Hall of Fame to Receive $1 Million from Ashley Furniture Industries

May 14, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

“The furniture industry is changing; we need to be quick and relevant to stay competitive. We’re making exponential investments into our own company as well as investing $1 million in this project as a Center for Leadership to become a catalyst for actionable change in the industry,” said Todd Wanek, president and CEO, Ashley Furniture Industries. “We want this project to provide a spark of transformation through executive education that will lead us into future opportunities as a country and as an industry.”

“Education is a crucial part of our country’s success in the global marketplace. In order to secure our country’s position as a world-leader in technology and advanced manufacturing, we must continue to evolve ourselves, our business and our industry,” said Ron Wanek, founder and chairman, Ashley Furniture Industries. “We believe that this investment will create educational partnerships in an industry that we love and has given so much to each of us.”

The Center for Leadership will provide a platform for education, networking and inspiration. As a catalyst to leverage the power of the $150 billion home furnishings industry, it will serve as a unifying source to enrich the education of its leaders. Plans call for the exploration of new technology, new techniques and whatever the future holds in order to improve the quality of decisions made throughout our industry for generations to come.

“We are deeply grateful to the Wanek family and Ashley Furniture Industries for the vision that they bring to this project,” says Karen McNeill Pond, Hall of Fame CEO. “They have encouraged us to build collaboration across all categories by developing a broad base of support for ongoing education. Their leadership and partnership will be instrumental in helping us to fulfill this mission.”

Capital campaign donors include: The Wanek family and Ashley Furniture Industries; Bill and Carolyn Hinks, Furniture Mart USA; International Market Centers; Lacquer Craft USA; Manwah; Karen McNeill and Stephen Pond; Bill and Candy Fenn; Roger and Martha Bland; Michael Amini, AICO; Aminy Audi, L. & J. G. Stickley; The Broyhill Family Foundation Keith Koenig, City Furniture; Chad Spencer, the Dufresne Spencer Group; Hooker Furniture; Bill and Julia Wittenberg; Schwarz Properties; Patrick Cory, Joseph Cory Holdings LLC; Hassell Franklin, Franklin Corporation; Markor; Nebraska Furniture Mart; Nourison Industries; The BB&T Foundation; Donald Belgrad; Andy Bernstein, FurnitureDealer.Net; John Bray, Vanguard Furniture Company Inc.; Bobby Bush; Jeff Child, R. C. Willey; Randy Coconis, Coconis Furniture; Bruce and Kena Cohenour; J. Don Coleman, Coleman Consulting LLC; the DRIVE Foundation; Jerry Epperson; Mickey Holliman, Five Star; Fred Feinbloom; The Furniture Foundation; David Gebhart, Global Views; Lyle Harris, Behold Home; Haverty Furniture Companies; The Ina Mae Kaplan Historic Preservation Fund; Bill and Sue Kimbrell; Amir Loloi, Loloi Rugs; New Atlantic Construction; Norwalk Furniture; Phillips Collection; Martin and Mary Ann Ploy; Prestige Arts/Art Trends; Lawrence Rogers; Will Somers; Jim Sneed, Affordable Furniture; and Imogene Zimmerman.