Flooring Podcast

Floor Focus’ Frank O’Neill - The Week in the Floor Covering Industry

October 18, 2005—Floor Focus magazine publisher Frank O’Neill discusses: The Law.com story of an appeals court reversing Congoleum’s pre-packaged bankruptcy plan; Feltex’s rejection of Godfrey Hirst’s merger plan; A preview of Floor Focus magazine’s Top 100 Retailer list, looking at the changes at Home Depot, Lowe’s and the nation’s largest floor covering retailers; NOFMA numbers on September hardwood flooring sales; And the death of Alfred I. Halpern, founding member of the steering committee for the International Standards and Training Alliance (INSTALL) and executive director of the Northeast Flooring Contractors Association.

Crossville’s Jim Dougherty on Cersaie and Trends in Ceramic

October 16, 2005—Jim Dougherty VP, Marketing and New Business Development, Crossville, looks back at the ceramic tile show Cersaie offering his take on the show and discussing its exhibitors, attendees and new products. Dougherty also discusses trends within the global ceramic industry, their traditional points of origin and how those traditions have been changing in recent years. Also discussed is the North American ceramic industry in 2005 and expectations for the future.

iFloor.com’s Steve Simonson on the Company’s Brick & Mortar Expansion – Part 2

October 14, 2005—Steve Simonson, CEO, of Smooth Corp., parent company of internet flooring retailer iFloor.com - the nation’s largest online flooring retailer, in the final part of a two-part series, discusses selling floor covering products over the internet and the company’s newest initiative, that of opening brick and mortar locations across the country. Simonson describes the new stores and their locations, the rationale behind the move, how this initiative will change the company and its offerings and the number of locations the company plans to open. Simonson also discusses the similarities and the differences between marketing via the internet and from a standard brick and mortar location.

iFloor.com’s Steve Simonson on the Company’s Brick & Mortar Expansion – Part 1

October 13, 2005—Steve Simonson, CEO, of Smooth Corp., parent company of internet flooring retailer iFloor.com - the nation’s largest online flooring retailer, in the first part of a two-part series, discusses selling floor covering products over the internet and the company’s newest initiative, that of opening brick and mortar locations across the country. Simonson describes the new stores, their locations, the rationale behind the move, how this initiative will change the company and its offerings and the total number of locations the company plans to open. Simonson also discusses the similarities and the differences between marketing via the internet and from a standard brick and mortar location.

CRI’s Werner Braun on CARE, the European Market and Association Membership

October 13, 2005—Carpet and Rug Institute President, Werner Braun discusses the upcoming Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) entrepreneur meeting and provides an update on the industry’s carpet recycling efforts and the opening of dialog with StarNet regarding the program. Braun also previews the November 2, CRI annual meeting in Dalton and discusses the European Carpet and Rug Association, whose president will be a keynoter at the meeting, and offers some insight into carpet’s market share problems in Europe and talk about the membership of the CRI in a consolidating and diversifying industry.

Floor Focus’ Frank O’Neill - The Week in the Floor Covering Industry

October 11, 2005—Floor Focus magazine publisher Frank O’Neill dicusses: The official opening of the Unilin plant in Thomasville, NC; the affects of price increases on all players in the industry, including Solutia’s announcement that it has declared force majeure for certain products within its Integrated Nylon Division; the Floor Focus design survey and its finding that the A&D community appears to have little trust when it comes to supplier partners and; The drop in the third quarter office vacancy rate.

CCA’s Dave Stafford on Sustainability & LEED -Part 1

October 8, 2005—Dave Stafford, Executive Vice President, Commercial Carpets of America of Alexandria, Virginia, in the first part of a two-part series, discusses sustainability and LEED and how they has affected the floor covering industry and how flooring products are specified to meet LEED critera. Stafford talks about dealing with GSA, matching existing product offerings to governmental needs, how CCA deals with the disposal of old carpet and the company’s focus on installation.

CCA’s Dave Stafford on Sustainability & LEED – Part 2

October 8, 2005—Dave Stafford, Executive Vice President, Commercial Carpets of America, based in Alexandria, Virginia, in the first part of a two-part series, discusses sustainability and LEED and how they has affected the floor covering industry and how flooring products are specified. Stafford talks about dealing with GSA, matching existing product offerings to governmental needs, how CCA deals with the disposal of old carpet and the company’s focus on installation.

Aquafil USA’s Franco Rossi on Carpet Fiber in the US

October 8, 2005—Franco Rossi, AquafilUSA, discusses this Italian-based, global fiber, plastics and chemical company, its position in Europe and the rest of the world and its operations in Cartersville, Georgia that services the U.S. carpet industry. Rossi talks about the changing fiber industry and his expectations for further change in the future and Aquafil’s plans to expand in the U.S. with the addition of an extrusion operation in Georgia. Rossi talks about the company’s product offerings in and where the company fits in the marketplace.

Warner Braun on the CRI Launch at the Kennedy Space Center – Part 2

October 6, 2005—In the final part of a two-part series, Carpet & Rug Institute President Werner Braun, discusses the kick-off for the association’s new Seal of Approval program for extraction carpet cleaning equipment, which tool place at the John F. Kennedy Space Center. Braun recaps the event and talks about the first Seal of Approval certifications, which were presented during the event, the NASA, developed, technology, which is the basis for this program and discusses how this technology has been applied to the carpet industry as well as the reaction this program has garnered from major mills and how the program will affect all within the carpet industry.