Rocky Top Furniture Announces New Name, New Owners And New Trade Distribution Network

Furniture World News Desk on 8/26/2016

Pictured from left to right: Shawn Smith, Brad Lewallen, David Morris, and Laurence Coppedge 


When Laurence Coppedge, Shawn Smith and Brad Lewallen looked at purchasing Rocky Top Log Furniture  and Railing Company https://rockytopfurniture.com last summer, there was much about the company that fit the model for Coppedge’s investment firm, Cardinal Industries (cardinal-industries.net). Cardinal Industries is a private investment company that acquires or invests in small businesses with proven models, high margins and family values.

“We were looking at a company that was unique in so many ways”, says Shawn Smith, new Rocky Top president and a founding partner at Cardinal. “From our perspective of what truly motivates us, near the top of the list was approximately fifty families represented at Rocky Top Furniture that depended on the company being successful. And everyday those fifty people poured their hearts and souls into producing the finest rustic wood furniture made in America. It was observable for us to see both their individual and collective passion for the furniture the company produces. We like to provide company environments that empower people to be fully who they are and allow them to do what they’re great at. That is what we’re passionate about.

That synergy, coupled with how keen we are on the organic nature of the product, provides opportunities to introduce more designs showcasing reclaimed woods and eco-friendly products and manufacturing techniques. We knew this was a business we could get excited about,” remarks Smith. According to Brad Lewallen, Rocky Top Furniture’s COO and Director of Business Development at Cardinal states, “Cardinal Industries targets opportunities with the unique potential to improve and grow. Rocky Top was doing a substantial amount of volume through three of its own retail stores in a relatively small geographic area, a call center and some hospitality business predominantly in railing, but that was it. The fact that furniture retailers all across America never had the opportunity to purchase on a wholesale level or interior designers had no access to the brand before now, we see great growth potential in building the Rocky Top brand, expanding distribution and the product line to include more designs that may feature some signature rustic elements on more transitional designs.”

Executives at the company are enthused about adding a B2B model to what has been strictly a factory direct to consumer business for over 20 years, founded by Tommy Mitchell and his wife, Gwen. Coppedge and Cardinal Industries became the owners in September of 2015 and shortened the name to Rocky Top Furniture LLC. Cardinal Industries brought in many of its own to the team at Rocky Top including Vicki New who coordinates marketing and advertising. “We have a keen understanding of the Rocky Top consumer in having worked directly with them for so long. With our vertical in-house manufacturing model, and our knowledge of the ultimate consumer’s passion for the authenticity and durability of the product, we think we can offer our new trade customers a world of opportunities in creating custom indoor and outdoor furniture,” states Vicki New. Rocky Top has also appointed furniture industry sales veteran, David Morris, as its National Sales Manager in the wholesale division. Morris is responsible for key accounts and building a national sales team of independent representatives calling on retail home furnishings stores, interior designers, hospitality/contract purchasing agents and property management groups.




Laurence Coppedge, Shawn Smith, and Brad Lewallen, long-time friends who all spent time studying at Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary years ago, have joined forces after years apart, to assist Coppedge in managing Cardinal Industries and its acquisitions. Laurence Coppedge, who is the great-grandson of Laurence Luce, the founder of the Blue Bird Bus Company, also oversees another division, which serves as the family office. He holds an undergraduate degree from Asbury University and master’s degrees from The University of East London and Asbury Theological Seminary.

Shawn Smith is a partner at Cardinal Industries where he oversees the due diligence of potential investments and provides strategic support to the operating companies. Shawn originally joined Cardinal in 2007 to help build the family office platform. Prior to Cardinal, Smith explored a vocation in Christian service at Asbury Theological Seminary where he was both a student and staff member in various administrative roles. Before that, he was a business analyst at GE Transportation Systems where he worked on a variety of locomotive engineering and service initiatives

Brad Lewallen is the Director of Business Development for Cardinal Industries. He grew up in a family where small business, entrepreneurship and education were encouraged. He graduated from Asbury College with a degree in Business Management and began a banking career where he learned both the deposit and lending side of banking. From there he became the Chief Financial Officer and Operations Manager for a non-profit. After seven years in that role, he went back into banking where he served as a commercial lender. Lewallen obtained valuable insight into financial and operational analysis, as well as relationship development and management with his corporate clients. The experience he gained has allowed for a natural runway to his current role on the Cardinal and Rocky Top team.

Rocky Top Furniture began over 20 years ago as the dream of a local craftsman. The first manufacturing facility was a home workshop in central Kentucky. During the week, products were cut, sanded, and assembled. On the weekends, hauling items to tradeshows and meeting people face to face generated sales. What made Rocky Top successful both then and now is the commitment to creating both quality furniture and providing customer satisfaction. Part of the company’s mission is to build “lifetime furniture”— heirloom products that are passed down to children and grandchildren. The dedicated inside sales team and the skilled craftspeople pride themselves in working with each individual customer to design and build furniture they will love and that will far exceed their expectations. Although the company has grown from modest beginnings and is now under new ownership, its care for customers and making American handcrafted furniture has remained the same.

“I am excited about this opportunity,” says David Morris, National Sales Manager. “There is so much demand for this kind of organic wood furniture. While our stylistic roots are based in a log
theme, we have extended our product scope to include rough sawn textures, reclaimed woods, and mixed material offerings. What I love about this management team is their enthusiasm to create the kinds of products that will have more mass appeal, yet still have both a ‘green’ and a ‘handcrafted in America’ story,” he concludes.