Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
HFB_0407_contributors
March 25,
2007 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on March 2007
Ren Baker is president and CEO of CDS Solutions Group, a technology and retail management system provider. Ren and his team have worked with clients in developing and implementing systems that help streamline their operations and grow their businesses. Ren is a seasoned educator and has participated in numerous training and trade seminars. He has also served as a guest instructor for the Management Development Institute at High Point University by teaching a technology course. Ren can be reached via e-mail at rbaker@CDSgroup.com.
Janice Chamberlain is a 15-year veteran of the home furnishing industry. She has written and provided research for a variety of publications, including Furniture/Today, Home Textiles Today and Home Accents Today, as well as worked with a number of industry analysts and experts. Her specialties include industry research and financial reporting. Janice has a B.A. in English from Albion College, Albion, Mich., and an M.B.A. from Indiana University. She studied business journalism at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Janice can be reached at jchamberlain@northstate.net.
Andy Counts is the executive director of the American Home Furnishings Alliance. Prior to joining the trade association in 1997, Counts had been the project manager for Malcolm Pirnie Inc., a national environmental engineering consulting firm in Charlotte. Prior to that, he had been a senior environmental engineer for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in Chesapeake, Va. A native of Marion, Va., he received a bachelors degree in industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1992. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Young Home Furnishings Professionals. Andy can be reached at acounts@ahfa.us
Michael K. Dugan is currently Chair of the Charles M. Snipes School of Business at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C. He is also the Alex Lee Professor of Business at the college.
A 35-year veteran of the furniture industry, Dugan was president and chief executive officer
of Henredon from 1987 to 2004. Earlier in his career, he directed marketing and sales at Pennsylvania House for 10 years and co-founded Jamestown Sterling. Mike can be reached at
DuganM@lrc.edu.
Jere Richardson is the vice president of sales and marketing at FMP, a digital media and event production company. FMP works consultatively with clients to help them communicate their message more effectively through the use of a range of communications media. Jere has 20 years of experience in building and managing sales and marketing teams and has worked with a variety of clients from Fortune 500 to small and mid-size companies. Jere lives in West Chester, Pa., with his wife and three children. Jere can be reached via e-mail to jere.richardson@fmpmedia.com.
Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and trainer on sales, negotiating, customer service and employee motivation. Kelley left the corporate world to start The Robertson Training Group in 2002. Since then, he has worked with dozens of different retailers and businesses. His retail client list includes companies like 1000 Island Duty Free, Crabtree & Evelyn, Conestoga Shopping Centre, Hillebrand Estates Winery, Home Hardware, J. Michaels, Nutrition House, Part Source and Peller Estates Winery. Kelley can be reached at kelley@robertsontraininggroup.com.
Ed Williams, marketing director for the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C., has written about the wine industry since 1990. In addition to a News & Record wine column, he currently contributes to On The Vine, Latitudes, Domicile, Carolina Country and the N.C. Wine Journal newsletter.