Archive for August 3rd, 2007
By Tappy Phillips
(New York-WABC, July 30, 2007) - It’s a furniture store that has been a fixture in Lower Manhattan for almost 40 years. But when the store suddenly closed its doors a few weeks ago, it left customers without their furniture — and out thousands of dollars.
That is, until Tappy Phillips and Seven On Your Side got involved.
Lyndon Johnson was in the White House when the Chelsea furniture fixture opened it’s doors. But now forty years later the store closed for the last time, and now scores of consumers are left dangling without deposits or merchandise.
All that’s in Margaret Walter’s living room is four walls and a TV on a make shift stand.
“Gave old furniture to my niece … she took my couch, my cocktail tables, my end table, everything,” Margaret said.
Margaret had ordered new furniture from Foremost Furniture. But about two months ago, Foremost closed its doors leaving Margaret out her deposit — more than six grand.
Tappy Phillips: “No answer?”
Margaret: “No answer … it was disconnected.”
Tappy: “Phone was disconnected?”
Margaret: “Yeah.”
Diane Simonetti was in the same boat, out nearly three thousand dollars to Foremost since last November.
“Nine months later, they lied to me from the beginning. They promised me something they knew they were never going to give me,” Diane said.
So her living room still has her old couch.
When Foremost closed its doors, there were still many customers besides Margaret and Diane who had given them deposits on furniture and had not received it. Foremost is now auctioning off its inventory.
But after our calls, Diane got a full refund.
“I think with your help, things really sped up everything,” Diane said.
And Margaret and I put our feet up on her brand new leather couch and ottoman.
The Department of Consumer Affairs says before ordering furniture, check with them for complaints, don’t pay in full until the furniture arrives, and if it isn’t delivered when promised, make a complaint right away to both authorities and your credit card company.
If you are having a problem with Foremost, contact consumer affairs to mediate.
(Copyright 2007 WABC-TV)
August 3rd, 2007
Industry members invited to take part
HIGH POINT — Members of the Appalachian furniture industry are invited to participate in the Furniture China 2007 and Furniture Supply and Manufacturing 2007 trade shows, set for Sept. 12-15 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Shanghai, China.
For the second year, the Furniture Enterprise Office of the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the International Trade Division is coordinating this Export Trade Advisory Council event. Last year, the Appalachia USA China delegation included 45 firms and organizations represented by 53 individuals.
Appalachia is a 200,000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. It includes all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Appalachian businesses invited to participate include those involved in furniture and other wood products, veneers, flooring and carpeting, home lighting, woodworking supplies, millwork and trim, home textiles and accessories, machinery and precision controls.
The Appalachia USA delegation will staff twin pavilions in Shanghai. For wood product-related interests, a pavilion is planned within the Furniture China ZOW area. For furniture-related activities and for individual states, economic development representatives and academic interests, space is available in the Appalachia USA pavilion in the Furniture China 2007 International Hall.
A discounted exhibit space rental rate is available for Appalachian businesses wishing to secure a space in either of those two areas. Exhibit costs are about $250 to $300 per square meter of display space.
The cost includes services such as hospitality and interpreters. Travel and display costs will be paid by the exhibitor. The Furniture Enterprise Office is working to secure discounted hotel room rates.
Others invited to participate in the shows include the Export Trade Advisory Council member states and university- related interests. Any group with state-related promotional materials to display in the pavilion or individual states with China-based reps who wish to help staff the pavilions is asked to notify the Furniture Enterprise Office promptly, so there will be enough time to coordinate it.
More information is available from Tom Crump, director of North Carolina’s Furniture Enterprise Office, at tcrump@nccommerce.com or (336) 884-8170, or Amy Garrard, outreach coordinator at Mississippi State University’s Franklin Furniture Institute, at amy.garrard@msstate.edu or (662) 325-8453.
August 3rd, 2007
The expanded Charles Home Furnishings shop in Urbandale offers unique styles and accessories in custom-made items.
By JOANNE BOECKMAN
Charles Home Furnishings in Urbandale was a new retail store in January. Only six months later, it tripled its showroom space by switching locations with Wags furniture store.
The move gave Charles more room to showcase its two specialty products: leather sofas, love seats and chairs and custom-upholstered furniture. With the move, the store also added wood furniture under the Charles name and accessories not commonly found in other stores, said Joe Miller, manager of the Urbandale store.
