Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 6,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 7, 2011
Franchise retailer
Decorating Den Interiors is opening three new storefront openings, bringing the 2011 total to 22.
The newest units are being opened by Kathleen Bliss Goldfarb, ASID, in the Cleveland, Ohio, area; Karen Volpert in the Philadelphia area; and Jennifer Manley in the Fort Worth, Texas, area.
These new owners add exceptional design experience to our company, said Carol Bugg, vice president for design. Kathleen as been a design consultant for
Ethan Allen and has had her own design consultancy. Karen also has had her own firm, and Jennifer has travelled the world as a photographer and performed design work.
While other segments of the home furnishings business have contracted, we have been consistently recruiting qualified people for business ownership or sales/design positions within our units, said Jim Bugg Jr., president and CEO. We are finding that our low-overhead business model that serves customers with value, convenience and a large array of products is attractive to those with previous home furnishings experience.
Decorating Den Interiors was founded in 1969, and the Bugg family has provided its leadership since 1984. Jim Bugg Sr., chairman, is former chairman of the International Franchise Association and a member of its Franchise Hall of Fame. Carol Donayre Bugg has written five books on decorating.
December 6,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on December 7, 2011
Logistics provider Globe Express Services has added four new corporate locations in Moscow, Russia; Beijing and Nanjing, China; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The company now operates 49 corporate offices worldwide, just one short of its target of expanding to 50 offices by the end of 2011. GES' broader market presence reflects its commitment to putting the right people in the right places to support its growth plans.
Vice President Canada David Pupco, who played an integral role in GES's entry into Russia, said: "GES Moscow will provide a full range of logistic services in Russia for import and export clients, including local deliveries by rail and trucks, warehousing, Customs clearance, ocean and air freight deliveries worldwide. Moving forward, Moscow will serve as our head office for Russia as we extend our operations across the entire country."
As a top 20 non-vessel operating common carrier in the transpacific trade, GES also is expanding its China platform with new offices in Beijing and Nanjing, bringing its total number of in-country corporate locations to 12.
"As the importance of China continues to increase in the company's global strategy, we have added a presence in Beijing to strengthen our network in northern China, and in Nanjing to further develop our coverage in Jiangsu province," said President of Asia Pacific & Indian Subcontinent Georges Mejaes. "Beijing will serve as one of our three international air hub stations in China, along with Shanghai and Guangzhou. Nanjing is the second largest city in the Yangtze River Delta region, and an important national base of scientific and technological innovation. We are confident that this expansion will help improve our ability to serve various key industries such as high-tech, manufacturing, automotive, textiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals."
GES Abu Dhabi represents the company's third corporate office in the UAE. This new location will serve the $5 billion Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone, which is set to handle up to 47.4 million tons of cargo and become the largest logistics facility in the Gulf region.
"Our new Abu Dhabi office is a key addition to our Middle Eastern operations as we pursue a broader presence across the region," said Managing Director Gulf States Mustapha Kawam. "As the capital city of one of the Arab world's most dynamic economies, Abu Dhabi offers significant logistics potential in light of the UAEs world-class infrastructure and its growing role as a global trade hub. Abu Dhabi represents an important platform for achieving our growth goals for the Middle East."
GES delivers customized logistics solutions to a diverse global client base doing business in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and around the world.
December 6,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on December 7, 2011
Supplier of bedding protection products
Protect-A-Bed has moved its U.S. headquarters to Wheeling, Ill.
The company is now housed in a 20,000-square-foot office and 200,000-square-foot warehouse facility. Protect-A-Bed most recently occupied a 31,000-square-foot facility in Northbrook, Ill.
"Our company is quickly expanding so we are moving to a much larger space to accommodate our growing customer needs," said James Bell, CEO. "Protect-A-Bed is on track to grow 35 percent over last year. Our new facility will help perpetuate our continual growth pattern and poise us for accelerated growth."
Bell said the new facility will hep the company increase its business to four or five times its current size, as well as facilitate a quicker turn around for processing orders.
In addition to the Wheeling headquarters, Protect-A-Bed also maintains a sales office in Philadelphia and product showrooms in Las Vegas, Chicago and New York City.
