Thomas Russell — Furniture Today,
CERRITOS, Calif. — Case goods importer Signature


Home Furnishings has promoted five key staff members as part of a strategy to double the company’s business in the next three years.

Company owner Marco Lin, who has 30 years of import experience, has shifted from president to CEO, a new position.

Keng Chen, who has been with the company 25 years and has been vice president for the past eight, has been promoted to president. Albert Lin, who has been with the company three years and most recently was regional sales manager, is now vice president.

Raymond Carringer, who has been with Signature eight years, the past six as national sales manager, has been promoted to senior vice president of sales. Gene Head, also with the company for eight years, has been promoted from director of design to vice president of design and merchandising.

Chen, Albert Lin, Carringer and Head all report to Marco Lin.

The promotions come as Signature plans for growth. The company estimated its sales for 2013 at between $40 million and $50 million and said it plans to double that in three years.

About half the importer’s business is in home entertainment and another 25% is in home office, Carringer said. The remaining 25% of sales is in wood bedrooms, which retail between $2,900 and $4,900.

Carringer said he expects sales growth in each of the categories, with the largest dollar growth in home entertainment and the biggest percentage growth in home office and bedroom.

“If these percentages grow like they should, we should have no problem meeting our goals,” he said, adding that the sales projection is based on new product and commitments from major retailers. “This is not just a number we picked out of the air.”

The company will show at Las Vegas in January and at High Point in March. Carringer said it has not yet decided whether it will show at Lifestyle Enterprise’s mini-market in High Point, which runs from Jan. 15-17.

“We will talk to key customers,” he said. “If they want us to be there, we will. If not, we won’t.”