IHFRA to Honor Lebensburger, Blumkin, Root at April Awards Gala

October 24, 2016  by Jane Chero in Industry, Special Events   

Lebensburger, president of sales at Ashley Furniture Inds., will receive the Pillar of the Industry Award, while Blumkin, chairman and CEO of Nebraska Furniture Mart will receive the Retailer of the Year Award.

Root will receive the group’s Distinguished Service Award.

The three will be honored on April 24 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, N.C.

Lebensburger oversees product sales to retail and rental channels of distribution in the United States and Canada.  This includes the Ashley sales force and sales management, the marketing programs to support those channels, and product development for those channels.

Lebensburger joined Ashley in 1993 as vice-president of case goods.  In 1995 he helped develop the company’s venture into the stationary upholstery business.  In 1997 he was named president of this new division, a position he held until 2005, when he became president of sales for all three of the company’s divisions.

The Pillar of the Industry Award is presented to an industry leader who has distinguished himself with creative work and effort to improve, enhance, and benefit relationships among representatives and other segments of the industry.  This person’s actions and deeds have shown their commitment to the home furnishings industry and their community.

At age 8, Blumkin began working in his family’s business in Omaha.  He was guided by his grandmother, the legendary Mrs. B, and his father, Louie to learn all areas of the business.  After earning his business degree from the University of Arizona, he returned to Omaha and the family business in 1975 and help his family grow Nebraska Furniture Mart into one of America’s largest home furnishings businesses, selling furniture, flooring, electronics, and appliances all under one roof.

Nebraska Furniture Mart’s stores comprise over 1 million square feet of retail shopping space and have over 5,000 employees. The company has state-of-the-art retail locations and distribution centers in Clive, Iowa, Kansas City, Kan., and The Colony, Texas.

The Retailer of the Year Award is the highest honor given within the retail home furnishings community.  It recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves through industry leadership, business achievement, and service to their community.

Root is president of Furniture Sales of Mid-America, a furniture wholesale and rep company in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states.  In this position, he consults with top retailers from around the United States.  For the past 25 years, Root has represented various factories, including Progressive Furniture, Hughes Furniture, Cozzia Massage Products, and Woodcrest Bunkbeds.

Root served on the executive committee of IHFRA, helping double membership during his time on the board.  He served on all positions on the executive committee, including President and two terms as Chairman of the Board.  One of the things Root is most proud of the growth IHFRA had during his tenure and the strength of the organization to act as a voice for all reps within the industry.

The DSA was established in 1975 as IHFRA’s highest honor bestowed to a member of the organization.  The recipient is a sales representative who embodies certain qualities and character, and has distinguished him or herself on behalf of IHFRA to sales representatives and the industry.  The recipient has also enhanced, by deed and action, the image of home furnishings sales representatives in the community and the industry. 

Two new categories of awards for sales representatives have been added to the Awards Gala.  These new awards will be presented to Rising Star and Legacy sales representatives for the East Coast, West Coast, and Middle USA.  Retailers, manufacturers, and sales representatives will be asked to cast ballots in the coming months for these two categories by region.  Winners will be announced in mid-January.

For more information on the April 2017 Furniture Industry Awards Gala event, please contact the IHFRA Office at 336-889-3920 or email ihfra@ihfra.org.  Reservations can be made online.