December 6,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on December 7, 2011
AmericasMart Atlanta Founder John Portman Jr. will receive a special "Legend for Life" honor from Gift for Life.
Gift for Life, the gift, stationery and home decor industries' leading charitable organization, will honor the architect and developer at its Jan. 29 gala event in New York City in recognition of Portman's more than five decades of entrepreneurship and service to the industry.
Portman, a 1950 graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology founded Atlanta Merchandise Mart, now AmericasMart, in 1957. The complex now has 7 million square feet and draws more than 548,000 attendees each year participate to its 15 annual markets. By stimulating trade and tourism, Portman helped established Atlanta as one of the nation's premier convention cities. Three major downtown hotels Portman designed and developed--the Hyatt Regency, Westin Peachtree Plaza, and Marriott Marquis--anchor the convention district.
In Atlanta, Portman's AmericasMart continues to be among standard-setters for showcasing new products and offering excellent customer service. Most recently, AmericasMart opened Building 2 WestWing in January 2009 to offer more than 1.0 million additional square feet of product space. The expansion, which spans across four buildings, solidifies AmericasMarts position as the nations largest home, gift and apparel marketplace.
He has served as a board member of the Atlanta College of Art, and is Trustee Emeritus of the Atlanta Arts Alliance. He has also served as a Director of the Atlanta High Museum of Art. The Georgia Institute of Technology, his alma mater, presented him their highest honor, the Exceptional Achievement Award, in 1986. His numerous architectural awards include a lifetime achievement award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in 2009, the Silver Medal Award in 1981 from the Atlanta Chapter AIA for innovative design, and AIA Medal in 1978 from the National American Institute of Architects for innovations in hotel design.
"Mr. Portman's innovative designs and trailblazing vision are forever imprinted on cities around the world but most importantly his impact on our business is unmatched," said Peter Schauben, founder of Gift for Life. "For more than five decades his marketplace has served as a crossroads for buyers and sellers intent on creating better business. Hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs owe him a debt of gratitude."
December 6,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on December 7, 2011
The Interior Design Society will hold its 2012 National Leadership Conference Jan. 27-29 at Las Vegas Design Center.
It's the second straight year IDS has selected the LVDC for its conference, which will comes on the eve of the Jan. 30-Feb. 3 Las Vegas Furniture Market.
The 2012 event, expected to attract double the attendance of last years event, will consist of a two-day workshop with educational and relevant seminars, an awards ceremony, vendor showcase and a keynote address.
"Synchronizing our National Leadership Conference with Las Vegas Market gives attendees an excellent opportunity to not only participate in IDS' top annual event, but also attend the premier west coast market for furniture, gift and home decor," said Pamela White, chief executive officer for IDS. "We are thrilled to once again partner with Las Vegas Design Center for this conference to deliver important and relevant content to our members."
The 2012 IDS National Leadership Conference begins Jan. 27 with a welcome reception at Las Vegas Design Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Day one of the conference begins with a welcome session and concurrent educational seminar sessions from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees will have the option of attending presentations such as "The Power of Color and Light Working Together" by Margi Kyle and The Selling Process: Selling & Closing Techniques and Overcoming Objections by Shelley DeVall. The first business day concludes with the IDS semi-formal annual awards ceremony from 7-11 p.m. at Paris Las Vegas.
Day two of the conference, Jan. 29, will host concurrent educational seminar sessions from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Attendees will have options such as Ed Mattingly and Laurie Clark's "Faux Demystified for Interior Designers" and "How to Avoid Fee Fiascos¦and Attract Your Ideal Client" by Gail Doby. The second business day concludes with a keynote presentation from 2:45 to 4:30 p.m. entitled "How to be Profitable in Any Economy,"presented by past national president and current chapter president for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry Vicki Suiter of Suiter Financial Systems.
Suiters presentation will offer attendees clear tools and strategies to positively affect their bottom lines. Attendees will gain clarity and confidence on where to focus in order to create productive changes and leave with a greater understanding of what drives profits and cash flows. Additionally, the seminar will have CEUs from CQRID.
Following this day's seminars, IDS will hold a vendor showcase at Paris Las Vegas.
Click here for the complete World Market Center release and list of educational seminars.