Bush Forms 2 Separate Divisions

August 10, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on August 11, 2011

Ready-to-assemble furniture vendor Bush Inds. has completed a transition to two separate operating divisions, Bush Furniture and bbf.

Patrick Theimer has been named president of Bush Furniture; and Jim Garde will serve as president of bbf. Effective immediately, each division assumes their brand name and will operate as a separate strategic business unit of Bush Inds.

Bush Furniture will continue to focus on the retail furniture market and e-commerce channels, and bbf will continue its focus on the commercial furniture market. Both businesses will operate autonomously with separate profit centers and dedicated resources; they will, however, continue to share select services such as information technology, human resources and finance.

To support each business unit, the company is reinvesting to enable expansion in the areas of sales, product development, marketing and distribution. The sales organizations of each division will continue to grow with the addition of internal and independent sales representatives.  Each will have a devoted national sales force to help drive more multi-channel sales opportunities and support the expansion in the retail furniture market.

"Over the past 18 months, Bush Industries has been aggressively transitioning to this business model," said Jim Sherbert, CEO of Bush Inds. "We've completed a successful rebranding of our divisions, built an impressive portfolio of products and services, and formed valuable strategic partnerships--all of which results in two very strong concepts positioned for even greater growth and success. We are excited about the transition and the future of both Bush Furniture and bbf."
 
Theimer joined Bush Inds. more than two years ago as executive vice president of marketing and e-commerce. He has been responsible for the strategic and tactical implementation of all product and brand marketing and ecommerce design. He has years of executive leadership experience in e-commerce operations, marketing and channel management, and finance with companies such as eDiets, Boston Proper Inc. and Triarc Cos.

Garde has served as chief financial officer and executive vice president of Bush Inds. since 2006. Through his executive-level financial and operations experience with Bush and companies such as Heidelberg Digital LLC and Heidelberg Web Systems Inc., he brings to his new role a disciplined management focus and proven track record of leading company operations and increasing profitability.

Both Theimer and Garde report to CEO Sherbert.

"As current executives of Bush Industries, both Patrick and Jim bring the diverse, solid leadership experience and industry expertise needed to drive each of these businesses to the next level," Sherbet said. "I have tremendous confidence in both of them and their role in guiding Bush Furniture and bbf into the future."