Hall of Fame Elects 2021 Officers and Board Members

January 29, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Caroline Hipple, president, Norwalk Furniture, has been elected the Board president; Scott Eckman, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of International Market Centers, first vice president; Tyson Hagale, president-Furniture Hardware Division, Leggett & Platt, second vice president; and, David Gebhart, CEO, Global Views, secretary-treasurer. Martin Ploy, president, AICO/Amini Innovation Corp, will continue to serve on the executive committee as Board chairman.

New directors are Michael Faus, senior vice president of Carpenter Company; Jeremy Hoff, CEO of Hooker Furniture; and Steve Rusing, president of U.S. Sales, Tempur Sealy International.

“The vision for the Hall of Fame building is really threefold: First, to create a home for our $150 billion industry where we can gather for activities and create engagement; second, to be a symbol for leadership, innovation and excellence, just as our inductees are; and, third, to be a place where our story is told to us and to the whole world,” says Caroline Hipple, Foundation president. “It’s going to be a living space to celebrate our industry. It will be engaging and interactive. Through this engagement, it will become a hub of discovery for our industry and a celebration of our industry.”

Re-elected members serving an additional three-year term are Andy Bernstein, Founder & CEO, FurnitureDealer.Net; Irv Blumkin, CEO, Nebraska Furniture Mart; and Janet Guy, President, Prestige Arts & Art Trends.

A privilege of membership in the Foundation is to nominate candidates for consideration for induction into the Hall of Fame, which closes on Feb. 15. Foundation membership is open to all home furnishings industry companies, organizations and individuals that do business in the United States.  Memberships are available at various levels. To join, visit homefurnishingshalloffame.com. Checks may be made payable to American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Inc. and sent to 202 Neal Place, Suite 101, High Point, N.C. 27262.