Flooring Podcast

Chris Davis & Mike Vogel Discuss wfca.org and Creating Your Space – Part 3 (12:45)

October 17, 2006—Chris Davis, CEO, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and Mike Vogel, President & CEO, Bridgeway Media Group and Creating Your Space, in the third part of a five-part series, talk about wfca.org, the association’s new consumer-oriented web site. In this segment Davis and Vogel discuss the generic information included on the site and its goals, the specifics of the Creating Your Space program, the Elite and Premium options available to WFCA members, their features and costs, the site’s dealer locator feature and who will be included the locator. Also discussed are the merchandising tools available for local dealers who jparticipate in the program at the Elite level.

Floor Focus Magazine’s Frank O’Neill and Industry Events of the Week (34:44)

October 17, 2006—Frank O’Neill, co-publisher Floor Focus discusses: INSTALL, the International Standards and Training Alliance forum that the organization held last week in New York, the group’s new director John T. McGrath, Jr., and the retirement of Jim Schmid, INSTALL’s first director; Pergo’s lowering it earnings guidance for 2006 and the laminate market; The fire at the Anderson Hardwood plant in South Carolina and; Home Depot’s expansion into China and what it means for the company.

Chris Davis & Mike Vogel Discuss wfca.org and Creating Your Space – Part 1 (17:75)

October 15, 2006—Chris Davis, CEO, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and Mike Vogel, President & CEO, Bridgeway Media Group and Creating Your Space, in the first part of a five-part series, talk about wfca.org, the association’s new consumer-oriented web site. In this segment Davis and Vogel discuss the association’s goals in developing the site, the Creating Your Space program, the research done in advance of the site's launch and some of the site’s features.

Chris Davis & Mike Vogel Discuss wfca.org and Creating Your Space – Part 2 (17:18)

October 15, 2006—Chris Davis, CEO, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and Mike Vogel, President & CEO, Bridgeway Media Group and Creating Your Space, in the second part of a five-part series talk about wfca.org, the association’s new consumer-oriented web site. In this segment Davis and Vogel discuss the site’s spokesperson Rebecca Cole of the Discovery Channel’s, Surprise By Design, how consumers would typically progress through the site, the WFCA’s code of conduct, a requirement for membership in the association, the site’s dealer locator and automatic inclusion in the locator for all association members.

FloorExpo CEO Dave Gheesling on the Housing Market and the Builder Sector – Part 3 (12:55)

October 15, 2006—Dave Gheesling, CEO, FloorExpo, in the final part of a three-part series, talks about homebuilder inventories, housing prices and his expectations for the housing market going forward. Gheesling also discusses builders' reactions to falling raw materials prices and the Scotty Classic golf tournament an annual event sponsored by FloorExpo.

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.