June 6, 2004—John McDevitt, Former 3M Corporate Economist, now semi-retired, discusses the current state of the economic recovery, Friday’s unemployment report and the retail, manufacturing and the housing sectors of the economy. McDevitt also talks about the Federal Reserve and his thoughts on when they will hike interest rates and his forecast for the recovery in 2005.
June 3, 2004—Paul Hayes, Manager, Design and Product Development, Al Sorayai Carpet Factory, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, discusses life in Saudi Arabia, Al Sorayai Carpet Factory and its many endeavors and the differences and the similarities in designing and developing carpets in Saudi Arabia, which are sold in the mid-east and around the world.
June 2, 2004—Chris Davis, CEO, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), in the 2nd part of a two-part series discusses the WFCA’s annual Floor Covering Month promotion, its successes and efforts to involve more major manufacturers. Davis also shares retailer feedback on consolidation, recent business levels and expectations for the future.
June 1, 2004—Frank O’Neill, Publisher, Floor Focus magazine and Dave Foster Host, Floor Radio discuss: The recent Northeast Flooring Contractors Association meeting; Recent comments made by Lowe’s chairman and CEO Robert Tillman and president Robert Niblock including ones that may indicate Lowe’s interest in anchoring malls in the future; Moody's move to raise Mohawk’s outlook; The naming of Frank Ready as president and CEO of Armstrong Floor Products; Platinum Equity planned acquisition of DyStar; and the addition of Centiva’s new laminate line.
May 31, 2004—Chris Davis, CEO, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), in the first part of this two-part conversation, discusses the expanding base of the association, to include members from all flooring categories, at all levels of the distribution chain. Davis talks about the WFCA‘s new proactive stance and its newly defined mission, which includes an extensive new research project. Also discussed is the WFCA’s recently concluded National Floor Covering Month promotion.
May 27, 2004—Jon Dougal, CEO, Sustainable Design Associates discusses the expansion of the environmental movement in the building community and the changes that have resulted in the major environment organizations, such as the U.S. Green Building Council. Dougal also provides an update on bio-based products, products made from agricultural products, such as Cargill-Dow’s Ingeo, a fiber used in fabrics and carpet.
May 26, 2004—John Simonson, Pres. Webstream Dynamics, in the final part of this 2-part series assesses the Internet savvy of the industry’s manufacturers and retailers, the dos and don’ts of effective Website development, speaking the language of the consumer, and what the Internet will most likely look like in the future.
May 26, 2004—Larry Winter, Winter & Harris CPAs and FloorRadio regular discusses industry-specific management software for the floor covering retailer, its advantages and the process of selecting the right package for your business.
May 25, 2004—Frank O’Neill, Publisher, Floor Focus magazine and Dave Foster, Host, Floor Radio discuss: Jeff Lorberbaum’s election to Mohawk chairman following Dave Kolb’s retirement; Nafco’s roll-out of PermaStone Modular; The scheduling of Shaw’s Alliance retailers convention; Sydsvenska Kemi's sale of its Pergo stake; Roger Oates resignation from Armstrong; Flooring America’s 3rd consecutive year of same-store sales gains; and Rick Hamilton’s retirement from Dow Chemical.
May 24, 2004—Pierre Lefort, GM, Nafco by Tarkett and Diane Martel, VP Marketing, Tarkett Commercial discuss the vinyl market and its luxury vinyl segment. Also discussed, the launch of Nafco PermaStone Modular, a collection offered in a variety of newly sized tiles, designed to be assembled into modular units. Lefort and Martel also talk about the line's unique development process, its “keep it simple” approach and their expectections for the line.