Top 10 Podcasts of 2023

1 Resilient Flooring – A Sustainable Outlook!

RFCI’s meaningful 2023 initiatives positively support architects, interior designers, and flooring manufacturers. Accredited continuing education programs, ecolabels for sustainable flooring products, and participation in the ecomedes material database are all available for use!

2 5 Ways Technology Can Improve Your Retail Business

Want to make 2023 the year your retail flooring business is more profitable, more efficient and ready for growth? In the first podcast of our new technology series, QFloors President Chad Ogden shares his five ways technology can improve your business.

3 Women in Flooring: Debra Lechner

Debra Lechner, chief marketing officer, Ecore, shares her brief and humorous pageantry career, her college journey and her entry point into the flooring world. She has served in a number of roles within the flooring industry, forcing her to adapt quickly to keep her career moving forward. Listen as she also offers advice to other women who are looking to advance in their careers.

4 John T. McGrath and David Gross Talk Flooring Installation Education and the Future of INSTALL

John T. McGrath officially retired from his position as executive director, INSTALL, at the end of 2022 as David Gross took over at the helm. In this episode, McGrath talks about his career in the flooring industry and his plans for retirement, including spending time with his first grandson. Gross walks us through his extensive experience in the trades, specifically flooring and his plans for the future of INSTALL. Listen in as both McGrath and Gross take turns talking about the state of flooring installation education.

5 Floor Swap App Aims to Save Contractors Time and Money

Dale and Don Jarmer, owners of Jarmer Flooring, discuss how their experience in the flooring industry led to the creation of their app, Floor Swap, and how they hope it can help flooring contractors save time and money.

6 Military in Flooring: Micah Pye

Shaw Industries offers a wide range of resources to its military veteran workforce, including ShawVet, Hiring Our Heroes and Home For Our Troops. Micah Pye, talent acquisition specialist, served in the U.S. Marines and has been working for Shaw for the last seven years, recruiting both former service members and non-service members alike. He shares his military experience, how he now uses this experience to help other service members integrate into civilian life and establish a career in the flooring industry through Shaw, and how Shaw's programs work to benefit their military workforce and those in the community.

7 Spartan Surface's Brendan Ball Provides Home Builder Outlook

Brendan Ball, VP of builder division, Spartan Surfaces, shares insights about the buildout of Spartan Surfaces’ builder division.

8 How to Level Up Your Sales Strategy with QR Codes

QR codes have been around for nearly 30 years, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that their usefulness was rediscovered. Retailers can benefit from these small but mighty technology tools. Chad Ogden, president of Qfloors, breaks down how retailers can use them to streamline your marketing and boost sales.

9 The Quiet Luxury Design Trend

Interior design is seeing ongoing demand for matte finishes, muted earthy tones and organic design. Lori Dolnik of Frank Advertising and Ryan Fasan of Tile of Spain dive into the trend of Quiet Luxury, or Stealth Wealth.

10 Women in Flooring: Jennifer Todd Talks Construction, Women in the Trades and A Greener Tomorrow

Jennifer Todd, owner, LMS General Contractors and founder, A Greener Tomorrow, speaks with us about the numerous challenges she has faced entering a historically male-dominated industry. Holding a number of roles, including project management and superintendent, Todd started her own business 16 years ago and has used it as an avenue for recruiting a female workforce. Out of that grew A Greener Tomorrow, a non-profit organization that provides education and career opportunities in the construction skilled trades to underserved populations with a focus on empowering women. Todd's perspective on a solution to the labor shortage is simple: address the needs of your employees so that they can be successful.