Bradburn Leads AHFA; Spilman Honored for Service

November 24, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on November 2008 Bruce Bradburn, CEO of Bradburn Co., Atlanta, was elected 2009 chairman of the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) during the organization’s annual last week in Chicago; and Bassett Furniture Inds. President and CEO Rob Spilman received the organization’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.

In addition to Bradburn, the AHFA board also elected John Bray, CEO of Vanguard Furniture, Hickory, N.C., first vice chairman; and Bob Duncan of American Leather, Dallas, second vice chairman. Kurt Darrow, president of La-Z-Boy, Monroe, Mich., moves to immediate past-chairman of the AHFA Board of Directors. The officers will assume their new posts Jan. 1, 2009.

Members newly elected to serve a three-year term on the AHFA board of directors include: Wyatt Bassett, Vaughan-Bassett, Galax, Va.; Alan Cole, Hooker Furniture, Martinsville, Va.; Ty Lorts, Lorts Manufacturing, Goodyear, Ariz.; Richard Magnussen, Magnussen Home Furnishings, New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada; Bill Markowitz, The Veneman Group, Westminster, Calif.; Kevin Sauder, Sauder Woodworking, Archbold, Ohio; and Alex Shuford, Century Furniture, Hickory, N.C.

Spilman, the fourth generation in one of the South’s original furniture families, received the Distinguished Service Award Friday at a gala dinner. He spent the summers of his youth working in furniture factories. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1978, Spilman joined Finger Furniture Co. in Houston, where he was exposed to all aspects of furniture retailing—warehousing, credit, store management and buying. 

In 1984, Spilman moved to Hickory, N.C., and joined Bassett Upholstery Division as national sales manager. Two years later, he was promoted to vice president/general manager of Bassett’s promotional division, Impact. In January 1994, he was named executive vice president of Bassett. He has been president and chief executive officer since 2000, and is a member of the company’s board of directors.

The AHFA award cited Spilman for being a “leader, visionary, confidant, tireless worker and advocate for effective change in his beloved furniture industry.”

“Known as an executive who delegates and empowers his colleagues, he also pays close attention to the details every day,” said Spilman’s uncle, John D. Bassett III, in presenting the award. Bassett is chairman and CEO of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture.

Spilman was a member of AHFA’s Board of Directors from 1999–2005 and served as president in 2004. He also serves on the board of directors of First Union National Bank in Henry County, Va.