Charles Schneider, the founder of the retail store, has Charles Schneider Fine Furniture and Charles Custom Furniture, based in Council Bluffs. Miller said that even though Schneider is now in his early 90s, he began opening a string of retail furniture stores across the country this year. The Urbandale store was the first one.
Miller, 58, answered our questions last week.
Q. Who is Charles Schneider?
A. He’s been in the furniture manufacturing business 61 years. He’s 91 now, and to still have this ambition to set up quality furniture stores at a time when others are downsizing or closing is a testament to how he feels about the quality of his product.
Q. Where are the other Charles Home Furnishings stores?
A. A second store opened in Indianpolis in May and three weeks ago one opened in Madison, Wis. In August, we’ll open one in Spokane, Wash. and in Sept., one in Fargo, N.D.
Q. How would you describe the Charles style?
A. Historically, Charles had trended toward a more traditional style, but he understands the need for a more contemporary look. We cover a variety of styles - and we’re working very hard at that. It’s also one of the reasons for growing the way we have.
Customers can select whatever they want on their sofa, whether with or without a skirt, with decorator legs, whatever. Our company slogan is “The choice is yours.”
Since being in Des Moines, we’ve found 20 new products for the Charles line.
Another thing people should know is that it doesn’t take us months to get a product. In most cases, we can deliver it within 21 days.
Q. What about the price?
A. We’re not at the low end of the price points, where you can buy a sofa for about $599, $699 or $799, but we’re also not at the high end - $3,000 or $4,000. We fit in the middle, but quality-wise, I’d put us against anyone. We also offer a lifetime guarantee - as long as you have it - if you buy a sofa or chair from the Charles Schneider collection.
We have to be competitive with our pricing policies, our service, our quality and the choices we offer.
Q. What sort of fabric selection do you have?
A. We have over 12,000 upholstery fabrics exclusive to us.
Q. How can people envision the style they select with the fabric?
A. We have a big screen and software program so we can show a rendering of the sofa or chair with the fabric choice. The computer tells us the pricing and shows us coordinating fabrics.
If you need assistance with your choice, we have decorators and designers on staff.
Q. What is your background?
A. My wife (Linda) and I had a furniture and floor covering store in Kanawha for 29 years. In order to survive with that, we added an America’s Mattress in Mason City, about 40 miles away from where we lived. We opened a second in Cedar Falls and about the time that opened, we opened two stores here in the Des Moines area (Urbandale and Ankeny). We closed the furniture store in 2004, when we decided to take on the last two.
We sold those when we had an opportunity to come to work for Charles in the company’s first retail store.
Q. How long can people expect this furniture to hold up?
A. Well, the oldest one we know of is probably over 40 years old and it still sits well. It’s in Newton. It was a hand-me-down from a mother to her son.
Reporter Joanne Boeckman can be reached at (515) 284-8049 or jboeckman@dmreg.com
August 3rd, 2007
Home furnishings buyers attending Las Vegas Market had a chance to discover hot trends on the horizon through the generations from Maxine Lauer, president of Sphere Trending, a Marketing, Trend and Design firm dedicated to converting consumer insights into product innovation.
Lauer spoke about happenings that cause consumers to shop, think and live differently, and how they will impact the future. With a background in trend merchandising that spans more than 20 years, Lauer has guided strategic planning for clients at her own company since 2000. Lauer led her audience through a fast-paced preview of consumer trends in furniture.
She started with identifying different categories of buyers, separated by generation labels, including Digital from Birth, Generation Now, Generation X, Zoomers and Prime Timers, all complete with different styles and preferences. While trend appeals to consumers across the board, it is particularly tied into Gen X’s core values, a generation that is not afraid to mix and match. Lauer said to think more tailored then the traditional looks of the past, with clean lines and crisp styling. Generation Xers love to entertain, are entrepreneurial and blend work and home. They find appeal in items such as IKEA’s new Stockholm store, which features lines that are more expensive than the usual IKEA lines.
Zoomers are fueling the luxury market and are buying second homes. They are “de-cluttering,” even using eBay to get rid of excess stuff. Zoomers are increasingly environmentally conscious, Lauer said. These consumers expect beautiful design merged with sustainable or recyclable materials, and the calming qualities of bringing natural elements into everyday environments. Lauer said 76 percent of the nation’s net worth is in the hands of Zoomers. “You have to be really compelling to get this group to buy,” she said.
