St. Louis Business Journal – April 13, 2013

Seamus Bateson is leaving his post as president and CEO of a Furniture Brands International unit to take those titles at CFGroup.

The companies issued separate releases on the move Wednesday.

Furniture Brands said in a release that Jeff Young will be interim president of its Maitland-Smith division when Bateson leaves his post as president of the division April 21. In a statement, Young said the firm would begin a search immediately to fill the president’s post at Maitland-Smith.

Young will continue in his current role as president and chief executive of Furniture Brands’ HDM Furniture Industries subsidiary, according to a company release. Maitland-Smith’s operations were among three consolidated under HDM in May 2012.

Bateson, president of Maitland-Smith since 1999, will become president, CEO and chairman of St. Louis-based Commercial Furniture Group, or CFGroup, April 24, that firm said in a release. CFGroup offers commercial furniture brands Shelby Williams, Falcon, Howe, Thonet and EPIC.

Publicly traded Falcon Products Inc. of St. Louis emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November as privately held CFGroup.

St. Louis-based Furniture Brands International Inc. (NYSE: FBN) manufactures furniture under the Thomasville, Henredon, Drexel Heritage, Maitland-Smith, Broyhill and Lane brands.