January 25,
2007 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 2007
Rawson Haverty, chairman emeritus of Haverty Furniture Cos., has died following a brief illness. He was 86.
During his years with the company, Haverty served as president from 1955 to 1984, as chief executive officer from 1955 to 1990, and as chairman from 1984 through 2000. He was a director of the company for 53 years, from 1947 through 2000. After his retirement, Haverty continued to attend board meetings and was often present at weekly executive meetings.
“Mr. Haverty will long be remembered as a man of great vision and success in business, civic and charitable endeavors, but more importantly, he will be remembered as a man of wonderful competitive spirit, generosity, and absolute integrity,” said Clarence H. Ridley, chairman of the company.
“Mr. Haverty’s leadership and business acumen were recognized throughout the industry and were of great benefit not only to the company but to the city of Atlanta,” added Clarence Smith, president and chief executive officer of Havertys. “He led Havertys during a period of growth and expansion, building on the foundation of a company established by his grandfather in 1885, and helped create a wonderful culture within the company that bears his name. He has left a lasting impact on the lives of so many through his generosity and community spirit.”
Educated in the public school systems of Atlanta and Georgia, Haverty attended E. Rivers Grammar School and North Fulton High in Atlanta. He earned a B.A., majoring in political science from the University of Georgia.
He joined the company in 1941 and although his father was president, began his career as a file clerk. Haverty later noted that his father’s first job with the company was sweeping the floors. He was called to duty in the U.S. Army shortly after the country entered World War II, and served as a company commander in the Third Armored Division, earning the rank of Major and the Bronze Star. Haverty rejoined the company after the war.
In 1955, he was elected president of a retailing business with 38 stores in 23 cities across 10 Southern states with sales of $16.8 million. He often quoted from the company’s original charter: “The purpose of the corporation is Pecuniary Gain.” Haverty led the company through its transition of stores located in downtown districts to the suburbs. Over the years, he fully modernized the company, investing substantially in technology and centralizing functions for more efficient and profitable operations. Under his leadership, the company grew and at the end of 2000, when he stepped down as chairman, sales had grown forty-fold with 106 stores in 68 cities across 14 Southern and Mid-Western states.
Throughout his career, Haverty filled leadership roles in a large number of business, public service and charitable activities. He served as a director and as chairman of the board of Bank South and numerous other corporate boards. Haverty was a long-time member and former president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He worked persuasively as a member of the MARTA study commission and as chairman of the board that helped make MARTA a reality. Haverty gave generously of his time and finances and was instrumental in the development and construction of the current St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta.
Haverty is survived by his wife of 55 years, Margaret Munnerlyn Haverty and their five children: Margaret E. (Peggy) Glover, Jane M. Haverty, Rawson Haverty Jr., Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Bousson, and Ben M. Haverty; and 12 grandchildren.
Haverty’s funeral will be held Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Atlanta with a reception following. The family will receive friends on Monday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at H.M. Patterson Spring Hill Chapel. Arrangements are being handled by H.M. Patterson, (404) 876-1022.
In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that memorial contributions be made to the Mary E. Haverty Foundation, Attn: Kim Wade, Bank of America, 600 Peachtree Street, N.E., Suite 1100, Atlanta, Ga. 30308, or St. Joseph’s Mercy Foundation, 5673 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, Ga. 30342.
January 24,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on January 2007
The FurnishNet Index for December shows a slight increase in retailer purchases, and 2006 ends with a 3 percent increase over 2005.
Year-over-year retailer purchases increased slightly in December 2006 over December 2005 with a bump of 1.78 percent. As a result, the purchase trend for 2006 ended at 3.06 percent over the total year 2005.
Month-to-month retailer purchasing volume dropped by 20 percent in December compared to the purchasing volume in November. The December decline, however, was significantly less than the decline from November to December 2005.
Go to
http://www.furnishnet.com/company/fnet_index.html for the complete view of the December edition of the FurnishNet Index.
January 24,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 2007
Lifestyle guru, motivational speaker and interior designer Melissa Galt will be the keynote speaker for WithIt’s annual educational conference this summer.
The three-day event, set for Aug. 7-9 in Charlotte, N.C., will celebrate the organization’s 10th anniversary with a theme of “Mining the Opportunities: Rock Solid Strategies for Success.”
Galt’s address, “Designing Your Signature Life,” will be held Wednesday, Aug. 8. Galt is the great-granddaughter of Frank Lloyd Wright and author of
Celebrate Your Life! The Art of Celebrating Every Day. After her presentation, Galt will sign copies of her book.
The program is priced to benefit members, and is designed to facilitate professional and personal development. It opens Tuesday, Aug. 7, with Professional Branding, a half-day session available to members and non-members for an additional $50.
The event officially starts that evening with a cocktail reception for all participants.
Breakout sessions include: Creating Financial Wellness; Secrets of Successful Women; Successfully Focusing Amidst Multiple Tasks; Non-Verbal Communication; New Social Media (blogs, pod casting, etc.); Tips from Successful Women: How to Create Opportunities for Yourself Within Your Organization; Coaching Retail Sales Consultants for Maximum Profitability; and Branding Across the Channels.
WithIt’s 10th annual WOW awards reception and dinner, recognizing exceptional home industry professionals, is scheduled for the evening of Aug. 8. The dinner is open to non-conference attendees for a fee of $60 per person, or $1,000 for a sponsor table of 10 seats. For more information about the WOW awards and available sponsorships, please contact WithIt executive director Sara Lyke at director@withit.org.
January 24,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 2007
David Evans, a former vice president of marketing for Sealy, has started a new marketing consulting company called Evmark Partners.
In addition to his experience with Sealy, Evans has more than 20 years experience as a marketing executive with Sara Lee, Gillette and Proctor & Gamble. His professional experience also includes working as a strategy consultant for Mercer Management Consulting.
During his tenure at Sealy, he led key marketing functions including advertising, consumer insights, Internet marketing, retail merchandising, direct marketing and public relations.
The company will work with clients to create growth strategies through the development of marketing plans.
“Evmark Partners will fill a growing, unmet need in the market,” said Evans, company president. “We bring extensive marketing experience to the initiatives and challenges that will have the biggest impact on increasing our clients’ sales and profits. We help companies manage and improve their marketing effectiveness by employing an analytic, strategically driven approach that emphasizes results measurement and accountability.”
Evmark Partners can be found online at evmarkpartners.com.
January 24,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 2007
Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of public relations and marketing for the American Home Furnishings Alliance, has received the Golden Thinker award from the North American Precis Syndicate.
The award recognizes individuals who have created the press releases that receive the most pick-up by America’s broadcasters.
The 2006 AHFA press release that garnered the most pick-ups, and winning Hirschhaut accolades from NAPS, was the Outdoor Furniture Trends Report distributed to the media in February 2006.
“The number of placements a release has achieved is a great measure of its success,” said Dorothy York, NAPS president. She described the results of AHFA’s release as “absolutely extraordinary, with 187 placements.” NAPS reports that 63 percent of those placements were in the nation’s top 50 markets.
NAPS distributes press releases for most Fortune 500 companies, nearly all of the 100 largest national advertisers, all of the nation’s 20 largest public relations firms, more than 100 associations and many governmental agencies.
In addition to distribution to broadcasters through NAPS, AHFA mailed the 2006 Outdoor Furniture Trends Report to 1,200 newspapers and more than 200 magazines nationwide. The press release was titled, “2006 Forecast: Tranquil Skies Over Backyard Retreats, New Outdoor Furnishings Help Americans Create a Relaxing Oasis.” It received about 500 print placements with more than 148.5 million consumer impressions.