Of interest to the furniture industry is that second homes now represent 40 percent of all home transactions, and there is a rise of single households. Consumers are looking for ways to segment their homes into public and private spaces, and many consumers are living in small spaces but still want big style. Loft living is also on the rise as consumers look for ways to segment space.
As a result, the market for smaller-scale products has been expanding at a rapid pace, as consumers begin to downsize and have a growing need for multi-tasking product. “It’s about how our homes feel that has become important,” Lauer said. She showed examples of shared offices for multiple family members where parents and kids can work together. While the kitchen has always been the heart of the home, technology is changing home design, with seating and technology being built into shared family spaces. Lauer showed photos of sofas on the backs of kitchen islands.
Today’s consumers multi-task in their everyday lives and are beginning to expect and demand the same out of the product choices. “Consumers are saying, ‘Save me time. Does the chair turn into a shelf for my laptop?’ ” she said. “They are also craving relaxation and downtime in their homes. It’s all about the happy, healthy home—not just excess for the sake of excess.”
In addition, there are also more and more multi-generational homes than ever before, and design for children is becoming more sophisticated. Kids today have many more choices than kids of previous generations, and there is no question that today’s teens expect more choices in technology, design and décor. Design keeps pace with teen’s high energy lifestyles as it becomes more sophisticated for a design-savvy youth.
Advising retailers on how the look and feel of their stores influences prospective customers, Lauer said that drive- by and walk-by “editing” by consumers can make a big impact on choices of where they shop. “How does your store look from the outside in?” she asked attendees. “Is it fabulous?” She also pointed out the huge importance of well-designed bathrooms in retail stores. “As goes your bathroom, so goes your business,” she commented. Lauer spoke of what she termed “experience retailers” who host events in their stores, supporting causes and contributing time to the community.
The semi-annual Las Vegas Market is the world’s fastest-growing trade show for home furnishings currently spanning 3.8 million square feet of showrooms/exhibits and featuring 1,300 companies and lines. World Market Center will soon boast the greatest depth and breadth of furniture-related products compared to any other market center and will be the world’s largest trade fair complex when fully built out to 12 million square feet in 2013.
The Las Vegas Market continues through August 3, 2007 at World Market Center’s Buildings A and B, the Pavilions; the temporaries are featured at Sands Expo & Convention Center.
August 3rd, 2007
By: Furniture World Magazine
Emergency Interiors, a non-profit furniture bank dedicated to delivering furnishings to disaster survivors, has commemorated the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by developing a program to distribute essential home furnishings to 1,000 displaced families along the gulf coast by December 2007.
More than 5,000 pieces of furniture have already been committed to the effort, led by the National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA), furniture industry heavyweights Ethan Allen, Rooms to Go, and Thomasville, hotel chains such as Marriott, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites, and other major institutional donors.
Ethan Allen has offered $2 million worth of surplus inventory, and the Department of the Navy has also joined the effort by sending furniture from the decommissioned naval base in Lakehurst, NJ.
The need for furniture assistance to families in the gulf remains high as returning families find that the process of rebuilding their homes requires them to draw upon all available funds. Food, rent and clothing for children always come first. As a consequence, many families have no other choice than to eat and sleep on the floor.
“There was such a wonderful outpouring of help immediately after Katrina hit,” said Emergency Interiors executive director Kevin Polk, “but the sad truth is that the rebuilding process is expected to last for many years longer. That means that we will continue to have families living on the floor. We are looking to the home furnishings industry to get involved.”
The NFBA’s executive director, Don Lawrence, said that furniture donations from the industry are always appreciated. “Financial support is what’s most needed. The cost of collecting and shipping furniture to the gulf is a heavy load for Emergency Interiors to bear,” said Lawrence. “The NFBA needs the industry support to continue serving less fortunate families in America. A number of companies donated a million dollars each to non-furniture industry charities after Hurricane Katrina, which represents four years of our total budget. We’re serving over 100,000 families every year on a shoestring.”
The Hurricane Katrina drive will be launched on August 29th, 2007 with distribution events in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Southern Mississippi.
All Congregations Together will serve as the lead charitable distribution agency for the New Orleans, which will serve 29 families in the Lower 9th Ward; Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation for Baton Rouge; and Restoration Point Foundation for Southern Mississippi, which aims to assist 200 families from Bay St. Louis MS to Bayou La Batre AL.
