St.Louis –
ST. LOUIS – Commercial Furniture Group, Inc. (CFGroup), parent company to the Shelby Williams, Falcon, Howe, Thonet and Epic brands, announced today that Seamus Bateson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and President, effective April 24, 2013. Mr. Bateson has also been elected Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Bateson has extensive experience in the furniture industry, most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer of Maitland-Smith, a high-end furniture, lighting, and accessory division of Furniture Brands International. Under his leadership, Maitland-Smith has consistently achieved industry leading revenue and profit in a difficult marketplace.
Throughout his career, Mr. Bateson has demonstrated the ability to successfully focus on key aspects of business processes. His expertise in manufacturing, global sourcing, supply chain management, marketing and product development is the perfect combination of skills to lead CFGroup in a global marketplace. Mr. Bateson, originally from Ireland, has lived in Europe, Asia, and the United States and held positions of increasing responsibility with major U.S. multinational corporations, such as Procter & Gamble and Rubbermaid.
Commenting on his new position, Mr. Bateson said, “I’m truly excited to join the CFGroup team. We have excellent people dedicated to serving our customers. I look forward to working with this group to expand our market position. Our industry leading brands are built on strong values that will provide the foundation for creating new and exciting opportunities for both employees and customers.”
Jordon Kruse of Oaktree Capital Management, LLC, one of the Company’s significant shareholders, emphasized this point by saying, “We are pleased to have Seamus join us. Our plan is showing strong success, having someone with his leadership strength and operating caliber will help us fast-forward our results.” Steven Gendal of Whippoorwill Associates, Inc., the Company’s other significant shareholder, commented, “We have found a Chief Executive Officer who has both a strong leadership presence, as well as practical, relevant experience within the furniture industry. Seamus’ proven track record makes him the ideal executive for CFGroup.”
Commercial Furniture Group, Inc. (CFGroup), home to industry-leading brands Shelby Williams, Falcon, Howe, Thonet and EPIC, provides superior value to commercial furniture users by delivering more benefits to its customers at a market price. CFGroup leverages a worldwide supply chain to deliver best-in-class products and service to its customers, on time every time.
