The Carpet and Rug Institute President Joe Yarbrough has served as leader of the carpet industry trade association for six months and he recently sat down with TalkFloor’s Dave Foster to discuss his new role and some of the issues facing the industry.
Foster opened with a question on what the initial months have been like directing the organization Yarbrough has been deeply involved in for the past few years, even while he was at his previous job with CRI-member carpet and flooring manufacturer Mohawk Industries.
“The thing I have been most encouraged by is the members are all very committed to CRI and its mission,” he said.
He also credited CRI’s engaged volunteers as being key in advancing the trade group’s mission.
The discussion then shifted to carpet cleaning and the role the Seal of Approval program plays in advancing the industry.
“Our Seal of Approval program has a lot of momentum and support from the cleaning industry,” Joe said. “The desire is to ensure our consumers are satisfied with their carpet.”
When discussing the new CRI website, Joe mentioned the immense level of work from both CRI staff and industry members who contributed to it.
“We’re very proud of the new website. A tremendous amount of work went into its development,” he stated. “We’ll be constantly improving and adding new features to the site.”
Soft carpet is a growing part of the marketplace and Joe shed some light on how the industry and CRI are addressing how to clean this newer product.
“Soft fibers have evolved into the marketplace over the last several years and consumers obviously like them,” he said. “There are special recommendations for cleaning them and we direct specific inquiries back to the manufacturer.”
Joe was also asked about CARE (Carpet America Recovery Effort) and its work in landfill diversion.
“I think we can all be proud of the efforts of CARE,” Joe said. “We have seen continuous improvement over the 13 years of existence of CARE.”
To watch the three-part interview on TalkFloor, click the links below.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