About the National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA):
The National Furniture Banks Association (NFBA) is the unified charitable organization of the home furnishings industry. Comprised of a network of over 60 furniture banks across the country, the NFBA’s facilitates Help1Up, the free furniture removal service for the public and businesses. Furniture banks collect usable home furnishings and provide it directly to families in need. The Help1Up service is socially conscious, environmentally friendly, and keeps used furniture out of consignment stores and landfills.
The NFBA is endorsed by all major home furnishings industry associations: AHFA - American Home Furnishings Alliance; BIFMA - Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association International; CFMA - California Furniture Manufacturers Association; FAI - Futon Association International; HFIA - Home Furnishings International Association; IDS - Interior Design Society; IHFRA - International Home Furnishings Representatives Association; NHFA - National Home Furnishings Association; NARDA - North American Retail Dealers Association; UFA - Unfinished Furniture Association; WHFA - Western Home Furnishings Association; and, WithIt - Women in the Home Industries Today.
For more information contact:
Don Lawrence
Executive Director
National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA)
(800) 576 0774
dlawrence@help1up.org
Kevin Polk
Executive Director
Emergency Interiors
919-345-8516
kpolk@emergencyinteriors.org
August 3rd, 2007
Demountable Concepts announced that Braden’s Furniture recently added four Demountable Concepts equipped trucks and eight bodies to their fleet.
“Before stremlining their fleet,” said Mike Fret at Demountable Concepts. “Workers waited for trucks to return before they could reload them. This often resulted in costly delays and added labor costs. Now, the Demountable Concepts system has enabled Braden’s Furniture to eliminate downtime, save on labor and fuel, and deliver more furniture per shift. Each truck utilizes two bodies for maximum efficiency. When a truck returns from its route, the empty body is immediately “swapped” for one that’s been preloaded. In about five minutes the truck can be back to delivering furniture.”
Josh Theriot, Braden’s Customer Relations and Operations Agent, summed up the improvement by adding that, “In the past, we paid a driver and helper team overtime to load their own trucks, but now our warehouse crew loads one body for the next set of deliveries before the driver comes back with the empty one. Thanks to the Demountable Truck Body System, we can load during the day and our furniture deliveries are on the road by seven a.m. the next morning.”
Braden’s Furniture sells medium to high end furniture, including the “Stickley” line, and delivers to three locations in the Knoxville area. The company also uses Demountable bodies to supplement their warehouse space. A yard truck shuttles the bodies around the facility, readying them for pick-up and creating room at the dock to load additional bodies. Loading directly into a demountable body, instead of staging freight on the loading dock, has resulted in less clutter in the company’s shipping department.
Demountable Concepts, Inc. is the premier North American supplier of demountable truck body systems and has installation centers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. for more information email mfrett@demount.com or visit www.demount.com.
August 3rd, 2007
Some of the home furnishings industry’s key manufacturers, retailers and sustainability leaders, including several members of the Sustainable Furniture Council, attended a lively panel discussion about sustainability practices yesterday at the Sands Expo Center.
Representatives from leading retailers joined Mike Italiano of Market Transformation to Sustainability and the U.S. Green Building Council in an open discussion about sustainability practices in the industry. Steve Freeman of Room & Board, a Minneapolis-based furniture retailer, joined Amy Chender of New York-based ABC Home to represent retailers on the panel.
Everyone taking part in the discussion agreed there are two fronts where sustainability practices are being addressed. The first is with consumers, as those who care about green practices show their support with their pocketbooks. “Consumers support sustainable products and say products that damage the environment should not be in stores,” said Italiano. As that support becomes more mainstream, retailers are being called to not only create more sustainable products, but make them affordable. “We are in a race. We need to reach the consumer,” said Gerry Cooklin of South Cone and the Sustainable Furniture Council from the audience.
On the other front of the sustainability issue are vendors who supply retailers with products and materials—vendors who are embracing green practices less quickly.
Both retailers on the panel said they work closely with their manufacturer partners and suppliers on various sustainability standards, in some cases making this a condition of doing business. ABC Home has a “good wood” program and shares with vendor partners packets explaining sustainability. Yet Chender said several years ago when her company approached suppliers about its good wood program, some balked or did not give the initiative much attention.
