Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Fusion Designs Celebrates 60 Years with Sales Rep Dave McCabe
August 21,
2023 by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Industry 
Fusion Designs’ Northern California Sales Representative Dave McCabe has retired from the company after nearly a decade with the brand and more than 60 years in the furniture business.
McCabe is credited with opening numerous doors for Fusion Designs’ American made, high-quality, solid wood case goods line in the Northern California and Reno, Nevada territories during his career as its first independent sales representative in the region.
“Dave McCabe is of a generation of sales representatives that our industry is swiftly losing; consummate professionals who walked into a store and immediately began getting to know a retailer and their customers,” said Marcus Bontrager, president of Fusion Designs.
“It’s no secret that being an independent rep is hard work coupled with long hours, but he understood how to be a true partner with dealers and how to help serve their customers when their stores got busy. Dave is a tough act to follow, and we are grateful for all he has done to help grow our brand throughout the past ten years. We wish him a happy and well-deserved retirement.”
Prior to joining Fusion Designs, McCabe worked as an independent representative, working with various furniture companies throughout the industry. He was exposed to the manufacturing side of the business early on.
McCabe took a job straight out of high school in the warehouse and eventually on the assembly line of a local furniture maker in the Bay area. It wasn’t long before he was given the opportunity to try his skills selling for the company as an in-house salesperson.
Approached by Noah Bontrager decades later based on the reputation he had developed as a multi-line rep with dealers throughout the region, McCabe said, “I immediately knew I wanted to get my hands on the Fusion Designs product line. As the first Amish company I represented, not only were the products bench built and of remarkably high quality, but the people were even better.”
“The whole Fusion Designs family has been incredibly kind and wonderful to work with over the years. It’s been a pleasure helping to build the brand in this region and to be a part of the company’s success story.”
“Dave McCabe is among the old school sales representatives who made our industry great,” summed Norm Schrock, vice president of sales at Fusion Designs.
“Not many salespeople can say all of their accounts are extremely fond of them, but when it comes to Dave, you can call up any one of his accounts today and they will have nothing but nice things to say. Personally, I have learned a great deal from Dave, and I will miss his unwavering kindness, knowledge, and commitment to our business.”
Simon Portrait, who has been representing Fusion Designs in Washington and Oregon, will be assuming responsibility for the Northern California and Reno territories.