June 17, 2008—Kemp Harr and Eric Wroldsen, VP of Marketing for The New Patcraft and Designeweave discuss the recent Neocon Show in Chicago where Patcraft and Designweave rolled out their branding changes to the design community. Listen to the interview to hear what motivated the merging of these two brands, their new brand promise and it's fit within the Shaw organization.
June 16, 2008—With Fortune Contract and Bentley Prince Street debuting their Freelay products at Neocon, the revolutionary backing/installation system is back in the news. Listen to Lew Migliore, Raiford McDonald and Kemp Harr explain how the new FreeLay system works and where it fits in the marketplace.
June 13, 2008—In an interview conducted right after NeoCon, Sharon Folliard and Kemp Harr discuss product design trends and the designer seminars from this annual commercial interior design show. Listen to the interview to hear more about the books that designers are reading and the techniques they are using in today's commercial interiors.
June 10, 2008—Mark Falanga and Kemp Harr discuss highlights of next weeks commercial interior furnishings show in Chicago. Listen to hear how to navigate this years show and find out what' worth seeing at the Neocon Show for 2008. In the interview Mark gives an update on hotel bookings which are one indication of how busy the show will be.
June 9, 2008—Juan Flores and Kemp Harr discuss the company's recent decision to service their retail accounts direct (without distributors). Listen to the interview to hear what motivated this decision. Also listen to Mr. Flores talk about the current state of the U.S. laminate market.
June 6, 2008—Werner Braun and Kemp Harr discuss CRI's efforts to minimize the share loss of carpet versus other flooring surfaces. Listen to the interview to hear more about CRI's "horror stories", the year end results of The Carpet America Recovery Effort and their new ANSI certification.
June 5, 2008—Dennis Szczybor and Kemp Harr discuss the rollout of Mohawk's branded hardwood program with over 150 new styles and a major consumer advertising campaign. In a meeting at Mohawk's headquarters yesterday, details of the program were released. Listen to this 10 minute interview to hear more about their simplified message and the differentiating components of this new program.
June 3, 2008—Learn more about Porcelanosa's approach to the U.S. market in an interview conducted at Coverings 2008 last month. This Spanish tile company uses the lifestyle approach to selling their porcelain floor tiles through 10 of their own showrooms in major U.S. cities and also through independent retailers. View the video to see their new grass paper, snake skin texture, wood grain and leather look products.
June 2, 2008—Andy Brumlow and Kemp Harr discuss OW's entry into the woven broadloom business. Up to this point, Oriental Weavers (the largest woven floorcovering manufacturer in the world) has focused on the area rug business. Listen to the interview to hear more about their new assortment and the special programs they have developed for specialty floorcovering retailers here in the U.S. (5 minutes)
May 30, 2008—In a discussion taped at Coverings 2008, Vittorio Vaccari and kemp Harr discuss the six Florim brands and the markets they serve. View the video to see their new products for 2008 and their market strategy for the U.S.