Halvorsen Joins Borkholder Furniture as VP

May 14, 2014  by in Executive Changes, Industry   

Prior to joining Borkholder, Halvorsen was most recently vice president of sales and marketing for West Bros. Furniture. Halvorsen has also held sales and marketing positions with Action/Lane, Stanley Furniture,  Bernhardt Furniture and Pennsylvania House Furniture.

“Made-in-America is coming back big-time, and we’re seeing it among consumers across the country, as well as among younger buyers,” said Ola Yoder, CEO of Kountry Wood Products. “There is a growing desire for products of lasting quality. We are a wood company and we love woodworking and we’ve been very successful in building quality domestic products in our cabinet manufacturing business. Now, we’re translating what we have learned there into our furniture business. I’m very excited about building on Borkholder’s rich heritage with an eye toward tomorrow, and Tom’s extensive furniture industry experience, specifically in better-end wood furniture, will be a big plus in helping Borkholder as we move forward.” 

Halvorsen said Borkholder's products are "investment-quality furniture" with "real value for consumers."

"That fact alone would have attracted me to the company, but one of the things that Ola said that really struck me was that he wants Borkholder to be the best furniture company that there is," Halvorsen said. "He didn’t qualify that by saying the best Amish furniture company, because he’s not interested in being pigeon-holed in any way. Instead, his intent is to build on the best of the company’s heritage in terms of quality product and the craftsmanship of its skilled, second and third-generation artisans. But in our bid to take this company into the future successfully, we’re also going to improve its processes, and selectively expand distribution, as well as develop new products and categories that fit our niche and expertise that are more reflective of how consumers live today.”