Flooring Podcast

Steve Griffith and Gary Johnston at Invista Discuss New Stainmaster Stain Protection

July 28, 2008—Steve Griffith, Gary Johnston and Kemp Harr discuss the details and motivation behind Invista's reformulation of their Stainmaster stain protection.  This Lotus FX fiber treatment is being promoted as 30% cleaner and lasting 50% longer than other carpet fibers.  Listen to the interview for more details and for specific information about Stainmaster's beefed up consumer advertising campaign for August and September (12 min).

Eric Demaree, President Carpet One Floor and Home

July 24, 2008—Eric Demaree and Kemp Harr discuss Carpet One Floor & Homes summer convention and how Carpet One members are doing in the current economy. Listen to the interview to hear a quick summary of the changes Eric is making at Carpet One as he takes the helm position.

Vinnie Virga - President of Flooring America

July 23, 2008—Vinnie Virga and Kemp Harr discuss the key highlights from this weeks Flooring America convention in Nashville, TN. Listen to the interview to hear how the membership is doing in this economy and what some are doing to grow despite the current slump on the residential side of the business.

Roger Farabee, VP Marketing, Columbia Wood

July 17, 2008—Roger Farabee and Kemp Harr discuss the many facets of the Columbia brand relaunch. Listen to the interview for details around Columbia's fit in the marketplace and the market strategy for Mohawk's distributor line of hardwood products.

Wendy McIlquham, ArborCraft/Harris Wood, VP of Marketing

July 14, 2008—Wendy McIlguham and Kemp Harr discuss ArborCraft's recent design council initiative where the company brought in customers from around the the country for input on new product development.  Listen to the interview to hear more about Arborcraft's brand and channel strategy and get an update on their current business situation.

Jennifer Holzinger, The Dow Chemical Company

July 11, 2008—Jennifer Holzinger and Kemp Harr discuss the latest changes at Dow--including their pending acquisition of Rohm and Haas and their Lomax technology which replaces fossil fuel with methane from a local landfill. Listen to the interview to hear more about Dow's focus on the flooring and synthetic turf business.

Scott Sandlin, VP of Shaw Hardsurface Discusses Recent Zickgraf Acquisition

July 7, 2008—Scott Sandlin and Kemp Harr discuss Shaw's acquisition of Zickgraf Hardwood Flooring Company.  Listen to the interview to hear how Shaw plans to integrate Zickgraf into Shaw's Hard Surface business and to hear more about Shaw's expectations for the Hardwood business in the long-term.

Jenny Cross, Mohawk's Residential Sustainability Manager Discusses GreenWorks

July 2, 2008—Jenny Cross and Kemp Harr discuss Mohawk's GreenWorks program and the GreenWorks Collection Center in Chatsworth, Georgia. Listen to the interview to hear how Mohawk is educating consumers about "green products" and their long-term plans for more collection centers.

Tom Davis, President, Mannington

June 30, 2008—Tom Davis and Kemp Harr discuss last week's announcement that Mannington acquired Burke. Listen to the interview to hear details about their integration plans and Burke's fit within the organization.

Mark Falanga, Senior VP Commercial Furnishings, Merchandise Mart-NeoCon

June 27, 2008—Mark Falanga and Kemp Harr discuss this year's NeoCon attendance and the vertical diversification of the design community and flooring manufacturers.