Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
June 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on June 16, 2010
Cory Home Delivery has opened a new distribution center in Melville, N.Y., to service a furniture retailer with operations in the New York metropolitan region.
The company recently hosted a grand opening celebration at the 78,575-square-foot, cross-dock facility.
In addition to the new distribution center, Cory has added new clients to its roster. The new clients include
Stickley Furniture and
Thomasville Furniture Connecticut. The company has also expanded operations with existing clients
El Dorado Furniture of Miami Gardens, Fla., and
Rooms To Go in Texas.
"We're pleased to be in this favorable position in these challenging times," said Patrick Cory, managing partner. "Recent economic events and their impact on the industry are among the most momentous of our 75-plus years in business. Delivery product right the first time, every time and utilizing smart business strategies are integral to adding new clients that fit our growth model."
June 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Casual Furniture on June 16, 2010
The
International Casual Furnishings Association is accepting nominations for the 2010 Sales Representative of the Year Award. Deadline for nominations is Friday, July 9.
The award is designed to recognize and honor an outstanding sales representative within the causal furnishings industry. Prospective candidates should:
- Be an active partner with retail customers and manufacturers as a member of ICFA
- Be recognized as an exceptional sales representative in their geographical area by sales representative peers, retailers, manufacturers/importers, designers and suppliers;
- Be considered exceptional and innovative in their customer service;
- Seek out opportunities for professional development and be respected in the industry for their knowledge and expertise;
- Be considered a model of professionalism, have excellent communication skills and provide timely and current product and company information to their dealer base; and
- Provide superior sales and product training for their dealer base.
ICFA members will select the winner through online voting and the winner will be announced at an awards event Wednesday, Sept. 22, during the International Casual Furniture and Accessories Market in Chicago.
Nomination forms are available from
Rhonda Craven.
June 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on June 16, 2010
The Board of Directors of the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, High Point, has adopted an aggressive three-year strategic plan integrating four initiatives designed to preserve our heritage and history for future generations.
"As we continue to build momentum and implement the first part of our mission--to research, collect and preserve our cultural, economic and artistic history--it's critical that we, as a board, formally adopt a strategic plan to accomplish our vision," said Jeff Cook, president of the Foundation. "After conducting a strategic planning session in Chicago earlier this year, the Board has adopted the plan and has set priorities for accomplishing our goals."
The four initiatives are: expansion of the oral history and book publishing programs; preservation of our memorabilia; creation of a super website to provide original information; and creation of a comprehensive history and timeline.
"The key to all that we are doing is relevance," Cook said. "On some level, we all know that we should preserve the stories but no one has been doing it until now. The Hall, as I like to call it, is undertaking this challenge to present our history in useful and creative ways."
Details include the following.
Oral History and Book Publishing: The Foundation has conducted nearly 40 oral histories of our leaders and is in the process of publishing each in a hardcover book, complete with photos, for sale to the industry and public. They will also be made available online, by topic, through a search engine.
Call for Memorabilia: "It is critical that we do a call for memorabilia before it is lost," Cook says. "This will be a guided request for specific materials or digital scans of company history books, photographs, advertising and marketing materials, etc. for use by researchers and visitors to our Web site. An intern is now at work, cataloging our memorabilia with state-of-the-art software used by museums and historical societies."
Separately, the Foundation also will unroll a campaign for companies to preserve their own histories. Guidelines and suggestions for how companies can, and should, go about preserving their own stories will be distributed with a simple request that information be shared with the Hall of Fame.
Web site: FurnitureDealer.net(http://furnituredealer.net/) has donated its services to create a cutting edge Web site that will capture the furniture industry's stories in words and pictures.
"The information posted will have historic integrity and be prepared by professional historians, but will also contain the stories that we all love to hear, thus preserving our legacies," Cook said. "A fun part of the website will be the collection of stories, inspirational and humorous, that we will be able to gather and share online, and later publish."
History/Wall of Fame: "As an industry, we do not have a comprehensive written history," Cook said. "We are in discussions to commission this research in order to develop a timeline that includes innovations and developments in retail, manufacturing and marketing. We hope to illustrate this history with our new found memorabilia. All of this will then be shared with the industry and public in a historically credible exhibit as well as on our Web site."
