February 26, 2009—Bridgett Kelly of the British Wool Marketing Board tells Kemp Harr about the unique characteristics of British wool fiber, why it's a good choice for high traffic areas like casinos and cruise ships, how the sustainability movement is helping drive sales, and why it's taking marketshare from synthetics.
February 25, 2009—If you are curious about trends in the laminate market, don't miss this interview with Roger Farabee, Senior VP of Marketing for several of Mohawk's hardsurface brands. Not only does Roger discuss strategic moves that Quick-Step is doing to take marketshare but he also explains in detail where the laminate market is going. Two new products that Quick-Step is introducing this year are Allustra, a high gloss laminate, and Sculptique, a rustic soft-scraped product, both of which are value priced and Made in the U.S.
February 24, 2009—Kennedy Frierson of high end carpet maker Masland tells Kemp Harr about the firm's new products, especially its Masland Avenue collection, as well as the firm's aggressive expansion of its wool product line that it introduced in late 2007.
February 23, 2009—Recorded at Surfaces 2009, Jane Little, Director of Marketing at Faus Group, discusses the range of products Faus offers in the upper-end laminate sector, the company's new VP of Sales, and its ongoing expansion in Calhoun Georgia.
February 20, 2009—Recorded at Surfaces, Ralph Boe, President and CEO of Beaulieu of America, and Kemp Harr discuss the company's 2009 product introductions, the strength of the Bliss brand, and its patent-pending display system. Ralph also discusses some of the reasons why carpet is starting to recover some of its share loss.
February 18, 2009—Kemp Harr and Kim Holm, President of Mannington's residential business, discuss the agreement signed last week with Elegant Living to sell Mannington branded product in China. Listen to the interview to hear why this is such big news and is a bit of an about face from the flow of goods we've seen over the past decade. (8 min.)
February 18, 2009—In an interview with Kemp Harr, Jack Raidy, President of W.F.Taylor, provides a quick background of the company's business model and its leadership in environmental certification. Jack also discusses his company's new M.S. Plus wood flooring adhesive, and the value of attending this year's Surfaces expo.
February 17, 2009—Clint Hubbard, CEO of Home Legend, discusses its debut this year of a direct retail program. Watch the interview to hear more about the company's background, its new website and the products it brings to the market. Home Legends offers engineered wood, bamboo, cork, laminate and area rug flooring products. The new website is www.homelegend.com.
February 16, 2009—Kim Matsoukas, Director of Sustainability for Bentley Prince Street, discusses why BPS recently won California's highest environmental award. Listen to the interview to hear details about how California's largest carpet manufacturer achieved this award and to hear more details about what the company is working on for 2009.
February 13, 2009—Recorded last week at Surfaces 2009, Frank Douglas, VP of Business Development, and Kemp Harr discuss Crossville's phenomenal growth in 2008, their new Ultima line of metal faces porcelain tiles and their new natural stone line. Frank also breaks the news that the company will doube the size of their Crossville manufacturing facility in 2009.