Flooring Podcast

Barker on the Market, the Fed and Rising Energy Prices

September 22, 2005—Mike Barker, Investment & Retirement Management discusses the Federal Reserves decision to hike interest rates following hurricane Katrina, looking at both sides of the argument. Barker evaluates oil, gasoline and natural gas prices, the Fed view on inflation and the statement it released indicating the likelihood of another increase ahead. Barker also discusses this inflationary cycle and its affects on players in the floor covering industry and third quarter and year-end earnings.

NeoCon East Guests – Part Two

September 21, 2005—Part two from last week's Neocon East at the Baltimore Convention Center, featured are representatives from three of the show’s exhibitors, Anne Garland, Contract Specialists, Honeywell Nylon, Mark Nestler, Atlas Carpet Mills and Rhonda Ross, VP Business Development, Centiva International. Topics include assessments of the commercial and governmental marketplace and the show, changes within the A&D community, product strategies, new product introductions and sustainability

Frank O’Neill and the Week in the Floor Covering Industry

September 20, 2005—Floor Focus Publisher Frank O’Neill looks back at the past two weeks in the industry talking about: Neocon East, which was held last week in Baltimore; Jack Mishkin, founder of Bentley Mill’s agreement with Bentley Prince to lead product design; The new Mannington/Tarkett Commercial VCT joint venture; Jan Lembregts and Jim Morando new roles at Tarkett Residential; A study that says the proposed $140 billion Senate asbestos bill will go broke within 3 years; And industry price increase announcements of the past two weeks.

Paul Friederichsen – Recognizing the Need for an Ad Agency & What to Expect When You Have One

September 19, 2005—Paul Friederichsen, CEO of the marketing and branding firm Brand Biz, in the first part of an ongoing series, offers some pointers to assist businesses in recognizing the need for an advertising professional and steps to follow to match the right agency to a company’s needs. Friederichsen outlines the benefits vs. costs approach to making an ad agency decision, the steps in determining the value to be gained from an agency, what specific functions a business should expect from an agency and solving the in-house vs. outside agency question.

Three NeoCon East Guests

September 18, 2005—From Neocon East at the Baltimore Convention Center, three guests review the show: Exhibitor Anthony Minite, President, Bentley Prince Street talks about the show, its focus on the governmental markets and the Middle-Atlantic architects and designers attending the show and the company’s newest offerings; Designer Vega Overby, Hickok Warner Cole Architects talks about the importance of the show to regional designers and relationships with suppliers; And Wayne Mahan, National Sales Manager with Burtco Enterprises, an exhibitor at the show discusses specialty carpet mills and the company’s latest product introductions.

Tom Rennie on the Shaw’s Acquisition of Honeywell Nylon

September 12, 2005—Tom Rennie, Principal of TLR Consulting and Editor of the Commercial Carpet Digest discussed Shaw’s acquisition of Honeywell’s U.S. nylon carpet fiber operations, the capacity of the facilities purchased and the condition of the equipment in question. Rennie shares his thoughts on how this acquisition may alter Shaw’s product offering, how they may handle the Anso and Zeftron brands, he also discussed the anticipated reaction from the remaining fiber companies and competing carpet mills, Shaw’s strategy in making the acquisition and the long-term affects of the move.

Milliken’s Pelfrey on NeoCon East and Doing Business with the Government

September 11, 2005—Mary Pelfrey, Marketing Director for Government Environments with Milliken Carpet discusses NeoCon East, governmental markets, their stance on sustainability and the affects that stance has had in the private sector. Pelfrey talks about conducting business with federal, state and local governments, their role in fostering LEED standards. Pelfrey also discusses some of the most often ask questions about sustainability and carpet and she also outlines some of the newest offerings from Milliken Carpet.

WFCA Chairman Aaron Pirner with a B2B Update

September 11, 2005—Aaron Pirner, CEO, CAP Carpet and Chairman, World Floor Covering Association, (WFCA), discusses the progress of the industry’s B2B initiative and the recent meeting of the Flooring Industry B2B Standards Committee. Pirner also talks about the increased involvement of distributors and the heightened participation among manufacturers in the program, the formation of an association of floor covering software providers, which took place at the meeting, and the growing awareness of the program among retailers.

WarmlyYours’ Georges Selvais and China’s Housing Market

September 11, 2005—Georges Selvais, General Manager, WarmlyYours shares some of the highlights of his recent trip to China to research the housing and building products industries. Selvais discusses the size of the Chinese market and the country’s emerging middle class, typical housing in the major cities of China and how homebuyers select the elements for their new homes. Selvais discusses the country’s developing channels of distribution, its retail sector and its unique approach to free enterprise.

Barker on the Market

September 8, 2005—Mike Barker, Investment & Retirement Management discusses the affects of hurricane Katrina on oil and gasoline prices and the market, answering the question: Why, as oil prices were dropping were gasoline prices were rising? Barker also looks at the anticipated affects of rising energy prices on earnings and on the economy and the situation that lies ahead for the Federal Reserve and future interest rate hikes.