John Bray Gets AHFA Distinguished Service Award

November 9, 2016  by Larry Thomas in Industry, Special Events   

It was the 50th presentation of AHFA’s service award, conferred annually to an industry executive selected for his or her contributions to the home furnishings industry, to the AHFA, and to their local community.

Bray, who was inducted into the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame last month, has been with Vanguard since 1969, when he accepted a friend’s to join a promising furniture manufacturing start-up. He was named president within the first year, and has been there ever since.

Today, Vanguard is a highly regarded manufacturer of upholstery and case goods, with nearly 600 employees at seven manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Virginia.

Committed to continuous improvement and determined to remain on the cutting edge of new technology, Bray introduced computer-aided design to his upholstery operations after seeing product visualization tools demonstrated at a bobbin show in 1987. He pursued development of the technology to digitally “drape” fabrics on upholstery frames, enabling consumers to preview custom upholstery orders via computer – whether online or in a store.

In 2010, Bray realized the declining number of skilled upholsterers could potentially cripple upholstery operations in the Hickory area. He helped establish the Catawba Valley Furniture Academy at Catawba Valley Community College to recruit new workers and train them in the industry-specific skills they would need to replace the hundreds of upholstery craftsmen retiring throughout the Catawba County region.

Bray is also an influential and respected voice for employee healthcare. Vanguard opened one of the region’s first worksite health clinics and one of the first medical home plans, which drew national recognition. In 2004, to reduce healthcare costs and improve benefits, Bray brought together self-insured manufacturers and businesses in the area to create a preferred provider organization.

Bray has served on many boards, including a stint as chairman of the High Point Market Authority, the Frye Medical Center, the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce, the Catawba County Champions of Education, the Bank of Granite and Catawba Valley Community College. He is a longtime member of the AHFA Board of Directors and served as chairman in 2010.

A longtime music lover, Bray has been singing with the Hickory Choral Society for 39 years. In a nod to this favorite pastime, his Distinguished Service Award plaque names him an “Industry Troubadour.”