to remove the barriers to profitability.
July 9, 2009—Alan Parker, VP of Industry Relations for the International Interior Design Association, and Kemp Harr discuss the effects the recession is having on interior designers. Not only are many of them losing their jobs due to lack of work but some are forced to look for a new line of work. Listen to the interview to hear what the design landscape may look like in the future and more details about what the association is doing for those designers who find themselves without a job.
July 8, 2009—Dana Teague, Director of Surfaces Expo for Hanley Wood, and Kemp Harr discuss key changes for Surfaces in 2010. Listen to the interview to hear that many of the companies who left the show floor will be back next year. Also, the keynote session and many of the other show changes will be retailer focused. This show will run from February 2-4 and will be at the Sands Convention Center for one last year.
July 7, 2009—Randy Pollack, the California government affairs representative for the Carpet and Rug Institute, and Kemp Harr discuss the severity of California's $24 billion budget shortfall. Listen to the interview to hear details about what caused this situation, what the state is doing to remain solvent and what this could mean to the flooring industry.
July 6, 2009—Several of the leading trade organizations in our industry have formed a coalition to get legislation passed that would offer tax incentives to consumers who purchase building and interior furnishing products. In this interview, Dean Thompson with the Resilient Floor Covering Institute and Kemp Harr provide a summary of the HIRE Act of 2009 (Home Improvement Revitalize the Economy). Listen to this 7 min interview to hear how this initiative is advancing. To get a sample letter to send your congressman or senator, you can email the RFCI at teresa.williford@RFCI.com
July 1, 2009—Raja Sharma, Vice Chair of the Carpet Export Promotion Council (for handmade rugs from India), and Kemp Harr discuss the unique advantages of Indian rugs, shifts in the market and how retailers should view this product line as an option for differentiation.
June 30, 2009—Aaron Pirner, owner of Cap Carpets, and Pam Bowe, executive director of the Floor Covering Business to Business trade organization, discuss the progress FCB2B has made in simplifying computer to computer communications for the floorcovering industry. In the interview, Aaron talks about how it helps his business and suggests that other retailers take advantage of it.
June 29, 2009—Kermit Baker, Harvard economist and author of the Architecture Billings Index, and Kemp Harr discuss the May index, which was up only slightly in May at 42.9, indicating that the recovery is moving sideways and not improving. Listen to the interview to hear more details and when Kermit and his Harvard associates think economic conditions will start to improve.
June 26, 2009—Economist and industry analyst Santo Torcivia and Kemp Harr discuss some of the key findings in the recently published U.S. FlooReport. Listen to the interview to hear where we are in the economic recovery, what product categories are taking share, how the home centers are doing versus the independent flooring retailers, and what role the Internet is playing. (approx 12 min)
June 25, 2009—Bob Hurt, Director of Environmental Health and Safety for Daltile, and Kemp Harr discuss the evolution of the USGBC LEED standards and how more consideration is being made for the performance of ceramic tile flooring as a sustainable option. Listen to the interview to hear more about how indoor air quality, life cycle analysis, embodied energy and regional availablity are all factors to be evaluated when comparing different flooring surfaces.