Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Durham Furniture Inducts Two into 25 Year Club
December 20,
2016 by Jane Chero in Furniture, Industry, Special Events 
Durham Furniture, manufacturers of adult and youth solid wood furniture, has added two new members into its 25 Year Club, an annual service award created to recognize employees with 25 years of service or more.
Royden Paylor, operator in the Machine Mill department, and Richard Cutting, finishing sander, were inducted during an awards ceremony bringing the total number of members to 28.
“Since we were founded in 1899, multiple generations of families have handcrafted furniture in our red brick factory,” said Luke Simpson, president and CEO of Durham Furniture. “As a premier furniture manufacturer in North America, our employees take personal pride in creating beautiful solid wood bedroom furniture known for its quality, design and enduring value. The quality and service that we provide to our growing customer base of retailers and interior designers is a direct result of the dedication and commitment of our employees.”
Paylor, who sets up and operates saws, routers and wide belts, came to Durham Furniture for a summer job in 1991. “I feel privileged to be inducted and cannot believe how fast 25 years have flown by,” he said.
Taking the job to save money to build a shop of his own, Cutting is charged with making sure imperfections in the wood are removed prior to production. “I’ve tried to retire twice, but they keep asking me to stay,” he said jokingly. “So, needless to say, I haven’t built the shop yet!” He shared Paylor’s disbelief in how quickly the time has passed and how honored he was to be inducted into to the club.
The annual service award creates a framework where long-term employees can be recognized consistently and it also produces multiple organizational benefits for the company.