Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Duralee Founder and CEO Leonard Silberman Dies
April 21,
2016 by in Industry, Obituaries 
Duralee, a designer, marketer and wholesale distributor of fabrics and trimmings for upholstery and furniture applications, has announced its founder and CEO Leonard Silberman has died.
Silberman was born in 1923 and began working in the industry as a fabric shipping clerk. He ventured out with three partners, including Sig Rosenberger and Marshall Kutz, in 1952 to start Duralee.
Under Silberman’s direction, Duralee has grown from a small fabric house to the design conglomerate it is today, representing seven fabric lines, four drapery hardware lines and manufacturing their own furniture in Morganton, N.C.
Silberman was known for his feisty personality, keen business acumen and loyalty to his employees that will fondly remember his quick wit, enduring passion and invaluable guidance. His legacy is leaving Duralee as a premier company in the home furnishings industry under the stewardship of the next generation of leaders.