Archive for August 29th, 2007
Suspected armed robbers allegedly snatched the N4,011,675 furniture allowance given to Taraba State Commissioner of Water Resources, Mr Charles Mijinyawa, by the state government. The robbers attacked the commissioner in his office at about 4:00p.m. yesterday.
According to Mijinyawa, he gave a cheque of N4, 011,675:00 to the accountant in his ministry to withdraw the money at Zenith Bank and instructed him to ensure that the money was cashed in N1000 notes. The accountant was told at the Bank that N1000 was not available and that he should come back the following day.
The following day, Mijinyawa said he received a call from the Bank at about 3:30p.m. that the money was ready but he told the caller that it was too late for him to collect it. Surprisingly, a female staff of the Bank brought the money to his office around 4:00p.m.
Mijinyawa said he called the accountant and his cleaner to count the money. While the counting was going on, two armed men entered his office and collected the money. The robbers also locked the commissioner, the accountant, the cleaner and the female Bank staff in the commissioner’s office.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Taraba State Command, Mr Solomon Isa, who confirmed the report said the incident was reported to the police by the commissioner. He said the police have started investigation immediately and there is possibility that some staff of the Bank and those of the ministry would be invited by the police to answer some questions.THISDAY gathered that the accountant of the ministry and the female bank staff were arrested by the police, while the commissioner was also interrogated.
August 29th, 2007
By Fadhil Yunus
Beribi - Thomson Furniture has offered its customers a wide range of comfortable luxury furnishing for the last 22 years, and to celebrate the special occasion, the company will soon be hosting a gathering in Beribi.
As a gesture of appreciation, a dinner and various activities have been lined up.
The main suppliers and honoured customers are expected to be present at, the dinner.
The company has become a household name among members of the general public. It distributes some of the world’s finest furniture such as Stanton International (USA), Alberto Nieri (Italy), Scanteak, Sauder Woodworking and Zolano Sofas.
The sofas are pleated with the finest materials and Thomson offers that invaluable prestige.
Furthermore, it also provides customers with top range qualities, for which King Koil established in 1898 - comes to mind.
The streamline mattresses ensure comfort, durability and value. The King Koil range- designed by NASA - is created with spongy fabric; ensuring users are pampered with the greatest of comfort.
With its foam-enclosed edge, the mattress creates a complete sleeping surface from head to toe. The materials are dynamically assembled, ready to be used, and most importantly, live up to their standards.
The bedding is also embedded with titanium springs warranted for over 15 years.
Thompson emphasises on the functionality of the furniture which are designed to sustain time, equipping customers’ with a trendy look. The furniture is sold at a competitive price.
The range of luxury furniture is projected to wow and flatter its audience. The couches come in a selection of colours, shapes and sizes, suited to customers’ needs as well as their level of comfort.
Apart from bedding and couches, the company also offers a range of temptation with its Scanteak collection of wardrobes, crafted with the finest teak wood around. The teak wood is distributed by Singapore and it originates from Burma.
According to the Marketing Director, while the customers’ vary in races and ethnicities, they however share similar taste, with most of them preferring the new modern, sleek style, earth colours, as opposed to the old, classic look.
Thomson Furniture has two branches, one in Kilanas and another in Beribi.
Accessories that go with the furniture - such as lamp, rugs and ornaments - are also available at Thomson Furniture. – Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
August 29th, 2007
Gary Evans — Furniture Today,
Bolick reassumes post as president
CONOVER, N.C. — Upholstery manufacturing veteran Ken Church has left Southern Furniture here after four years to pursue other interests. Owner Jerome W. Bolick, the company’s chairman, has reassumed the posts of president and CEO.
In addition, Southern has hired another industry veteran, Mike Delgatti, as executive vice president of sales and marketing, a new position. A longtime Broyhill Furniture executive, Delgatti left to succeed Church as president of upholstery maker Clayton Marcus, but more recently had returned to Broyhill, where he was executive vice president of upholstery and occasional merchandising.
Church, whose resignation is effective immediately, said he fulfilled his original contract with the privately owned company, but remained with to launch and follow through on a custom order program for small stores and the design and decorator trade, while maintaining the company’s core business with major accounts. He also implemented just-in-time frame strategies at the company, as well as automated fabric pattern and cutting processes.
“Our goal as a team was to ready the company for the future by broadening its opportunities with a more diverse customer base. I wish the company well and look forward to my new opportunities,” said Church.
He was president of Clayton Marcus, a unit of La-Z-Boy, before joining Southern Furniture. Earlier, he held a number of management positions at former Clayton Marcus parent Ladd Furniture, including president of the upholstery group, before La-Z-Boy acquired Ladd in 1999. Before that, he held management positions with the upholstery division of Broyhill Furniture.
Delgatti started his furniture career in 1976 as a sales representative and later regional manager for Action Inds, now Lane. Later, he was national sales and merchandise manager for Brookwood Furniture and vice president of sales and marketing for DeVille Furniture.
During his 20 years at Broyhill, Delgatti held several senior positions including national accounts manager, merchandise manager, vice president and general manager and executive vice president.
