Magnussen Layoffs Include Don Essenberg

November 16, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on November 2008 Case goods vendor Magnussen Home, New Hamburg, Ontario, has permanently laid off five people, including Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Don Essenberg, at its U.S. headquarters in High Point. Magnussen also temporarily laid off 17 positions in New Hamburg.

In the restructuring, Vice President Kelly Magnussen will take on senior management of the total sales operation. Vice President Nathan Cressman will oversee the company’s product development and marketing functions. Essenberg had joined Magnussen three years ago from Broyhill.

The moves are a proactive approach to the industry’s current economic challenges, and will create a leaner, more efficient organization that is tightly focused on product development and supply chain management, said President and CEO Richard Magnussen. The layoffs represent a 14-percent reduction in staff worldwide.

Russ Langford heads Magnussen’s 50-plus people in Asia to support operational objectives; Richard Magnussen will take a more active role in meeting with the company’s dealers.

“Our goals are to offer products that capture the consumer’s imagination and stimulate retail sales while providing our dealers with seven to 20 turns on their inventory,” Magnussen said. “We believe this strategy will allow us to grow our share of the market by helping our customers get through these difficult economic times.”