Welcome back to The ProSource Podcast.
Today we are joined by Bryan Hinson, Director of Product and Merchandising here
at ProSource to spotlight Harding LVT.
Harding LVT is a luxury vinyl tile
that's exclusively sold only at ProSource Wholesale.
Thank you so much for joining me today, Bryan.
Thank you Mollie, I appreciate you bringing me in.
I'm excited to have you on today because you are one of our experts here.
Specifically about Harding LVT. All right.
Before we dive into the product, do you mind sharing?
A little bit of background, how you got to prosource
and then maybe a little bit about, your roles and responsibilities at ProSource?
Absolutely. Yeah.
So I started in the flooring industry, probably I got 25 years ago or so.
And I started on the manufacturing side, so I worked in, laminate floors.
I worked with, marketing and merchandising the wrap myself up to to St.
Louis about, got to be 15 years or so.
Came up here and started working for ProSource almost 15 years ago.
Now my main responsibilities are just managing the hard surface
categories for ProSource on on our showrooms nationally,
I spend a lot of time doing research on products and programs,
you know, trying to figure out what the best technologies are.
Things that are coming down the pipe that that might help the showrooms with the,
you know, sales or to become more valuable to our members and, to their clients.
So we work with our vendors, all of our hard surface
vendors, to manage those programs
and make sure that they're running efficiently
and that there's product available for the showrooms to buy.
I also spend a lot of time out in the field
working with the showrooms individually and in their individual markets.
What products are being sold out there?
You know how different trends are happening across the United States
and in different areas of the country,
and then helping them to become more successful
in managing their programs, managing their product assortments.
And like I said, being more valuable to, to the members and to their clients.
Did you start off being Director of Product or Merchandising
or did you start in a different position?
So I started off in the merchandising department.
I worked with, you know, just specifically with the hard surface programs,
kind of was why I was brought in.
My background has been in hard surface product.
So, it was just kind
of a natural progression to get in here and, start with those type of programs.
Now, I do,
you know, when I'm out in the field, I'll dabble a little bit in the,
in the soft surface programs just to help.
But the hard surfaces, my main, my main focus here. Okay.
So thinking about hurting
what made ProSource want to offer this specific product,
and has there been any feedback to the product and merchandising team
that influences decision?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So, you know, as I mentioned, one area that that I focus in is exploring
the new technologies, understanding what consumers are looking for.
What type of products that, you know, that
there are going to be most popular with them when they get out there
searching for things for their homes,
when know a trade pros are searching for products to put into their properties,
or you know, their projects that they're working on.
We found that every customer desires, I guess, the best features
and benefits of a product
without the drawbacks that often come with with these specific products.
For example,
you know, you'll want the esthetic appeal of hardwood or exotic tiles
or things like that, but you don't want to pay the prices
or have the maintenance that comes with those.
The environmental impact that might come with having those products in your home.
So you're looking for alternatives to those type of products.
You want the esthetic appeal of of hardwood throughout our house.
Don't want to worry about the maintenance or the scratches,
dents, you know, the pet's waterproof.
You know, things that
that, you know, obviously concerns when you put a product like that down.
Harding LVT is the perfect solution for those, checks all the boxes.
Absolutely.
And like I said, my background, was in, you know, prior to prior to coming here
was in laminate flooring.
It's about, you know, about a decade ago, you know, we saw a significant
shift, in sales going towards LVT.
LVT became very popular.
This is one of those products that was introduced.
And, you know, before we knew it, you know, everybody,
you know, was concerned with moisture in their homes.
You know, where moisture may not have been a concern in the past.
That became something that they were very hyper aware of.
Scratch resistance, impact resistance, things like that were things
that laminate was bringing to the table that, you know, everybody loved.
But as soon as moisture became an issue, LV became a great solution for that.
Yeah.
So with the introduction of hardening LVP,
it's kind of combining the best of both worlds.
