American Furniture Hall Of Fame Foundation Elects New Officers And Directors

Furniture World News Desk on 4/1/2014

      
Above: Robert J. Maricich, Bill Wittenberg, George Cartledge III, Michael Amini

       
Above: Bill Markowitz, Todd Wanek, Kevin Castellani, Bill Kimbrell

  
Above: Roger Friesen


The Board of Directors of the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation Inc. reported that it has elected new officers and board members, as well as appointed new members to the Hall of Fame Legacy Board.

William D. Kimbrell, Star Furniture has been elected Board president; Michael Amini, AICO/Amini Innovation Corp., first vice president; Roger D. Friesen, Casana Furniture Company, Ltd., second vice president; and Bill Markowitz, The Veneman Group, Inc, secretary-treasurer. George Cartledge III, Grand Home Furnishings, will continue to serve on the executive committee as Board chairman.

New directors serving a three-year term are Kevin Castellani, Furniture Today; Robert J. Maricich, International Market Centers; Todd Wanek, Ashley Furniture Industries; and Bill Wittenberg, Klaussner Home Furnishings. Joining the Legacy Board is Kurt L. Darrow, La-Z-Boy, Inc.

“The strength of any organization starts with its Board of Directors, so we have reached out to the industry’s leaders across all segments,” says Bill Kimbrell, new Board president. “In our transformation during the last few years, we have grown our initiatives to include The History Project, preserving our memorabilia, oral histories and book publication, our Wall of Fame and an expanded website. We need a strong Board with vision to ensure that our history is preserved as we embrace our history in creative and relevant ways.”

Re-elected members serving an additional three-year term are Gerry Borreggine, Therapedic International; Pedro Capó, El Dorado Furniture; Jeff Cook, A.R.T. Furniture, Inc.; Caroline Hipple, HB2 Resources; and Larry Rogers, Sealy, Inc.

The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation is open to all home furnishings industry companies, organizations and individuals that do business in the United States. Membership includes eligibility to vote for inductees into the American Furniture Hall of Fame, and the opportunity to help preserve the history and heritage of the industry. Memberships are available at various levels. For more information and to join, visit the website at furniturehalloffame.com. Checks should be made payable to American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation Inc. and sent to 202 Neal Place, High Point, N.C., 27262.

The 2014 inductees – individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the U.S. furniture industry – will be honored with the American furniture industry’s highest honor at a gala banquet on October 19 at the High Point Market. For information, call 336.882.5900.

The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is an international, industry-wide organization founded to honor those individuals whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the continued growth and development of the U.S. furniture industry, as well as to research, collect and preserve our cultural, economic and artistic history. Membership includes eligibility to vote for inductees into the American Furniture Hall of Fame, and the opportunity to help preserve the history and heritage of the industry. The organization is based in High Point, North Carolina at 202 Neal Place, and can be reached at 336.882.5900.