Flooring Podcast

CRI President Werner Braun on Carpet Installation Standards & Certification - (10:23)

October 12, 2006—Werner Braun, President of the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI), talks about how the association is addressing the installation issue. Braun talks about efforts underway to establish an industry-wide consensus installation standard, including a pilot program at a community college in Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Braun also discusses the work underway to establish a process that certifies carpet installers on a nationwide basis

Barker on the Market (22:47)

October 12, 2006—Mike Barker, Investment & Retirement Management, looks at the unusual actions the market has taken over the past several sessions, with the Dow setting record highs as more news points to an economy that may be slowing more than expectations. Barker shares his views on the dynamics operating in the market and his outlook for the next few weeks and he also discusses the falling prices of crude and his expectations for where oil prices will go over the next month.

FloorExpo CEO Dave Gheesling on the Housing Market and the Builder Sector – Part 1 (12:05)

October 11, 2006—Dave Gheesling, CEO of FloorExpo, in the first part of a three-part series, discusses the FloorExpo National Conference, which was held in conjunction with other CCA Global Partners businesses. Gheesling also discusses the current state of the housing market and the homebuilder sector. Gheesling looks at how the dynamics that have been working in the marketplace are affecting builders and FloorExpo members. Other topics discussed include the company’s long-term viewpoint, the factors driving changes in the sector, how the larger homebuilders and FloorExpo members are using this downturn to gain share and his thoughts on whether the market has yet hit bottom.

FloorExpo CEO Dave Gheesling on the Housing Market and the Builder Sector – Part 2 (11:59)

October 11, 2006—Dave Gheesling, CEO of FloorExpo, in the second part of a three-part series, talks about how prospective homebuyers have reacted to the declining housing market, the impact the housing downturn has had on the major housing markets of the U.S. and some of the specific factors that have affected various regions. Gheesling shares his outlook for a turnaround in the housing market and discusses the adjustments FloorExpo members and homebuilders have made to market conditions and their reactions to declining profit margins.

Floor Focus Co-Publisher Frank O’Neill and Industry Events of the Week

October 10, 2006—Frank O’Neill, co-publisher Floor Focus discusses the grand opening of Faus Group’s Calhoun, Georgia facility, the launch of the company’s newest technologies and its extended distribution agreement with Hoboken/SPI. Also discussed: Shaw’s winter market schedule; Marketing changes at Beaulieu; Cersaie 2006’s record performance; Unilin's agreements with two Chinese laminate producers and Chinafloors’ agreement with Valinge.

Sandlin & Abernathy – The New ShawFloors.com – Part 1 (17:30)

October 8, 2006—From Shaw Industries, Scott Sandlin, VP Marketing and Steve Abernathy, Director Marketing Technology, in the first part of a four-part series, discuss the company's newly updated website ShawFloors.com. In this segment Sandlin and Abernathy talk about the rational behind updating the site, the research behind the improvements, the content on the site, the level of interactivity the company hoped to achieve and the goals the company set out to achieve wiht the site.

Sandlin & Abernathy – The New ShawFloors.com – Part 2 (14:46)

October 8, 2006—From Shaw Industries, Scott Sandlin, VP Marketing and Steve Abernathy, Director Marketing Technology, in the second part of a four-part series discuss the company's newly updated website ShawFloors.com. In this segment Sandlin and Abernathy talk about the approach the company took in redesigning the site with regard to images, who has access to the company’s images, the unique visualization technology that has been incorporated into the site and the site’s product catalog.

Sandlin & Abernathy – The New ShawFloors.com – Part 3 (18:04)

October 8, 2006—From Shaw Industries, Scott Sandlin, VP Marketing and Steve Abernathy, Director Marketing Technology, in the third part of a four-part series discuss the company's newly updates website ShawFloors.com. In this segment Sandlin and Abernathy talk about how the company included pricing on the site, the site’s unique product-specific dealer locater and which retailers will be listed on the locator. Also discussed is the site’s notebook feature, how consumers will most often progress thought the site to a retailer site and the site’s 24-hour life-chat feature.

Sandlin & Abernathy – The New ShawFloors.com – Part 4 (8:37)

October 8, 2006—From Shaw Industries, Scott Sandlin, VP Marketing and Steve Abernathy, Director Marketing Technology, in the final part of a four-part series, discuss the company's newly updates website ShawFloors.com. In this segment Sandlin and Abernathy talk about the company’s plans to optimize consumer traffic to the site by purchasing banners and search engine keyword advertising.

CRI President Werner Braun Offers Retailers Answers to Consumer Questions on Asthma and Allergy - Pa

October 6, 2006—Werner Braun, President, Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI), in the final part of a two-part series, offers retailers and retailer salespeople fact-based answers they can use to help field consumer questions about asthma and allergy. Braun discusses specific testing methods and procedures to help promote understanding of how carpet acts as a trap to keep dust and allergens out of the breathing zone and away breathing passages.