There we have the impact resistance that came with,
you know, the laminate products, the scratch resistance
that also came with those products, as well as what
you'll find in a lot of your standard LV teas.
But also, you know, it's got that thickness that, that
people were craving and that they liked about the old laminate products.
Because when you walk on it, it sounds like a natural hardwood floor.
Yeah.
At a, at a fraction of the cost for sure.
And it's made in the USA.
Absolutely. That's one of the best parts about it.
Thanks for bringing that up. Yeah. Made here in the United States.
So it's easy to access the products.
I mean,
we're supporting American companies and, American made products here, so that's.
Yeah, that's something that people actually are starting to even more now.
People are looking for products made in the USA, aside from
just wanting to support USA made products, just because of like shipping
cost and availability and lead times on getting products.
I think that makes a huge difference in the in the USA.
Absolutely.
Is there anything else that you haven't touched on that truly separates
Harding from other luxury vinyl tile brands?
Yeah.
So, you know, just to touch on it a little bit more or kind of go
in a little more depth of it.
You know, as we look at the how consumers are shopping
and what they're looking for,
you know, things that are important to the trade pro,
as they get out there and they're putting products, you know, into homes
that they're trying to sell or trying to renovate, and resell,
you know, the maintenance of the floor, obviously waterproof, dent,
impact resistance.
Essentially, you want the floor to be pet and kid proof.
So that's become keywords that people are looking for when they're shopping.
And that's what makes this product so appealing.
When you hold Harding in your hands, you can feel the difference between that
and a standard WPC or SPC type of, yeah, a vinyl floor.
Like I said, it's a lot heftier, but because of the recycled content in it,
and how it's made, it's actually 30% lighter than your standard WPC floor.
Yeah.
No, I've went into the showroom here and I've picked it up.
It's not as heavy as it looks like.
It looks very like high quality, very durable, like you mentioned.
Looks like real hardwood, but it's not super heavy like hardwood is.
And yeah, the finishes on it, they're just beautiful.
Absolutely. Yeah.
And as I said, you know once you put that floor down
you'll never notice the difference between that. Yeah.
And a standard hardwood floor natural hardwoods.
They just the way that they make it the, the realism that goes into the
the print that goes on top of the floor,
all of that kind of stuff makes such a huge difference.
And it's one of the things that's evolved over the past couple of years,
as you see printed technology and laminates are
what we've got on the Harding LVT is top of the line.
It's, you know, it's beautiful once you put it down.
And as I said, you'll you'll never notice the difference once
it's down on your floor between that in a, in a natural hardwood floor.
And I know we talked about, you know, the product being made
in the USA and a lot of people that's their top of mind.
One of their, I guess, qualities of a product they're looking for.
Other people might be
more concerned about, like the environmental impacts of the product.
Can you share a little bit more about just the environmental impact
of Harding Alva.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So, you know, obviously, as I said, it grew.
It just was booming in popularity.
Everybody,
everybody loved the features and benefits and the quality of those products.
But one thing that it has never been is environmentally friendly.
Yeah.
So with the introduction of, you know, Harding,
they did,
you know, our manufacturer did studies, with product
groups and, and buying groups, and, you know, millennials.
And they found that 75% of the millennials that they interviewed were concerned
over the environmental impact of the flaws in the products that they were buying.
So Harding LV tea is actually made from 80% renewable plant based materials.
So that's significantly reduces the environmental impact
that this product is going to have.
I always describe this product when I'm in the showrooms,
or I'm talking to people as they scratch proof, dent proof,
you know, sustainable alternative to WPC or SPC products, for sure.
I touched on it a little bit earlier.
The styles and finishes of the product are just beautiful to look at.
Every time I go in the showroom, and I'm having to take photos of
the different samples from Harding, all that.
I mean, it's like you can't make them look bad.
What are some of those different styles that are offered in the collection?
So there's 32 total SKUs, 32
different, visuals that you'll find in the Harding.
There's something for everyone.
Absolutely.
