Flooring Podcast

Nafco’s Lefort and Cassady on Luxury Vinyl – Part 2 (12:07)

June 8, 2006—From Nafco by Tarkett, Pierre LeFort, General Manager and David Cassady, Marketing Manager, in the second part of a four-part series, discuss the company’s “good, better, best” strategy, how the company has redefined its product offerings and included features that differentiate itself in the marketplace. Also discussed are product price and installation cost benefits of luxury vinyl, how consumers view luxury vinyl and the company’s new product launch including a simulated handscraped, hardwood offering.

Nafco’s Lefort and Cassady on Luxury Vinyl – Part 3 (9:59)

June 8, 2006—From Nafco by Tarkett, Pierre LeFort, General Manager and David Cassady, Marketing Manager, in the third part of a four-part series, discuss in greater detail the six new luxury vinyl designs, including marble, slate and wood looks the company recently introduced. LeFort and Cassady also talk about selling luxury vinyl against hardwood, laminate, ceramic and stone at the retail level, how the product’s pricing compare with other product categories and the pricing of luxury vinyl.

Floor Focus’ Frank O’Neill and the Week in the Floor Covering Industry (33:25)

June 6, 2006—Frank O’Neill, Publisher, Floor Focus’ talks about his trip to Paris last week to visit with Tarkett senior executives. O’Neill discusses the company’s global focus, its new operation in Russia and its plans for the commercial unit in North America. Also discussed is the Nafco by Tarkett residential, luxury vinyl operation in Florence Alabama its new product launch, Mohawk’s RICO case and the Supreme Court, and Home Depot’s annual meeting.

Barker on Bernanke and the Market

June 5, 2006—Mike Barker, Investment & Retirement Management, discusses the comments made by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke yesterday saying the Fed “will be vigilant” and the market’s reaction, along with the market’s reaction to last Friday’s jobs report. Barker discusses the market recent “tough spot”, its performance during May and the performances of prior Mays. He also evaluates the comments made yesterday by Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and its subsequent affects on oil and the market.

Bob Sabosik on the Commercial Sector - Part 3 (11:45)

June 3, 2006—Bob Sabosik, President, M.E. Sabosik Associates and Chairman of the commercial flooring cooperative StarNet in the final part of a three-part series discusses maintenance and his approach to offering flooring maintenance services to the company’s clients. Sabosik also talks about his role as StarNet Chairman and how the cooperative has helped M.E. Sabosik Associates and the new relation between StarNet and CARE, the Carpet America Recovery Effort, whose goals are to divert post-consumer carpet from the nation’s landfills.

Bob Sabosik on the Commercial Sector - Part 2

June 3, 2006—Bob Sabosik, President, M.E. Sabosik Associates and Chairman of the commercial flooring cooperative StarNet in the second part of a three-part series discusses selling direct in the commercial marketplace and his expectations as to the future of this approach, problems revolving around the jobsite, including tight completion dates and concrete slab inspection and the company’s efforts to increase productivity on the jobsite. Sabosik also talks about trends in product quality, growth in the carpet tile sector and the company’s philosophy toward service.

Bob Sabosik on the Commercial Sector - Part 1 (16:22)

June 3, 2006—Bob Sabosik, President, M.E. Sabosik Associates and Chairman of the commercial flooring cooperative StarNet in the first part of a three-part series discusses the commercial marketplace, the expansion of the Sabosik organization and the cooperative nature of StarNet, especially as it relates to national accounts. Sabosik also discusses the growth in imported floor coverings and its effect on the market, how his company relies on technology and his expectations for the market over the remainder of 2006 and into 2006.

Rohit Bhargava, Ogilvy Public Relations, Blogs and Corporate Communications – Part 2 (13:05)

May 31, 2006—Rohit Bhargava, VP, Interactive Marketing, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and host of the blog, Influential Interactive Marketing, in the second part of a four part series, discusses blogging, how blogs work and offers some examples of the popular blogs on the internet. Bhargava talks about the primary function served by marketing-oriented blogs and industry and consumer blogs.

Hosko, Giancola and Howerton Discuss the Multifamily Sector – Part 2 (16:20)

May 31, 2006—From the multifamily sector of the housing industry, in the second part of a five part series, floor covering contractors, Jerry Hosko, President, Redi Carpets of Houston, with locations throughout the country and Rick Giancola, owner St. Louis-based United Carpets, both members of the MultiFamily Solutions unit of FloorExpo and Graham Howerton, Vice President of the MultiFamily Solutions discuss the nature of the sector, its relationship to economic cycles and the logistics of dealing with very large numbersof installations.

Hosko, Giancola and Howerton Discuss the Multifamily Sector – Part 3 (13:46)

May 31, 2006—From the multifamily sector of the housing industry, in the third part of a five part series, floor covering contractors, Jerry Hosko, President, Redi Carpets of Houston, with locations throughout the country and Rick Giancola, owner St. Louis-based United Carpets, both members of the MultiFamily Solutions unit of FloorExpo and Graham Howerton, Vice President of the MultiFamily Solutions discuss the role of technology in their operations, dealing with price increases and working with the very large player in the multifamily arena.