A critical element of the mission of the Hall of Fame is to inspire a new class of leaders. The Leadership Institute begins the process of training emerging leaders and builds on industry recognition as a Paul Broyhill Future Leader, an endowed award given by the Broyhill Family Foundation.

“This is what the Hall of Fame is all about: inspiring the future by understanding the past,” says Caroline Hipple, president of the Board of Directors and president of Norwalk Furniture. “Through the Home Furnishings Leadership Institute, we will build on the legacy of our inducted members by connecting them in classes with the industry’s finest emerging leaders. Based on peer learning at its best, these select few will benefit from knowing one another as they grow into becoming strong leaders.”

High Point University was selected by the Hall of Fame because of its reputation for providing students with hands-on experience through multiple disciplines and opportunities, and because it resides in the Furniture Capital of the World.

“High Point University is the premier life skills university,” says HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein. “This in part means helping students understand that successful individuals must live in a continuum of learning.  This is why partnering with the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame is a natural fit.”

The Leadership Institute will focus on the four pillars of leadership life skills as agents of change:  vision, communication, execution and culture. Select faculty from the Phillips School of Business and the Nido R. Qubein School of Communications will lead a combination of lectures and discussions. Participants who attend three institutes will be honored as a Home Furnishings Leadership Institute Fellow and will be awarded a graduation certificate and digital badge. Classes and discussion groups will utilize the new state of the art Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center on the HPU campus. Room and board at the adjoining Jana and Ken Kahn Hotel are included with tuition.

“When we first became familiar with the power and impact of the prestigious Harvard Business School Seminar for the Young President’s Organization and Chief Executives Organization – attended by many leaders in the industry – we recognized the value for the sharing of ideas gained through focused tutorial seminars,” says Karen McNeill, CEO of the Hall of Fame. “This is for serious emerging leaders across the industry who aspire to C-suite positions and who want to be exposed to new ways of thinking and problem solving. There is no other program like this offered in our industry.”