"This is a big undertaking that will take years to accomplish, but we have to start somewhere and the Board believes the time is now," Cook said. "We are at a pivotal point. We must preserve our histories and the stories of our legends now before they slip away from us forever."
June 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on June 16, 2010
Kelly McDaniel, a 23-year-old employee of Rothman Furniture died Tuesday after a sofa-love seat fell on him in the furniture retailer's O'Fallon, Mo., warehouse the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday.
McDaniel had been running a stockpicker when he was pinned by the sofa-love seat around 6 p.m..
He died soon after at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident.
Rothman Furniture CEO Dale Steinback said the companys staff is in shock over McDaniels death. He said the company has never had as serious an accident at its OFallon location in its 36 years in business.
"This was an incredibly nice young man," Rothman CEO Dale Steinback said in the report. "I cant emphasize enough the sympathy that I want to express to the McDaniel family."
A memorial fund has been established in McDaniel's name at any Southern Commercial bank branch. Checks can be made payable to "Memorial Fund for Kelly McDaniel."
June 14,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on June 15, 2010
The American Home Furnishings Alliance will host its 2010 Supply Chain Management Conference, July 30-31 at the Embassy Suites Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Several key transportation and logistics issues, including reduced container capacity, slower transit times, potential delays caused by new federal regulations and rising costs, are bearing down on manufacturers, just as the industry begins to experience a slight uptick in business; and the conference will focus on managing these supply chain pressures.
While sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance, the conference is open to all companies.
Also open to any interested attendees is the annual meeting of the Specialized Furniture Carriers Association, which will take place on Wednesday, July 28. The 3-6 p.m. program includes several key transportation topics along with an overview of new regulations in the 2010 Comprehensive Safety Analysis from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Linking the two events is an optional golf outing at Arcadia Shores for all attendees on Thursday, July 29, starting at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $79 and includes a cart and box lunch. The Global Supply Chain Conference will open with a 5:30 p.m. reception following the golf outing.
Dave Bennett, vice president of global logistics sales for Schneider Logistics, kicks off the supply chain conference program on July 30 with an overview of top-line issues facing transportation and logistics executives in the home furnishings industry. Schneider Logistics offers comprehensive transportation and global logistics services. Bennett's presentation will include strategic insights and transportation/logistics best practices.
Rob Pisani, partner in the Washington, D.C., firm of Pisani & Roll, will provide attendees with an overview of key compliance issues. Pisani's practice specializes in international trade and customs law, including matters relating to supply chain security. The firm has assisted many clients with customs enforcement proceedings, compliance reviews, Customs Focused Assessments and C-TPAT applications.
Venetia Huffman, vice president of operations and compliance for CV International, will present "The Practical Side of Compliance" to augment Pisani's overview of key issues. CV International is a privately-owned provider of international transportation and logistics services and has helped clients of various sizes achieve importer security filing compliance and C-TPAT certification.
Also slated to speak is Chris Norek, CEO of Chain Connectors, a professional supply chain strategy and implementation service based in Atlanta. Norek has more than 15 years of supply chain and logistics experience in industry, consulting and academia across several industries, including retail, consumer products, industrial products and Internet business fulfillment. Prior to forming Chain Connectors, he worked as an area planner for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, as worldwide materials planning analyst for Apple computer and as internal logistics consultant for Office Depot.
Rounding out the agenda is Donavon Favre, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, College of Management. Favre spent 13 years at the global consulting firm of Accenture/Andersen Consulting, where he worked on supply chain projects for clients in more than 40 states and seven countries. These projects spanned a wide variety of industries including beverages, glass, technology, finance, energy and education.
In addition to these presentations, the Global Supply Chain Conference agenda includes three panel discussions. Topics include retail issues, specialized furniture carrier issues and white glove delivery services.
Registration for individuals from AHFA member companies is $395; $345 for the second and any additional registrants from the same company. Non-member registration is $545. Additional registrants from the same non-member company pay $495 each.
For the first time, AHFA is offering a price break for individuals who have never attended the Supply Chain Conference. First-time attendees from AHFA member companies pay $345; first-time attendees from non-member companies pay $495.
Hotel accommodations should be made directly with the Embassy Suites Kingston Plantation by calling 800.876.0010 and referencing the AHFA meeting to receive reduced room rates. Meeting registration is available online under EVENTS.