Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
August 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on August 16, 2010
Lorie Arthur has joined area rug importer and manufacturer Capel Rugs has hired as senior designer, a new position.
She reports to Tami Watras, director of merchandising for Capel, Troy, N.C. Arthur will execute style, color and design directions based on Capel's merchandising initiatives for all import and domestic product.
"This is an amazing time for us as a company," said Watras. "We have a new style point of view, fabulous partnerships on the horizon and a fresh, creative team in place. We are well positioned and ready to offer the very best color and design in the industry."
Arthur is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design with more than 20 years experience in textile design, product development, merchandising and sourcing. Before joining Capel, she served as director of product development and design for Artisan Design Group and Springs Industries.
"Lorie is incredibly talented and has a great eye for what works," said Watras. "Her energy, passion and enthusiasm are exactly what we wanted to help propel us forward."
August 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 16, 2010
The new Ashley Furniture HomeStore in Houston will reveal the winning makeover for its "Drab to Fab" room makeover contest this Thursday.
The makeover for Christina and David Castillo of Galena Park, was designed by former HGTV Design Star finalist Torie Halbert.
On Thursday, the Castillos and Halbert will walk KHOU-TV viewers through the makeover process including before and after footage. Halbert's original vision for the room makeover began as a single room redesign that evolved into multiple room upgrade.
"The best part of the makeover is a combination of beautiful furniture and fabulous accessories from Ashley Furniture HomeStore and the flooring provided from Mohawk and to see it all come together was beautiful," Halbert said.
Hill Country Partners operates the Houston store, along with Ashley Furniture HomeStores in Austin, San Antonio, Rio Grande Valley, and Washington.
August 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Advertising on August 16, 2010
Donna Gunn has been promoted to the new position of creative services director at Lexington, N.C.-based home furnishings marketing company The Media Matters.
In her new position, Gunn reports to Dawn Brinson, vice president of marketing services.
Gunn has been with the company for nearly five years, serving as communications manager, responsible for copywriting, editing and proofing, as well as developing creative ideas for the company's clients, who are primarily home furnishings manufacturers and related organizations.
In her new position, Gunn is responsible for stewarding client projects that require copywriting, graphic design, and production to include press releases, Web sites, collateral, and advertising materials. Though she will continue some of her writing responsibilities, she also will source and manage a host of freelance copywriters and graphic designers as well as work directly with clients as part of the company's team approach.
"This shift in our organization positions us for continued growth and we expect to add new positions in the future," said Kathy Wall, who founded The Media Matters in 200. "We've grown considerably since our founding a decade ago, and we've bounced back from the downturn in the economy. Donna's promotion is a direct result of our need to grow our talented team and increase our resources."
Gunn has more than 20 years of administrative and marketing experience with such companies as Lexington Home Brands, Sealy and, most recently, Whitewood Industries. She is designated as "Eagle Eyes" on the company Web site.
"Donna's promotion will enable our senior executives to focus more on strategic thinking, networking within the industry, communicating with our clients, and managing more of the development and progression of the company," Wall said.
August 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on August 16, 2010
Eco-friendly mattress and bedding manufacturer Natura World Inc. has named Russell Banks plant manager of Canadian operations.
He reports to Ralph Rossdeutscher, president and founder of Natura World Inc., Cambridge, Ontario.
Banks joined Natura from Waterloo Bedding, where during a six-year tenure he increased quality and on-time delivery while reducing inventory and stock-outs.
"We're looking forward to building on our positive momentum with Russell leading our Canadian operations and Jim Van Lear heading up our new Texas factory," Rossdeutscher said. "Russell is incredibly detail-oriented and a team leader--must-have strengths that we're confident will support our growth as an international company."
August 12,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on August 13, 2010
The American Home Furnishings Alliance has introduced a new tool to help home furnishings companies calculate their carbon footprint.
The Carbon Calculator is designed to simplify those calculations and help companies compare their results against industry averages.
The AHFA Carbon Calculator was developed in partnership with Verisae, a sustainability resource-planning firm that helps companies measure, manage and reduce equipment and energy costs. Verisae's Carbon Calculator has been used in other industries to give manufacturers and retailers with a basic understanding of their carbon impact.
Verisae worked with AHFA Vice President Bill Perdue to customize the calculator and make it applicable for furniture manufacturers. The Web-based tool allows companies to measure their carbon footprint, establish a baseline and find potential energy efficiency and emissions reduction opportunities that can save money. The calculator helps companies set goals and measure progress.
The AHFA Carbon Calculator will be available free through a link on www.sustainablebydesign.us beginning Sept. 1. Companies do not need to be participants in AHFA's Sustainable by Design program to make use of the calculator.
In addition, companies that are not members of AHFA can access the calculator any time prior to Oct. 1 by e-mailing bgrubb@ahfa.us and requesting a temporary user name and password.
"The AHFA Carbon Calculator is a great starting point for companies that aren't necessarily ready to take action," Perdue said. "It can give them a basic understanding of their environmental impact and provide some 'what-if' scenarios to highlight the possible bottom-line cost savings associated with various energy reduction options."
Verisae will offer a webinar at 10 a.m. EST on Tuesday, August 31, to help companies understand how to use the Carbon Calculator. Register for the webinar from the AHFA Events page at www.ahfa.us.
Verisae has a variety of offerings within its Sustainability Resource Planning platforms that can help companies improve operational efficiency, ensure regulatory compliance and measure, manage and reduce their negative environmental impacts. As part of its partnership with AHFA, Verisae is offering member companies a 10 percent discount on all environmental management solutions and consulting services. In addition, members who enter their data in the Carbon Calculator by Oct. 1 will receive customized data analysis from Verisae that ranks their company against their AHFA peers.
For more information, contact Jeff Phillips at jphillips@verisae.com.