Dalton, GA - January 25, 2023 - After 55 years serving the carpet industry, Joe Yarbrough, president of The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), announced his intent to retire later this year. Over the next several months, CRI will prepare for this important leadership transition. On March 31, 2014, Joe Yarbrough became the president of CRI, an industry trade association that serves as the leading source for science-based information about carpet and whose members represent more than 90 percent of th [...]

Dalton, GA - November 9, 2022 - The Carpet and Rug Institute, Inc. (CRI) hosted its annual membership meeting on November 9, 2022, to announce new members to the Board of Directors and present the Joseph J. Smrekar Memorial Award for service to the carpet industry. The annual meeting for the carpet industry trade association also serves as an opportunity to update the public and industry about new developments and activities from the prior year at the institute. Tom Pendley, CRI Board Chairman a [...]

Dalton, GA – April 9, 2021 – The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) and its member companies are working together with organizations across the greater Dalton community to support vital vaccination efforts. CRI is working with industry members, local health organizations, state and local governments, and numerous volunteers as well the Latin American Association to procure vaccines for both carpet industry workers and the greater Dalton community. “This public-private partnership shows the strength [...]

Federal Guidelines Recognize State of Scientific Research Concerning Carpet and Indoor Air Quality The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) released the “2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines,” new federal guidelines regarding the best treatments for asthma and allergies on December 3, 2020. The updated guidance is neutral concerning carpet removal and does not include any recommendations regarding removing carpet as a way t [...]

Dalton, GA – November 11, 2020 – The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) held its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, with a report on industry activities, acceptance of new members to the Board of Directors, and recognition of industry volunteers. The event was held in an electronic format for the first time due to concerns related to COVID-19. CRI Board Chairman and Shaw Industries’ CEO Vance Bell announced Rick Hooper as the 2020 recipient of the Joseph J. Smrekar Memorial Award. The a [...]

Dalton, GA - September 16, 2020 - Peter Richman Spirer, one of the early leaders in the carpet industry, passed away on Friday, September 10, 2020, at his home in Cartersville, GA. Mr. Spirer represented the best of the entrepreneurial spirit of the carpet industry for decades. His work was and will be recognized as pushing the carpet industry forward and is responsible for many trends that exist to this day. “Peter, as one of the first chairmen of CRI, was a special leader and figure in our ind [...]