Belfort's Huber Is SmartCEO Matrix Panelist

October 2, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 3, 2011

Belfort Furniture CEO Mike Huber was a guest panelist at the September SmartCEO Matrix Executive Forum.

More than 200 business leaders from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area attended the event at the Bethesda (Maryland) Marriott. The forum focused on how creative, clever and effective marketing will lead to growth. SmartCEO is a mid-Atlantic resource that offers educational opportunities to inspire regional CEOs in running and growing their businesses. The dialogue centered around branding, social media, obsolete marketing strategies, managing online reputations and return on investment. Discussions also centered on the marketing of "daily deals" and the impact that strategy has on business margins.

"The number one benefit of a strong brand is customer loyalty," Dulles, Va.-based Belfort's Huber noted during the discussion. "Our repeat business is about 45 percent and that speaks to the strength of the 'Belfort' brand."

Growing Belfort Furniture from just one employee to more than 160 employees, Huber offered insights from advertising, managing an online reputation to creating a private label brand, "Belfort Signature," which now accounts for almost 10 percent of sales.