June 7, 2005—Frank O’Neill Publisher, Floor Focus discusses: Solutia's agreement with Monsanto and unsecured creditors that could lead to Solutia’s exit from bankruptcy; The naming to Jean desAutels to the post of Business Centre Manager of Tarkett’s North American Laminate unit; Lowe's expansion into Canada; Brazilian wood manufacturer Scandian's U.S. operation; and the Legacy Commercial Flooring operation in Ohio.
June 6, 2005—Bob Peoples, Executive Director CARE, Carpet America Recovery Effort & Director of Sustainability at the CRI, in the first part of a two-part series, reviews CARE’s progress in its efforts to divert post-consumer carpet from landfills and discusses the organization’s 3rd annual conference, which was held last month. Peoples talks about some of the recently developed applications, which convert used carpet to new uses, the entrepreneurial companies responsible for these developments and his vision for future applications and a collection and processing infrastructure.
June 5, 2005—Mike Barker, Investment & Retirement Management looks at the comments made by the president of the Dallas Fed indicating that the Fed may be close to ending its rate increases. Barker also relates last week’s economic news including Friday’s jobs report and recent increases in oil prices to the market.
June 5, 2005—Tom Rennie, President, TLR Consulting & Editor of Commercial Carpet Digest, in the final part of a two-part series discusses the recent comments made by Honeywell chairman and CEO Dave Cote regarding the future sale of the company’s nylon unit. Rennie speculates as to potential buyers of the unit and the possible impact on the industry.
June 2, 2005—Tom Rennie, President, TLR Consulting & Editor of Commercial Carpet Digest, in the first part of a two-part series, assesses the state of the commercial flooring market and discusses the affects price increases have had on the industry’s specifiers and manufacturers. Rennie also looks at the factors that have been affecting the corporate, hospitality, educational, health care and retail sectors of the market and the changing market for modular carpet.
June 1, 2005—Neil Poland, President, Mullican Flooring looks at 2005 in the wood flooring business discussing raw material price fluctuations and the factors behind those fluctuations. Poland discusses wood flooring production in China and its affects on the U.S. market, the competitive environment in the domestic market, the possible disposition of Armstrong and its affects on the market and environmental concerns facing the industry.
May 31, 2005—Frank O’Neill Publisher, Floor Focus remembers Bob Van Buren, Former Domco Tarkett CEO who died last week and also discusses: The clearing of the asbestos bill from the Senate Judiciary committee and some of the specifics about the bill; Honeywell Chairman and CEO Dave Cote’s comment about the sale of the company’s nylon unit; How young buyers are dominating the new-home market; April hardwood flooring shipments; and the return of the commercial market.
May 27, 2005—John McDevitt, former 3M Corporate Economist now in semi-retirement looks at the current state of the business environment and the overall economy, discussing GDP growth in the first-quarter and the affect that oil prices had on the economic growth. McDevitt talks about the Fed and expectations for rate increases for the remainder of the year, his thoughts on whether or not there is a housing bubble and he also shares his forecast for the remainder of the year and into to 2006.
May 26, 2005—Lew Migliore, The Industry’s Trouble Shooter, President, LGM Technical Carpet Services discusses the meaning of the face weights as published in carpet company specification. Lew answers the burning question in the industry: Is the actual weight of carpet as published in the specs the tufted weight or the finished weight, which can vary by as much as 7 percent.
May 26, 2005—Doug Chatterdon, President & CEO, Great Floors, a 17-store chain operating in the Northwest, in the final part of a two-part series, discusses the company’s big store concept, competition, including Home Depot and Lowe’s, the company’s approach to service, gauging success, his take on the American flooring consumer, technology and dealing with flooring suppliers.