American Furniture Hall of Fame Names New Officers, Board Members

April 21, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on April 22, 2012

The board of directors of the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation Inc. has elected new officers and board members, and appointed new members to the Hall of Fame Legacy Board.

Randy Ford, Leggett & Platt, has been elected board president; George Cartledge, III, Grand Home Furnishings, first vice president; Bill Kimbrell, Star Furniture, second vice president; and Bill Markowitz, The Veneman Group, secretary-treasurer. Kurt L. Darrow, La-Z-Boy, will continue to serve on the executive committee as board chairman.

New directors serving a three-year term are Michael Amini, AICO/Amini Innovation Corp.; and Jack Hawn, Jr., Zenith Global Logistics. Joining the Legacy Board are Russell Bienenstock, Furniture World Magazine; and Art Van Elslander, Art Van Furniture.

"In the past year, we have made great progress on our key initiatives, undertaken to preserve our industry's history and to honor our leaders" Ford said. "We have published 27 of our 43 oral histories and are working now to make these searchable by topic on our Web site. After receiving several gifts, we are in the process of completing professional cataloging of our memorabilia, which is a first step toward making it available through our Web site.

"We also have begun the development of a comprehensive history of the furniture industry by building a timeline, now 72 pages long," he said. "This project will take years to develop but we have taken a huge first step that will be visible to the entire industry later this year as a Wall of History at the major markets. We also are pleased to report that the new selection process is underway and that the Industry Fellows Committee will present a slate of nominees in the next two months." 

Re-elected members serving an additional three-year term are Aminy Audi, L. & J.G. Stickley, Inc.; George Cartledge III, Grand Home Furnishings; Randy Ford, Leggett & Platt, Inc.; Roger Friesen, Casana Furniture Company Ltd.,; William D. Kimbrell, Star Furniture; and Dennis Novosel, Stoney Creek Furniture.

The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation is open to all home furnishings industry companies, organizations and individuals that do business in the United States. Membership includes eligibility to vote for inductees into the American Furniture Hall of Fame, and the opportunity to help preserve the history and heritage of the industry. Memberships are $250 at the individual level, and $500 and $1,000 at the corporate level. All contributions are tax deductible. 

The 2012 inductees-individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the U.S. furniture industry-will be honored at a gala Oct. 14 at the High Point Market. For information, call (336) 882.5900.