But that is changing. “The vendor community is starting to take green much more seriously because of its growing importance to their customers,” she said.
At the same time consumers demand more sustainable furniture, they’ve become skeptical of manufacturers claims of being eco-friendly—sometimes with good reason. Italiano spoke about exaggerated green claims and “greenwashing,” or the misleading, inaccurate and unlawful depiction of products as environmentally responsible. Due to the proliferation of greenwashing, a large percentage of consumers are questioning green claims.
At ABC Home, Chender said her team is looking carefully at marketing materials to guard against bold statements that can be viewed with skepticism by consumers inundated with the wave of green marketing. “There is a fine line between stating where you are at and making exaggerated claims,” she said.
Freeman, of retailer Room & Board, agreed. “The customer today is very smart. There are many sources for them to find out about you,” he said. “By being transparent, you avoid the potential pitfall of losing credibility. Make sure you are honest with your customer.”
Freeman said sustainability has been a part of Room & Board’s business strategy for a long time, and sustainability and smart practices are common threads in the stores, through the catalog and online. It limits the number of catalogs it prints, and those it does are done on FSC-certified paper. “We do not scream sustainability, but we do talk about it,” Freeman said, adding that the company is still striving to improve its product mix and practices related to sustainability. “You can be profitable and be sustainable,” he said.
ABC Home’s Chender said the very fact that the retailer has a director of social responsibility on staff speaks volumes to the priority on smart sustainability practices. “We are a big small company and we are seeing a paradigm shift,” she said, adding, “You don’t need to be perfect to make steps in the direction of change.”
In addition to working closely with vendors to ensure a large percentage of ABC Home’s merchandise mix meets sustainability standards, Chender said the company also focuses on being globally minded. The month of February, for example, was dedicated to celebrating the culture of India with events and displays. For Earth Day, ABC Home did a dynamic “shades of green” display of various green furnishings. “This visually depicted to the customers that you can be green at different levels,” Chender said.
The panelists shared tips for attendees wanting to “go green,” including suggestions on FSC- certified wood and paper along with eco-friendly inks and paper. They also spoke about steps in partnering with suppliers in an intelligent way. The more retailers asking suppliers about sustainable practices, the better it is for all, they said.
All of the panelists encouraged the attendees not to dive headfirst into green waters. “Do not venture in too quickly,” Freeman said. “And be aware that there is a cost to it. Take steps to increase the percentage of your FSC-certified product and focus on your suppliers.”
Italiano encouraged attendees to look into resources available in the industry. “The climate is right,” he said. “People want to make the shift and suppliers are eager to do it. It’s not as daunting as it might seem.”
Freeman added his support of the Sustainable Furniture Council. “Room & Board strives to apply manufacturing and business principles that are environmentally responsible and ethical and we see the Sustainable Furniture Council as a great opportunity to further such practices throughout our industry and put more players on the same page,” he said.
Retailers attending the seminar also had a chance to check out more than 15,000 square feet of sustainable home furnishings product in the Living Green Pavilion portion of the trade show, as well as the Greenhouse Gallery. This inaugural Living Green Pavilion is in addition to the many other environmentally conscious manufacturers with permanent showrooms in World Market Center’s Buildings A and B who are also showing new products and evolving their sustainable product lines and practices. In all, there are more than 35 manufacturers showing at Las Vegas Market this week who are committed to sustainable products and practices.
Editor’s Note: If you are interested in getting more information on Sustainable Furniture Marketing, read the excellent three part FURNITURE WORLD series posted to the Marketing Management Article Archive on the furninfo.com website.
The semi-annual Las Vegas Market is the world’s fastest-growing trade show for home furnishings currently spanning 3.8 million square feet of showrooms/exhibits and featuring 1,300 companies and lines. World Market Center will soon boast the greatest depth and breadth of furniture-related products compared to any other market center and will be the world’s largest trade fair complex when fully built out to 12 million square feet in 2013.
The Las Vegas Market continues through August 3, 2007 at World Market Center’s Buildings A and B, the Pavilions; the temporaries are featured at Sands Expo & Convention Center.
August 3rd, 2007
By: Furniture World Magazine
Karel Exposition Management, the nation’s largest producer of regional furniture and accessory trade shows, announced that they will be returning to Edison, New Jersey to produce the “51 Edison Furniture & Accessory Market” at the New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center, August 4 through August 7, 2007.
