Joan Ferman Succeeds Bill Gerken at Norwalk

August 22, 2006  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 2006 Joan Ferman has been named the new president of retail at custom upholstery manufacturer and retail network Norwalk Furniture. She succeeds Bill Gerken, who becomes vice chairman of the company.

“With her unique retail vision and understanding of the changing, sophisticated home fashion customer, we couldn’t be more excited to bring her to Norwalk,” said Jim Gerken, president and CEO of Norwalk, Ohio-based Norwalk Furniture.

Ferman’s retail experience includes merchandising and management, most recently operating a wine and spirits store in her native Wisconsin since 1999, after two years of serving as a divisional merchandising manager of gourmet food and wine for World Market, where she was responsible for sourcing goods from around the world for the company’s 117 stores.

She began her career as a sales associate at Workbench’s Cleveland franchise, working her way to to vice president of operations within five years; Workbench evolved into Arhaus, where Ferman remained for 12 more years, eventually becoming president.

“She will play an instrumental role in how we decide to differentiate Norwalk from other home fashion retailers,” says Gerken.

Ferman attended the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Bridgewater in Boston, Mass. She and her family are in the process of relocating to Northeast Ohio.