I mean, the wide variety of colors they actually
all of those are split into three different collections.
So the idea behind doing that is we you know, each of the collections
is just slightly different when it comes to the size of the plank.
And, you know, obviously some of the visuals are going
to be different in there, but it hits multiple price points, which is important.
As you're shopping through the showroom
and you're looking at these products and you like the features
and benefits of a certain collection, but maybe your budget is a little bit lower.
Then you know what you'd like, for a standard hardwood.
Or maybe you're looking at this and, you know, you like the features
and benefits of Harding Lite,
but you don't want to spend a tremendous amount of money.
Yeah. So this hits three different levels.
All three of them being, you know, very popular and,
you know, obviously very beautiful.
But it gives us a step up strategy or step up opportunity
within the customer, shopping experience where you're looking at products
and you can step up into a better product, a more premium product with larger
like set larger widths and lengths of boards or not, you know,
depending on where your budget is, that we have three different collections.
Like I said, we've got an entry level collection that's called Gates Wood Prime,
the Riverdale Pro and Barn Swallow Pro, our mid-level collections.
And those are perfect for the trade Pro.
I think those are the ones that the trade pro would probably, go to the most.
And then Clay Miele Premier and Three Forks Premier are the higher end products.
So you're really hitting every single price point there,
which is also important because you're not alienating a budget
when it comes to a home remodel. Right?
So LVP is obviously a great choice for someone wanting
that look of the traditional hardwood without the big price.
How else that we haven't maybe mentioned yet?
Does Harding obviously compare to that traditional hardwood?
Well, as we know, hardwood floors are obviously timeless.
Beautiful.
It adds a big financial boost to the resale value of a home.
So not to, you know, undersell what hardwood does to a home,
because obviously that has its place and the products are beautiful.
But LVP offers more practical advantages, like durability, cost effectiveness,
ease of maintenance, and design flexibility that you might not get
when you're shopping for hardwoods.
For families with busy household goods and people looking for budget
friendly options, or low maintenance options, velvet is the perfect solution.
Absolutely.
And especially on the easy maintenance side of it.
I know if you have pets, if they make an accident on a hardwood
floor, it's not as easy to clean up as maybe an elevator.
Thinking about just busy households.
Children, not even just pets.
And it's very nice to have that look and feel without some of the,
I guess, worry about damaging, like a really expensive floor.
Like you said, hardwood is.
Yeah.
Speaking more about the durability and performance of Harding.
All of it.
You mentioned it's
waterproof scratch resistance like we just talked about.
How else may be living up to the challenges and obstacles
that face being in a busy home?
So, yeah, I mean, great question.
Obviously, you know, moisture is
has become a key talking point for a lot of showrooms and consumers.
So, you know, it being waterproof
is a key point, a key selling point, a key feature for that product.
It's not water resistant, which, you know,
you should not be confused with when you're shopping for flooring.
Obviously water resistant will will, you know, hold topical water for,
you know, for a set of hours, you know, specified by the manufacturer,
but waterproof, it actually will hold that water on top of that.
It gives you a lot more time to clean up spills.
To your point, with, you know, pet urine and, you know, stuff like that.
I mean, that that is it's a very it's a very thin liquid.
So it has a tendency to seep down in between boards,
which is why it ruins hardwoods.
And it ends up leaving stains and things like that.
With this product, the Harding, at least that's not an issue.
You, you know, you have time to clean that stuff up.
It's not going to ruin your floor if something like that was to happen.
It's also more scratch resistant and dent resistant than, you know, your standard.
Let's we basically could call this the pet proof, kid proof floor.
Harding.
It gives you peace of mind for that.
Absolutely.
So if there's any contractors or ProSource trade pros listening to this,
can you share, what some of the installation methods are for Harding.
Yeah. So Harding it is a floating floor.
It's got a click installation which makes it easy to install.
It's a very quick installation.
So there's not much that goes into, you know, the, the needs for,
you know, different types of floor prep or materials
that you're going to need in order to put the product down.
