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October 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on October 27, 2010
Mattress vendor Comfort Solutions has named Dan Thigpen Jr. and Glenn Kobylarczyk to new position of directors of sales technologies and sales education specialists.
Thigpen will work mainly with retail sales associates and will concentrate on exclusive technologies and selling programs involved with the the company's newly introduced Sleep ID line.
Kobylarczyk will focus on working with Comfort Solutions' own field sales force and on the company's broader group of brands and selling programs, including those for King Koil, Natural Response and eXtended Life.
For the Laura Ashley line, Thigpen and Kobylarczyk will team with Janet Levy, company brand development manager, on sales education efforts across all U.S. markets.
"We recognize and respect the tremendous challenges retailers are facing today, said Dave Roberts, president of Comfort Solutions, Willowbrook, Ill. "They need much more from their suppliers than just a product at a price. In bringing on these new executives, our objectives are to zero in on today's retail dynamics, to ensure that were delivering the most relevant programs possible, and to identify the steps we can take to help our partners become more profitable and successful."
Both executives report to Owen Shoemaker, vice president of product and marketing development.
"Dan and Glenn have strong credentials in sales and sales instruction, especially as it relates to new technologies like those that make our Sleep ID line such a unique and meaningful product offering," Shoemaker said. "Overall, we plan to enhance the selling programs and services we provide for the entire Comfort Solutions portfolio of brands, and were very enthused about bringing on an experienced, professional team dedicated solely to making that happen."
Before joining Comfort Solutions, Thigpen served for six years as western regional sales manager for mattress vendor Kingsdown. He is be based in Ontario, Calif.
Kobylarczyk has been a key account executive in mattress sales for 13 years, having worked for the former Spring Air-Chicago licensee; Comfort Solutions' Rock Island, Ill., licensee; and most recently for Magic Sleep, based in Marseilles, Ill. Earlier in his career he served as vice president of operations for a Chicago-based, full-line furniture retailer.
Comfort Solutions has 10 domestic and 30 international licensees.
October 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 27, 2010
Police have arrested a man in a furniture store robbery at City Furniture in Jackson, Miss., WLBT reported Tuesday.
22-year-old Robert Leon Jackson is accused of going into City Furniture on Bailey Avenue with the intention of robbing the business.
Police say 22-year-old Robert Jackson entered the store displaying a weapon, but a store employee pulled out his own gun and fired several shots at Jackson.
Jackson's arrest record includes two felony convictions, and he currently is on probation.
October 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on October 27, 2010
Television network HGTV has selected
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising as the subject for its new docu-design series, Design School, set to debut this fall.
The show follows eight talented FIDM Interior Design Students in the classroom setting as they complete design assignments.
The challenges on the TV show give the students incredible experience needed to prepare them for real-life client situations in future careers. In the second episode, the students were tasked with designing custom chairs for famous athletes, including Lamar Odom and Ron Artest of the
Los Angeles Lakers and
L.A. Galaxy's Chris Klein and Todd Dunivant.
Filmed at the fashion colleges Los Angeles campus, the show features FIDM instructors and alumni, as well as industry professionals and other guests. On each episode, the students work in a special FIDM SuperLab class. Viewers get an inside look at how the class operates as the instructors give interior design assignments to the students and review their presentations. At the end of each episode, they grade the students work.
The show runs weekly through December 3rd and can be seen Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
October 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 27, 2010
Crate and Barrel has partnered with
Strutta as its preferred platform for contests focused on user-generated content and social media.
The companies have already collaborated on two successful campaigns, for the flagship Crate and Barrel brand and its
CB2 offshoot, and are looking forward to building on the initial success.
We are just beginning to tap in to the potential for these type of promotions and we are excited to expand our efforts through this relationship," said John Seebeck, vice president ecommerce at Crate and Barrel.
In the Spring, Crate and Barrel awarded a couple with a $100,000 dream wedding in its Ultimate Wedding Contest. The contest was developed on the Strutta contest platform, integrated Crate and Barrels wedding registry, and generated nearly 10,000 entries and 6.5 million views. CB2 recently announced the winner of The Selby Is In Your Place Contest, which was a successful photo contest with famed photographer Todd Selby.
Crate and Barrel understands their consumer and how to engage them online, said Ben Pickering, Strutta CEO. It is great to see them take advantage of the full breadth of solutions we offer.
Strutta offers an intuitive contest builder and a one-of-a-kind contest interface that enable anyone to set up and manage a successful online promotion. The Strutta platform supports multi-media contests and integrates with various social media channels to make it easy for participants to share contest activity through the social Web.
October 25,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Business Strategy on October 26, 2010
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r3506566439&f=10761
Billionaire Warren Buffett renewed speculation about his successor Monday by hiring a new investment manager to handle "a significant portion" of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s investment portfolio.
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