Flooring Podcast

Nafco’s VP & GM on the Luxury Vinyl Market – Part 2 (11:28)

June 15, 2007—Pierre LeFort, Vice President & General Manager of the Residential Division of Nafco By Tarkett, in the second part of a three-part series talks about the affects that Chinese LVT is having on the market, pricing in the category, evolution in the category over the last 10-15 years, consumer attitudes about the category, main street applications, his expectation for the category in the future and consumer attitudes toward vinyl.

Nafco’s VP & GM on the Luxury Vinyl Market – Part 1 (13:19)

June 14, 2007—Pierre LeFort, Vice President & General Manager of the Residential Division of Nafco By Tarkett, in the first part of a three-part series, discusses the residential marketplace and how luxury vinyl has fared in 2007. LeFort talks about the new construction and renovation markets for LVT, the areas in the home that most often see the product and the challenges that the product faces in the current marketplace.

Floor Focus’ O’Neill & Harr from NeoCon 2007

June 13, 2007—Frank O’Neill and Kemp Harr, Co-Publishers of Floor Focus Magazine, from NeoCon 2007 in Chicago, discuss the show, its traffic, the major buzz at the show, the NeoCon awards given to the industry’s players taking part at the show, the new showrooms at the Merchandise Mart, the companies with the most compelling presentations and the sustainability story at the show. O’Neill and Harr talk about their biggest surprises at the show, the announcements made at the show, the color trends and how they rate the 2007 show.

Sustainablity Expert Jon Dougal on the AIA Convention & Carbon Offsets – Part 4 (17:01)

June 12, 2007—Sustainable consultant, writer and editor Jon Dougal in the final part of a four-part series, discusses the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention and Design Exposition, which was held last month in San Antonio. Dougal talks more about carbon offsets and how one gauges the quality of the offset. He also discusses the AIA convention’s conference program and the role architects are playing in promoting sustainability and the elements of the new sustainable home.

Sustainablity Expert Jon Dougal on the AIA Convention & Carbon Offsets – Part 3

June 11, 2007—Sustainable consultant, writer and editor Jon Dougal in the third part of a four-part series discusses the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention and Design Exposition, which was held last month in San Antonio, and talks more about carbon offsets and how companies arrive at their carbon emission level, how much fraud is in the system and how one can gauge the quality of an offset.

InterfaceFLOR Commercial President David Hobbs and the Processing of Post-Consumer Nylon 6,6

June 9, 2007—David Hobbs president of InterfaceFLOR Commercial discusses InterfaceFLOR's move to produce commercial carpet from post-consumer nylon 6,6. Hobbs discusses the process, which was developed in Italy by Sergio Dell’Orco and Frank J. Levy, co-owners of Post Consumer Carpet Processing Technologies, the capacity and timeline of the new operation along with the role Universal Fibers will play on the operation. Hobbs also talks about the collection and processing of the post-consumer carpet and the products that will be introduced as a result of this program.

Sustainablity Expert Jon Dougal on the AIA Convention & Carbon Offsets – Part 2 (11:42)

June 8, 2007—Sustainable consultant, writer and editor Jon Dougal in the second part of a four-part series discusses the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention and Design Exposition, which was held last month in San Antonio. Dougal discusses carbon offsets, how the concept works, how the system, which is voluntary is enforced, answering the questions: Whether the carbon market might be a dangerous distraction at a time when decisive action is needed in areas of conservation and changing the way companies operate? and; The hypothetical question, Does carbon travel offsets encourage more flights and do nothing to discourage waste?

Sustainability Expert Jon Dougal on the AIA Convention – Part 1 (17:01)

June 7, 2007—Sustainability consultant, writer and editor Jon Dougal in the first part of a four-part series discusses the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention and Design Exposition, which was held last month in San Antonio. Dougal talks about the tours offered as a part of the convention, the event’s attendees, the theme of the convention “Growing Beyond Green”, the AIA’s historical stance related to sustainability and carbon offsets.

The Week in the Flooring Industry with Floor Focus Publisher Kemp Harr (34:51)

June 6, 2007—Kemp Harr, Publisher, Floor Focus magazine looks back that the past week in the floor covering industry discussing: Tandus’ $83 million carpeting supply contract order from the Los Angeles Community College District, which was the largest such contract awarded and it is also looked at as the most environmentally sustainable order in the history of the flooring industry; The establishment by Armstrong of its own distribution unit in the Northwest; Mohawk shares hitting an all time high after a Stifel Nicolaus’ upgrade; The moderating of office furniture orders in April and; A look at the Floor Focus annual report.

Brand Biz’s Paul Friederichsen on the Do’s & Don’ts of Green Marketing – Part 3 (13:39)

June 6, 2007—Paul Frederichsen, President, BrandBiz, in the final part of a three-part series looks at green marketing, the feel good aspect of sustainable marketing, how retailers can develop a green story by becoming involved in post-consumer carpet collection, the competitive aspect of green marketing and including a sustainable message in an advertising program. Frederichsen discusses how companies can work to establish themselves as an environmental leader, defining an environmentally awareness element in their market area, tactics for exploiting the green market and the potential pitfalls of establishing a company as a pillar of the environmental community.