Cole Back in Industry with Hooker Furniture

June 17, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on June 2007 Longtime furniture industry executive Alan Cole will return to the industry in mid-July when he joins Hooker Furniture Corp. as executive vice president of upholstery overseeing Bradington-Young and Sam Moore Furniture.

Cole, who has held senior executive positions at leading upholstered furniture companies including Broyhill, Berkline and Schnadig, “has the expertise in upholstery that uniquely qualifies him to help us realize one of our strategic objectives, which is to become a more important and complete upholstered furniture resource,” said Paul Toms, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Hooker. “We are excited to have someone of Alan’s caliber, intellect, character and industry experience join our organization.”

Under the new management structure, Scott Young, president of Bradington-Young, and Mike Moldenhauer, president of Sam Moore, will report to Cole.

Most recently, Cole was president and chief executive of Chicago-based Schnadig Corp. from 2004 to 2006, and was a member of the Hooker Furniture board of directors in 2003.

In addition, Cole has served as president and chief executive officer of two of the industry’s largest furniture companies and was a partner in Berkline where he was president from 1991 until 1996. He was president and chief executive officer of Lifestyle Furnishings International from 2000 to 2001.

In addition to overseeing the operations of Sam Moore and Bradington-Young, Cole will help develop growth plans for Hooker’s imported accent chair product line. He also will be involved in strategic planning for the company and will oversee any future acquisitions of upholstered furniture operations.

“It’s a great honor to rejoin the Hooker team,” Cole said. “Hooker’s history of partnership with its customers; industry and community citizenship; and its genuine respect for its people make this a natural decision for me. I’m eager to bring helpful and complementary skills and experience to this highly capable organization.”