Flooring Podcast

Hanley-Wood’s Poss and Troop on Mohawk’s Withdrawal from Surfaces - Part 1

June 16, 2003—Galen Poss President of Hanley-Wood Exhibitions and Michelle Troop, Surfaces Show Director, Hanley-Wood, discuss Surfaces 2004, Mohawk Industries’ announced withdrawal from the show and how that will effect the show and future shows. Also discusses, dealing with a one of Mohawk’s stated reasons for opting out: Number of retailers too large to effectively communicate. Poss and Troop also highlight what to expect in the upcoming show and plans for the future.

Lew Migliore,The Industry’s Trouble Shooter

June 12, 2003—Lew Migliore, LGM Technical Carpet Services discusses a problem encountered in the field: A retailer who encounter problems after attempting to install carpet in a room without removing the furniture and a pool table.

CRI’s Werner Braun on Installation and Cleaning & Maintenance

June 12, 2003—Werner Braun, President, Carpet & Rug Institute discusses the association’s recently launched efforts at minimizing the industry’s installation troubles. Braun also provides an update on its efforts toward expanding the Seal of Approval program within the cleaning and maintenance sector.

Starnet CEO Lori Dowling

June 11, 2003—Lori Dowling, Starnet CEO discusses: The co-op’s growth and the recent addition of the group’s 100 member; The commercial marketplace; Working with Starnet vendor partners and the diversification of products handled by the group. Dowling also discusses and the group's focus on the B2B initiative and the aggressive program aimed at encouraging members to early adopters and the Starnet ‘Hot Shot” program a project designed to share with the industry the years of expertise of Starnet members.

Floor Focus Publisher Frank O’Neill

June 10, 2003—Frank O’Neill, Publisher, Floor Focus Magazine and Dave Foster, Host, FloorRadio discuss: Mohawk’s opting out of Surfaces and what the move will mean for Mohawk; Honeywell’s support for BASF brands after the acquisition; Stainmaster’s move into the furniture market and ; Home Depot’s announced move toward technology upgrades to improve store productivity and customer service.

CRI’s Werner Braun on the New Message

June 9, 2003—Werner Braun, President, Carpet & Rug Institute discusses the association’s new core message, “Carpet for a Better Environment” which will serve as an umbrella for the many messages. Braun also provides an update on some of the tools used by the organization to spread the word.

Trivers on Successful Home Depot Tactics - Part 2

June 9, 2003—Jon Trivers, Marketing Wit & Wisdom discusses some of the floor covering merchandising tactics used by Home Depot and how independents can compete; Wal-Mart’s adventure into floor covering and why it didn’t work and the possibilities for the divesture of DuPont Textiles & Interiors.

Trivers Does Home Depot’s Floor Store Expansion - Part 1

June 8, 2003—Jon Trivers, Marketing Wit & Wisdom discusses the recently reported expansion of The Floor Store, Home Depot's rarely discussed, stand alone floor covering store, first launched three years ago in Dallas. Trivers shares his expectations for the program and answers the question: What can Home Depot hope to achieve in a free-standing floor store it can’t achieve inside the big box? Trivers also offers some looks at what independent retailers can learn from Home Depot pronouncements.

Barker on the Market

June 5, 2003—Mike Barker, Investment and Retirement Management looks at the prime reasons why the Federal Reserve has been working to keep interest rates so low, and if the Fed is likely to reduce rates even further. Barker also discusses the significance of the Dow breaking 9,000 and the EU Central Bank cutting interest rates yesterday.

Floor Focus Publisher Frank O’Neill

June 4, 2003—Frank O’Neill, Publisher, Floor Focus Magazine and Dave Foster, Host, FloorRadio discuss:Mohawk’s announcement that it will opt out of Surfaces 2004; Armstrong World Industries expectations for a mid-November hearing for its reorganization plan; Lowe’s annual meeting and its focus on higher-end products and its plan of doubling installation income by 2005.