January 1, 2007—Don Finkell, president, Anderson Hardwood Flooring in the second part of a four-part series, discusses the greatest threats the hardwood industry faces in 2007. Finkell also talks about the consumer and their attraction to wood flooring, Chinese hardwood flooring imports, their affect on the North American market and his view on how this situation will ultimately play out.
January 1, 2007—Don Finkell, president, Anderson Hardwood Flooring in the third part of a four-part series, discusses the affect that Shaw and Mohawk have had on the sector, Armstrong’s exit from Chapter 11, the log smuggling situation in Indonesia and how the situation is affecting business in North America. Finkell also discusses other environmental concerns within the hardwood industry and how the industry will deal with sustainable concerns in the future.
January 1, 2007—Don Finkell, President, Anderson Hardwood Flooring in the final segment of a four-part series, discusses the fire at the company’s Clinton, South Carolina facility, how the recovery is playing out and the recent opening of Bob Anderson Design Center. Anderson talks about the company's focus on the higher-end and more exotic species and his expectations for 2007.
December 28, 2006—Mike Barker, Investment and Retirement Management, discusses Wednesday’s record close of the Dow, the economic news of this week--including the new and existing home sales numbers and consumer confidence numbers--and their affect on the market and if the positive housing numbers means that the market has stabilized and/or hit bottom. Barker talks about the oddities of the 2006 market, his expectations for the market and floor covering shares in 2007 and his expectations for merger activity during the upcoming year.
December 27, 2006—Architect and designer Peter Conant, Principal of the New York-based architectural firm Conant Architects, in an archives presentation first aired in November of 2005, discusses the economy, its effects on business and the changing New York market. Conant looks at the changing focus of corporate clients, design trends in 2005, his views on basic floor covering product groups and how they have effected the way he writes specifications. Conant also discusses his priorities when initiating a project, his approach, the checklist he follows and the role maintenance plays in his flooring decisions.
December 26, 2006—Lee Horwitz, owner of A&M Carpet and Big Bobs of Fresno California, in an archives presentation first broadcast in April 2005, discusses this unique four store operation, keeping abreast of his customers’ needs, the A&M approach of visiting the customer’s home, his efforts to reduce SKU’s in his stores, the advantages of being a stocking retailer and how his philosophy differs from soft surface to hard. Horwitz talks about the company’s ad budget his observations about gender and buying decision and who really makes the buying decision, the A&M sales force and its approach and its skills in area of interior decorating and color coordination. Horwitz also discusses his approach to technology and B2B and his expansion plans.
December 25, 2006—David Birnbrey, President, The Shopping Center Group, in an archives presentation first aired in November, 2004, discussed the science of retail site selection, the prime features that large and small retailers should consider in selecting an ideal location and the latest technology available to assist in the process. Birnbrey talks also talks about the recently announced acquisition of Sears by Kmart and how the enclosed mall has fallen from favor and may be readying for a comeback.
December 21, 2006—Mike Barker, Investment and Retirement Management, discusses this holiday season and the market, its up move from summer lows, events concerning the housing market of the past two weeks and how it is influencing the floor covering shares. Barker talks about the GDP and consumer price index reports, how events in Thailand have affected global markets, recent comments by Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker the what a Santa Claus rally is all about.
December 20, 2006—Werner Braun, president, Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), in the first of a three-part series, talks about the association’s Seal of Approval program for pre-spray and in-tank carpet cleaning chemicals and deep cleaning systems. Braun discusses how the program can help floorcovering retailers and sales people increase sales by providing science-based answers to consumer questions on cleaning and maintenance at the point of sale. Braun also talks about a variety of Seal of Approval program information that is available on the association’s website carpet-rug.org.
December 19, 2006—Frank O’Neill, Co-Publisher of Floor Focus magazine, discusses the activist shareholder investment firm Relational Investors and its efforts to bring change to Home Depot and cease board activity that it calls “strategic adventurism", and Home Depot’s move into China with the acquisition of Home Way. Also discussed is Pergo's expanded relationship with Sam’s Club in Mexico and the U.S., ProSource’s rollout of a new smaller format store, which targets major metro markets, the stepping down of Jim Jolly as J&J Industries CEO and the naming of Jeanne Matson as StarNet's new president and CEO of as Lori Dowling steps down.