Furniture Today,
Santanello, Dominguez get new roles as importer gears for more growth


PICO RIVERA, Calif. — Industry veteran Michael Genrich has left Sandberg Furniture to join Amini Innovation Corp., or AICO, as vice president of sales, the same post he held at Sandberg.

He will manage sales at AICO’s residential furniture divisions, work closely with key retailers, supervise sales representatives and develop a business plan for aggressive growth. Genrich reports to Executive Vice President Martin Ploy.

AICO said Genrich’s appointment and related changes will help position the company for further expansion. One change is the naming of Jeff Santanello to the new post of vice president of supply chain management.

Santanello, who had been vice president of sales, now oversees inventory flow for both AICO and AICO Office Systems. He reports to Bill Dominguez, recently named to the new post of vice president of international operations.

Dominguez, formerly vice president of merchandising, now manages all links between AICO’s California headquarters and its Asian factories. That includes communications with AICO’s overseas quality-control staff, managing product development and introductions, and working with finishes, product specifications, packaging and mixed-media sourcing. He reports to CEO Michael Amini.

Genrich, a 25-year furniture industry veteran, began his career with retailer Levitz Furniture and later worked for Krause’s Furniture. His wholesale background includes sales management posts with Coaster, Blackhawk, and Asia Pacific Web Trade.

“Mike Genrich has a wealth of experience and a high level of respect from dealers,” said AICO President Larry Rinaldi. “With the continued contributions of Santanello and Dominguez, I see AICO forming an incredible framework for a solid company positioned to meet the many demands of our customers.”

Amini said, “Jeff Santanello and Bill Dominquez will make a dramatic difference in their new positions here at AICO. We are totally committed to the constant improvement of our products, our business and the tremendous support of our customers…. The leadership and performance of this great organization should yield huge results as we race to the future. There will be other management additions soon that will help round out our aggressive growth plans.”

Sandberg is searching for a replacement for Genrich, who held the sales post there for a year. “He has been a great contributor,” said President and CEO John Sandberg. “I’m happy for Michael that he will be moving to another great company. We wish him great success.”