The highly anticipated show, which sells out each time, will feature over 1000 spaces of merchandise that attract attendees from New Jersey as well as New York, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. The show, the largest of its kind in the Northeast, is open to buyers, interior designers and specialty stores from the furniture industry.
An estimated 5000 attendees will come to Edison to see and meet new sources exhibiting furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories from around the world. The mind-boggling array of merchandise on display at the “51st Edison Furniture and Accessory Market” is what the consumer will see in the months ahead in their area stores.
“If you’re in business, you need the latest merchandise and you don’t want the expense of traveling, then this show is a must,” said Larry Karel, President of Karel Exposition Management.
The company has been producing trade shows since 1952 and is known for showcasing an exceptional roster of manufacturers, vendors and suppliers.
For more information on this show visit www.kemexpo.com or call 305 792-9990.
August 3rd, 2007
Alex Vaysman, CEO of leading contemporary furniture corporation Global Furniture USA, announced that his company is introducing a new bedding division, named Sleep Solution. Aiming to become a “top 10″ major bedding brand, Sleep Solution will offer an extensive inner spring mattress collection providing a complete selection of SKU’s at virtually every price point and quality, from extreme promotional to luxurious upscale.
Although initially available and currently in-stock at Global’s U.S. headquarters in East Brunswick, NJ, within a month or two, Sleep Solution’s complete line of mattresses will be in-stock at all the other Global North American warehouses in Florida, Texas, and California as well. Mattresses are available by container as well as by individual order, ready for pick-up or delivery by Global.
Said Vaysman, “Global’s goal is to under-price the major U.S. and Chinese bedding manufacturers, providing comparable quality at a significantly lower wholesale price. We will achieve this objective by taking advantage of our highly efficient manufacturing and supply chain systems developed over years of experience. We have an on-time delivery track record that is among the most accurate in the industry.”
Global Furniture USA is a global importer and distributor of contemporary furniture, including bedroom, dining room, case goods, occasional, and upholstery. A world leader in contemporary furniture, Global specializes in container shipments and offers the lowest container price, even for mixed containers; in addition to its single piece service from warehouses throughout North America. One can obtain Global contemporary furniture throughout the United States from locations in Florida, Texas, California, and its worldwide headquarters in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
For more information visit www.globalfurnitureusa.com. Global exhibits in High Point, NC., Las Vegas, NV., and Guangdong, China.
August 3rd, 2007
Norwalk Furniture Corp., a leading manufacturer and retailer of custom upholstered furniture, announces the promotion of Bev Leibold and Jeff Gross. Leibold, who has held such positions as purchasing agent and fabric and leather inventory manager at Norwalk, will now become director of global sourcing. Gross will move from the production development team to executive director of operations.
“Bev brings 30-plus years of experience to her new position, and Jeff, 18,” says Rick McKirahan, president, Norwalk Furniture Corp. Both Leibold and Gross have been with the company for a combined tenureship of nearly 30 years—Leibold has been with Norwalk for nine years, and Gross, all of 18.
Prior to joining the Norwalk team, Leibold spent 21 years in purchasing and procurement at Fannie Farmer’s candy company; Leibold made the move to Norwalk’s fabric and procurement department, serving as a purchasing agent and then, fabric and leather inventory manager. “Bev has done an outstanding job managing our procurement process and inventories,” says McKirahan, “and, has ensured, time and again, that we have the highest quality fabrics and leathers available for our customers.”
Gross will oversee operations, including manufacturing, product development and engineering, as well as the warehouse and other facilities. His primary focus, however, is operations enhancements, process improvement, synchronization between development and manufacturing, and, notes McKirahan, “driving product design and quality to even higher levels.”
“Jeff has an extensive background in upholstery, sewing, cutting, process improvement, new product development and design, as well as new brand introductions, particularly associated with our celebrity designers,” says McKirahan. Gross played a key role in style, comfort and design transformations over the past year at Norwalk. “We’re confident that his broad experience, dedication to progress, leadership and commitment will enable him to provide significant contributions in his new role.”
Prior to his promotion, Gross held such key titles as upholstery team leader, cutting team leader, J. Raymond team leader, process engineer and director of product development.
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For more information on Norwalk Furniture, the leader in custom upholstered seating, go to www.norwalkfurniture.com.
August 3rd, 2007
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