August 29th, 2007
A trip to Asia convinced Walter Kingston to specialize in Indonesian antiques
By J. ELLIOTT WALKER, The Times-Union
Walter Kingston has been a fan of furniture for a long time, but it took a career as a lawyer and a voyage overseas to turn his hobby into a career.
Kingston owns Vanderleigh Furniture and Antiques in historic Springfield, a store specializing in antique furniture from Indonesia.
“There’s a lot of good furniture there,” he said. “There’s not many places left in the world where you can find [good furniture].”
Kingston said Indonesia has historically been a “crossroad of cultures” and provides a diverse selection of furniture to choose from. The furniture market in Indonesia, Kingston said, “just sort of exploded in the ’90s.”
In general, he said, it’s just easier to do business in Indonesia than places like the Philippines, and the furniture there is pleasing to most.
“Indonesian things can be worked into most environments without looking too out of place or too Asian,” he said.
Kingston travels to Indonesia about once a year to hand-select the furniture for his store.
Each trip lasts four to five weeks, which gives him enough time to visit 35-40 dealers and have time to repair and finish the furniture in warehouses there.
“He does wonderful-sized pieces and his pieces have such depth to them,” Blair Woolverton, a customer, said. “If I had a bigger house or could start all over again, everything in [my house] would be from his store.”
Kingston just returned from a purchasing trip and expects a new shipment of furniture to arrive shortly.
Growing up in New Orleans, Kingston said he would beg family and friends to drive him to the French Quarter so he could look at the antiques, but decided to forgo a career in furniture for one in law.
Kingston practiced law in Miami and moved to New York, but found the experience wasn’t as fulfilling as he had hoped.
“It just seemed like it was a lot of office administration,” he said. “I wasn’t in court a lot.”
After seeing slides from his brother’s trip to Asia and wanting time to explore, Kingston said, “I knew I had to do this.”
He packed his bags for 18 months and “became an Asian vagabond.” When he came back, he left the world of corporate law for good and opened an antique store in Portland, Ore. After 15 years of the climate there, he said, it was time for a change.
“There was an article in the New York Times about Jacksonville,” he said. “It was a very favorable article.”
Kingston added Jacksonville seemed to be an emerging city and a good possible market for his business and decided to make the move.
“Nobody here has ever carried any sort of similar pieces like Walter,” Woolverton, said. “I’ve always been infatuated with Indonesian pieces, but before I had to go to Hilton Head [S.C.].”
After several contracts for buildings in Murray Hill and Riverside fell through, though, Kingston was about to give up on Jacksonville and try West Palm Beach. A drive through Springfield one day changed his mind.
“I realized it was the perfect size,” he said of the abandoned building that is now his store. “The space worked well so I had to overlook the location.”
Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council president Louise DeSpain said Vanderleigh is ” fabulous” and “one of the many kinds of businesses we’d like to see in Springfield.”
Kingston said although Springfield is a “fairly close neighborhood,” there are some drawbacks to having his business in the area.
“There aren’t really any other businesses nearby,” he said. “It’s more of a place where you drive and only visit this store.” Kingston added there aren’t many restaurants nearby where customers could linger after shopping and because his store is off of Main Street, there’s not a lot of drive-by traffic.
“There’s a lot to say about Springfield and what needs to be done [to make it successful],” he said. Others have told him “everything else will fall into place” when Main Street becomes viable.
DeSpain agreed, saying the residents of Springfield want stores, want to shop in the area, but the construction on Main Street is holding up progress for the area. She said once construction is complete it will make a huge difference.
Kingston has been in Jacksonville for about a year and a half. Although he wishes he could expand his clientele a bit more, he’s still drawing “all types” of customers in to browse the antique teak cabinets and tables, stone structures and even more modern furniture he offers.
“People are so attuned to staying on the old beaten paths,” Woolverton said. “It’s not that far away to go to Springfield.”
August 29th, 2007
Norwich — The Connecticut Defenders have stepped up to the plate to help Easter Seals replace $1,400 worth of outdoor furniture that was stolen from the facility last week.
Judith O’Connor, director of corporate and individual support for Easter Seals, said last week that the furniture — which is used by adult clients who are mentally and physically handicapped — was obtained through a grant and stolen sometime between 5 p.m. Thursday and 7 a.m. Friday.
To raise money for the furniture, the Defenders have given Easter Seals a stack of tickets to sell for Thursday’s final home game. Those who purchase their tickets by calling Easter Seals at (860) 859-4155, ext. 107, or by calling the Defenders directly for the Easter Seals tickets at (860) 887-7962 ext. 111, will have $6 of their $8 ticket donated directly toward replacing the furniture. In addition, O’Connor said, Easter Seals has been given a space where guests of the game may throw tennis balls into a hoop — at $1 a try — to try to win prizes, and 100 percent of every dollar will go toward replacing the furniture.
“They’ve been great neighbors. From time to time they bring us tickets to bring our clients to the games. And sometimes they’ll bring over the mascot to our little parties,” she said.
Anyone with information about the stolen furniture may contact Norwich Police Department at (860) 886-5561.
August 29th, 2007
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