Furniture Today,
HICKORY, N.C. — High-end manufacturer Century Furniture has promoted three key executives to senior directors.


Alex Shuford III was named senior director of upholstery, with responsibility for product development, sales and merchandising of all company upholstery brands including Heirloom, Century Upholstery, Century Chair, Century Leather, Elegance and CII.

Previously, Shuford managed Century’s design business and premium upholstery brands.

Eric Graham was named senior director of Century’s Leisure, Office and Home Entertainment divisions. He had been product manager for the LTD Elegance brand and led the introduction of the CII and Essentials brands. He joined the company earlier as a sales representative in the Pacific Northwest.

In his new capacity, Graham will work with designer Richard Frinier to grow the Leisure business, the company said.

Maria Parasugo was named senior director, design sales and merchandising, responsible for the management of growth of the design channel, including the 10 Century-owned showrooms, agent showrooms, and the Heirloom Case and Oscar de la Renta brands. Previously, Parasugo was manager of corporate showrooms. She is based in New York.

Shuford and Graham both report to Bob Maricich, president and CEO, and Parasugo reports to David Blair, senior vice president of sales and marketing.

“I am delighted to have a strong pool of talent that allows us to promote from within,” said Maricich. “These are seasoned managers with great knowledge of our strategies, products and culture.”