Flooring Podcast

Donato Grosser Evaluates the U.S. Ceramic Market

May 15, 2005—Donato Grosser, President, D. Grosser & Associates, a New York-based marketing and management firm and consultant for the Italian Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association discusses the U.S. ceramic tile market, shifts among countries exporting to the U.S. and the effects of Chinese produced tile on the market. Grosser also discusses rising energy prices and their effects on tile producers, the recent increase in the number of off-shore tile producers building manufacturing facilities in the U.S., his expectations for flooring retailers in ceramic and Coverings 2005.

Barker on the Market, The Fed & Wal-Mart

May 12, 2005—Mike Barker, Investment & Retirement Management evaluates the events effecting Wall Street over the past two weeks including the meeting of the Federal Reserve Open Market committee and the market's reaction to the omission in the Fed's message signaling their 0.25% rate hike. Barker also looks at the recent drop in oil prices, the positive 1st quarter earnings news and yesterday’s monthly sales numbers from Wal-Mart answering the question: Is Wal-Mart a good bellwether for country’s retail sector?

Frank O’Neill on Coverings & StarNet's Annual Meeting

Frank O’Neill Publisher, Floor Focus and FloorRadio host Dave Foster discuss the ceramic and stone show Coverings 2005, its reported 14% increase in attendance after the first day, including a 50% increase in architects and designers. Also discussed some of the events and activities that took place during the show, including a seizure by U.S. Marshalls; some recent ceramic tile sales numbers from the TCNA and StarNet’s annual meeting and the its events.

Patty Fasan on the Newest Looks, Trends & Technology in Ceramic

May 9, 2005—Patty Fasan, a consultant working with ASCER, discusses some of the newest looks introduced at the Tile of Spain pavilion at Coverings 2005. Fasan talks about some of the shifts taking place in ceramic including moves from vertical to horizontal looks and toward graphics and geometrics and even 3D effects. Also discussed is the movement toward more tactile products and a palette that includes richer and mid-tone colors, acid colors and metallic inserts as well as the expansion of technology in ceramic including antibacterial glazes, glow-in-the-dark safety, photo-sensitive and anti-slip tiles.

TCNA’s Bob Daniels on the Ceramic Industry and Coverings ‘05

May 8, 2005—Bob Daniels, President Emeritus, Tile Council of North America,(TCNA) discusses the U.S. ceramic tile market, its growth in 2004 and its increasing importance to the exporting countries. Daniels looks at the expansion in the U.S. ceramic manufacturing capacity and its long-term affects on the market and, as a board member of Coverings, discusses the show and its growth potential for next year and beyond.

Tamara Christian on Coverings’ Attendance To Date

May 5, 2005—Tamara Christian, President, National Trade Productions and Show Manager of Coverings, at the end of the 2nd day of this 4-day show discusses the 14% jump in attendance, including a 50% increase in architects and designers as well as the increases in other groups. Christian discusses the sold-out nature of the show and plans for dealing with expansion and a waiting list for the 2006 show. She also outlines how attendance numbers are compiled, with the use of scanners and the marketing data the company is able to gather with these tools and a team of independent interviewers.

Keith Hughes Looks Back at the 1st Quarter at Mohawk & Interface

May 1, 2005—Keith Hughes, Director, Equity Research SunTrust Robinson Humphrey looks back at the first quarter in the floor covering industry offering a comparison with the furniture industry. Hughes discusses Mohawk’s performance during the quarter in the commercial and residential sectors as well as the soft surface and Dal-Tile units and evaluates Interface’s performance in the quarter.

Lew Migliore, The Industry’s Trouble Shooter & the Case of the Possibly Improperly Specified Carpet?

May 1, 2005—Lew Migliore, The Industry’s Trouble Shooter, President, LGM Technical Carpet Services discusses a problem he encountered in the field involving a national retail chain. This problem was occurring in many of this retailers locations and Lew answers the question: Is this a manufacturing defect or this a case of improperly specified carpet?

Braun and Beach on Dealing with Carpet Urban Legends – Part 2

May 1, 2005—Werner Braun, President, Carpet & Rug Institute and James Beach, Communications Manager, CRI, in the final part of two-part series offers more science-based ideas to assist retailers and retail salespeople on fielding some of the frequent misconceptions consumers have about carpet, including questions and consumer objections involving asthma, VOCs and the cleanability of carpet.

Architect & Designer Peter Conant on the Current Commercial Market Place

May 1, 2005—Architect and designer Peter Conant, Principal of the New York-based architectural firm Conant Architects discusses the economy, its affects on business and the changing New York market. Conant looks at the changing focus of corporate clients, design trends in 2005, his views on basic floor covering product groups and how they have affected the way he writes specifications. Conant also discusses his priorities whan initiating a project, his approach, the checklist he follows and the role maintenance plays in his flooring decisions.