Obviously, you want to make sure that the floors
you know, prepared properly and level,
you know, there's some floor preparation that's very important.
But this is an easy installation.
Like I said, the installers are going to love the fact
that the product's 30% lighter than your standard is in SPC or WPC products.
So if you have to carry it upstairs, if you're having to go into an apartment
building or something like that,
and you're moving this product from your truck into a building,
it's going to be a lot easier on your back, and
especially those with the that don't have large teams.
Absolutely. That.
Yeah.
Is it able to be put over an existing floor? No.
So I would never recommend that.
You know, and, you know, for obvious reasons,
I think you know, this is a thicker product.
So again, if you put it down on your floor,
you know, you could create transition issues.
Yeah.
Having a step up, you know, a quarter inch or whatever.
From one room into another.
So obviously putting that, you know, putting that into place is, is a concern.
Also because it's waterproof.
I mean, it's,
it's waterproof from the top down and also from the bottom,
where it's great on, you know, standard subfloor wood, plywood, cement.
It also could trap moisture under some of those floors.
So you don't want to necessarily put it out there and trap
moisture between, you know, this floor and, you know, say a parquet floor
or a hardwood floor or something that might end up,
you know, falling apart or crumbling underneath there.
So just I would not recommend putting it over.
You know, another product, we talked about how easy it is to maintain
and clean the Harding. All righty.
Can you think of, like, any specific products that you would
recommend people to use on their floor if they have the hurting product?
Yeah.
So ProSource has got a bunch of great cleaning products.
You know, if you if you walk into your ProSource,
local ProSource showroom, they're going to have,
cleaning kits that are going to be directed or geared
right towards, cleaning these product lines and, and perfect for them.
So, I would always recommend
buying your cleaning kit from the place that you're buying your flooring.
That way they can help you to pick the right products for that floor.
To make sure that you're not damaging it or you're not,
you know, doing something that you shouldn't be doing to it.
But yes, I would absolutely recommend going Prosource.
They've said they've got great cleaning products there.
And they can definitely.
The account managers will recommend the right product for you.
Absolutely.
And they might not always be on display there.
Correct.
Always ask, your account manager and see if they have anything specific
like in the back of the showroom. Absolutely.
Do you have a favorite style or color from the Harding LVT collections?
Oh man, obviously I like them all, which is why we put the collection
together.
You know, as we were sitting down
and looking at it, you know, we, we went through, several different styles.
They're all beautiful. As you mentioned earlier,
you really can't go wrong when you're looking at them.
But I will say that, you know, since we've launched the program, the,
the Barn Swallow and the the Riverdale have been our most popular, sellers.
And I believe it's because, like I said, those are perfect.
They're middle tier price points.
You know, they're hitting that right.
The right sweet spot with the trade pro and with the consumer.
So yeah, absolutely.
Those have been our top sellers. Last question.
If someone is interested and hurting of it, where should they go?
Absolutely.
Go see a Prosource account manager.
You can you can find your local ProSource.
They'll be happy to help you and then show you those products.
Every single ProSource showroom, receive this product line so they, you know,
you should be able to walk in there, see it for yourself, see it for yourself.
I would absolutely recommend walking in and taking a look at it
and looking at it online. Great.
But just kind of doesn't do it as much justice as seeing it in person.
And as you said, holding it in your hands.
Yes, absolutely.
Well, thank you so much for joining me today to talk about hurting Alva T.
I think this is a great product.
It's very visually appealing.
Like I've mentioned, I just really like the looks of it.
There's wide ranges of styles and finishes.
You got to go see it for yourself and make sure to check it out.
Ask your account manager, anyone at ProSource
if you have any questions about the product.
You could also see it online
on our website prosourcewholesale.com and go to the products area.
It should be in there.
But thank you so much for joining me today, Bryan.
Well, I thank you, I appreciate it. Thanks.
Thank you for joining us today on The ProSource Podcast.
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