Industry Veteran Chuck Reilly to Retire in November

June 30, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Reilly started his career in the furniture industry as a buyer for JCPenney in 1981 based out of the Los Angeles Buying Office. In 1982, Reilly moved to Chicago to work as a national accounts manager for Lane Furniture and eventually had sales territories in Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey. In 1994, Reilly moved to the Lane corporate headquarters in Virginia in a variety of sales management roles. 

Reilly became a vice president of sales of the Western Region for Lane Venture based out of Southern California in 2000. “Working at Lane Venture was a special time as I had the opportunity to work for my mentor and dear friend Art Thompson,” said Reilly. In 2008, facing a changing corporate structure at Furniture Brands, Reilly left the company after a 27-year career and became the executive vice president of Lifestyle Solutions based in San Jose, California. 

Reilly’s final stop came 12 years ago when he went to work for Michael Amini at AICO.

Reilly stated, “For years I watched Michael’s growth in amazement as to how his unique style and appreciation for the importance of creating theater in marketing drew me to learn more. I stayed in touch with Martin Ploy and was invited to the AICO headquarters to visit Michael in July of 2009.”

“I have always felt that when you find good people, you should hire them,” said Amini. “When I met Chuck, it was clear he would be a good fit in our organization, regardless of if we had an opening at the time, I was going to hire him. I truly love and care about Chuck and while it is hard to see him leave the industry, I respect and understand his decision to retire and dedicate more time to his family.”

“Chuck and I had the opportunity to work in the world of national accounts more than 30 years ago, attending the same presentations to companies like JCPenney,” said Ploy. “He has played an important role as a leader at AICO, and his dedication to City of Hope, as our industry chairman, has been a source of pride for me personally.”

“I will always have a special place in my heart for this industry,” added Reilly. “I have been blessed to learn from great leaders and I leave at a time when our industry is finally experiencing a time when furnishing one’s home is a priority over other expenditures. While there are challenges ahead for all industries in supply chain, the home is still where we make our dreams come true. I am grateful to Michael for seeing in me a passion for this industry and the opportunity to share our friendship these past 12 years.”