Valdese Weavers Adds Three

Furniture World News Desk on 5/26/2015

Valdese Weavers reported that it continues its growth trajectory, spurred by the acquisition of Dicey Mills in January. The company created three new positions at the corporate and the brand level.

Christy Almond joins Valdese Weavers as vice president of product development and marketing. Almond’s proficient business skills and creative talents offer Valdese Weavers the opportunity to further its leadership position while maintaining an entrepreneurial outlook across the textile landscape. Almond reports to Chief Creative Officer Laura Levinson, working to refine the overall design strategy and new product launches for all residential brands. Almond will also provide design direction for new business opportunities as Valdese Weavers further diversifies its Jacquard portfolio.

In Almond’s marketing role, she will work under the direction of Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Blake Millinor in analyzing and curating individual brand strategies for Valdese Weavers, VIP, Home Fabrics, Circa 1801 and Dicey Fabrics. Almond will be involved with key account initiatives and Crypton Home marketing, in addition to managing the communication department for Valdese Weavers.

Almond has considerable experience in the textile industry. She most recently served as vice president of design and merchandising for Robert Allen in New York, where she was responsible for the creative direction and product and merchandising for three business segments.

Prior to her work with Robert Allen, Almond was director of design for Craftex Mills. In this position, she oversaw creative direction and collaborated with sales on key accounts. She began her career with such venerable brands as Fieldcrest Cannon and Springs Global.

Almond holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in product design and merchandising, and received her master’s in textile design from Philadelphia University.

Dicey Fabrics

Longtime Valdese Weavers designer Jennifer Franklin joins the Dicey brand as design director. Franklin is responsible for styling new designs, trend and color direction, and merchandising the newest line to join the Valdese Weavers family.

Franklin has been a senior styling coordinator with Valdese Weavers since 2004, working on residential, imports and research and development. Prior to that, she spent five years as a senior designer and design director for Mastercraft Fabrics. She began her career in 1993 as a designer for Valdese Weavers.

Franklin received her bachelor’s in business management from North Carolina State University and earned her residential planning diploma from the Art Institute of Atlanta. She has been a member of WithIt, the women’s leadership network for home and furnishings, for five years, and is a former member of the Color Marketing Group.

Parks Neisler is part of North Carolina’s textile legacy. As the grandson of Dicey Mills founders Paul M. and Dicey Kathryn Neisler, he’s spent a lifetime in the warp and weft business. His father, Henry P. Neisler, was Dicey’s longtime president and CEO. Neisler joined Valdese Weavers this year as vice president of sales for the Dicey Fabrics brand. He is involved in all areas of the brand with a special emphasis on sales and design development.

From 2013 to 2015, Neisler was president of Dicey Mills, and before that served as the company’s vice president of sales for 25 years. He began his career as a sales representative for Dicey in 1980.

Neisler holds a bachelor’s in political science from Davidson College.

About Valdese Weavers: Valdese Weavers, an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) company, is the leading designer and manufacturer of decorative textiles in the United States for use in residential and contract markets. The company operates four facilities in Burke County, N.C., and trades under the brand names Valdese Weavers, Valdese Weavers Contract, Circa 1801, Home Fabrics by Wesley Mancini, Valdese International Products (VIP) and Dicey Fabrics. To learn more visit www.valdeseweavers.com, or connect through Twitter and Facebook.