Austin to Open Consulting Firm in Vietnam

January 22, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on January 2007 Furniture industry veteran Randy Austin Sr. will open a consulting firm in Vietnam in February after he departs his current position as president of Ho Chi Minh City-based manufacturer Theodore Alexander.

Austin & Austin Consulting will offer a variety of services to U.S. and Vietnamese furniture companies. Furniture-related services will include sourcing in Vietnam for new or current furniture and furniture related products; assistance to U.S. retailers in designing and making exclusive products in Vietnam; resolving quality and/or product issues in furniture manufacturing in either the U.S. or Vietnam; and quality assurance for new and ongoing furniture production in Vietnam.

Austin also hopes to assist Vietnamese furniture makers in marketing their products in the United States.

Austin draws from more than 45 years of experience in the industry, starting at age 15, when he went to work for his father’s retail furniture store, Castleberry’s Treasures for Your Home, still in operation in Atlanta.

After graduating from Davidson College in 1962, he joined Rich’s as an upholstery buyer. He then switched to the manufacturing sector, starting with Heritage Furniture Co., later a division of Drexel Heritage.

Austin managed the Drexel Heritage Store and Gallery program, and by the time of his departure in 1983 as vice president of store development, the program had grown into 85 free-standing stores and 125 galleries. Austin then joined Hickory Chair as executive vice president for several years before joining Hammary Furniture Co. as president. During his five years at Hammary, the company doubled its sales and was acquired by La-Z-Boy.

In 1991, Austin went to Riverside Furniture Co. as president, guiding the company through a complete restructuring of its product direction and an acquisition by private investors.

He then served as president of Hickory White, which Sherrill Furniture acquired in 1997, for 12 years. In 2003, Austin became president of Paul Maitland International, owner of Theodore Alexander in Vietnam, where he served as president and general director. He will leave Theodore Alexander Feb. 15.

“My comprehensive knowledge of the furniture business places me in a unique position to assist clients wishing to pursue new production in Vietnam, to facilitate production that is already ongoing or to develop new products for the U.S. market,” Austin said. “As someone who has worked in Vietnam for some years, it is clear to me that as the furniture industry continues to increase production and sourcing of beautifully crafted furniture in Asia, it is imperative to have someone based here working on behalf on U.S. customers, who can keep the process efficient and effective.”

With more than 20 years of experience in product development, Austin has developed successful furniture collections, many of which remain in production.

“I have an extremely hands-on approach when it comes to the product development process, from concept to sketch to final sample to production quality assurance,” he said.

Austin’s wife, Robin King Austin, will assist him in the business and will continue her consulting with humanitarian organizations and companies in Vietnam needing assistance with their social initiatives. She will also continue to work on her passion, building capacity for heart surgery in Vietnam, with the World Heart Foundation.