Furniture World Magazine Authors

Alex Sampera Alex Sampera is the VP of Product Management at Descartes. Email Alex Sampera View all articles by Alex Sampera
Allison Kurtz Allison Kurtz is an Executive Vice President with L.C. Williams & Associates (LCWA). Based in Chicago, LCWA is a full-service public relations and marketing communications firm with expertise ranging from brand marketing and community outreach to internal communications and crisis management. LCWA is ranked among the top 15 independent firms in Chicago and is one of the top 5 agencies in the country specializing in promoting brands and products in the home/building arena. For more information, email akurtz@lcwa.com or call 312/565-4619. Email Allison Kurtz View all articles by Allison Kurtz
Alyson Hunter Director of Marketing at Whereoware, Alyson Hunter specializes in content marketing, public relations, and lead generation to increase brand awareness and sales. Whereoware is a leading B2B digital agency and software company supporting Furniture and Gift and Home clients for 19 years. Talk to a Whereoware digital expert or get a demo of our Pharos Product Suite, built to solve B2B marketing, sales, and e-commerce challenges. Email Alyson Hunter View all articles by Alyson Hunter
Amanda Plank Amanda Plank is an entrepreneur and small business advisor. She is also the founder of Merch Minion, a custom merchandising and brand promotions company in Seattle Washington. Email Amanda Plank View all articles by Amanda Plank
Amitesh Sinha Amitesh Sinha is a technology consultant based in North America. With over 20 years of experience developing and deploying solutions for retail, Sinha has gained a reputation for home furnishing software solutions, furniture software, POS furniture software, and re-engineering of software with extended features. His company, iConnect offers business technology solutions that integrate with most P.O.S. systems to make them more efficient and user-friendly. For more information about this article or any retail technology question contact Amitesh at 703-471-3964, amitesh@iconnectgroup.com or www.iconnectgroup.com. Email Amitesh Sinha View all articles by Amitesh Sinha
Andrew Schneider Email Andrew Schneider View all articles by Andrew Schneider
Ben Houston Ben Houston is the CTO of ThreeKit, a software platform that helps B2B buyers explore products in 3D, Virtual Photography, Augmented Reality, and VR. ThreeKit enables an immersive experience so manufacturers can drive engagement, trust, and more sales. Email Ben Houston View all articles by Ben Houston
Bill Napier and Ed Tashjian Bill and Ed write Furniture World's popular and controversial Point-Counterpoint series. About Bill Napier: Bill Napier is Managing Partner of Napier Marketing Group. He has been the chief marketing officer of several small, medium and large companies throughout his career, most notably Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. Bill is a featured writer and speaker in the retail industry. His passion is to help retail brands & brick mortar retailers grow their businesses by creating, guiding and deploying successful marketing B2B/B2C solutions integrating traditional marketing with the web/social media. His FREE website www.social4retail.com includes hundreds of articles and “how To” strategies. Bill can be reached at; billnapier@napiermkt.com or 612-217-1297. About Ed Tashjian: Tashjian Marketing provides senior marketing leadership to the Home Furnishings Industry. It specializes in business analytics and in helping its clients to segment the market, define and communicate a sustainable differentiated value proposition. Get more information at www.Tashjianmarketing.com or call (828) 855-0100. Email Bill Napier and Ed Tashjian View all articles by Bill Napier and Ed Tashjian
Bill O'Malley About Bill O'Malley: Bill O’Malley is the owner and co-founder of Connector Team Recruiting, a specialized search firm working with Furniture \| Mattress \| Electronics Owners, Presidents and HR executives. Since 2012 he has connected Furniture Enterprises with top talent. Connector Team is an affiliate office of MRINetwork, recently ranked as a Top Recruitment Firm by Forbes Magazine. To read Bill's blog on the Connector Team Recruiting website, click here. If you want a pdf copy of the MRINetwork Recruitment Trends Study, call Bill O'Malley at (434) 227-4330 or send him an email at bill@connectorteamrecruiting.com. Connector Team is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. Email Bill O'Malley View all articles by Bill O'Malley
Bob Summers Bob Summers is co-founder of CallJoy, which was built within Area 120, Google’s internal incubator for experimental ideas. CallJoy is an easy-to-use cloud-based phone agent that enables small business owners to delight customers. For more information, visit their Facebook Page, Twitter Page, or LinkedIn Page Email Bob Summers View all articles by Bob Summers
Cathy Finney Cathy Finney, effervescent sales educator, motivator and management consultant was a longtime contributing editor to FURNITURE WORLD Magazine. Cathy helped retail furniture store sales and design associates to turn customers (she called them Fred and Ethel) into clients. An enthusiastic mentor and friend to up-and-coming salespeople, she told them to remember that they are skilled professionals and that “Ethel” needs them to get the best possible result for her room or project. Finney got her start in the furniture business with Ethan Allen where she worked closely with Furniture Hall of Fame member Nathan Ancell. Her company, Ancell Affiliates \"T 'N T" resulted from that close relationship. She passed away at 59 years of age after a long struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. For more information about Cathy and here work email editor@furninfo.com. Email Cathy Finney View all articles by Cathy Finney
Craig Brown Craig Brown is the Head of Delivery in North America at Incubeta NMPi, an award-winning digital marketing agency. Email Craig Brown View all articles by Craig Brown
Dan Bolger Contributing editor Dan Bolger of The Bolger Group helps companies achieve improved transportation, warehousing and logistics. See many other articles by Dan in the Operations Management article archives on the furninfo.com website. You can send inquiries on any aspect of transportation, warehousing or logistics issues to Dan Bolger care of Furniture World Magazine at dbolger@furninfo.com or call him direct at 740-503-8875. Email Dan Bolger View all articles by Dan Bolger
David Benbow David Benbow, a twenty-three year veteran of the mattress and bedding industry, is owner of Mattress Retail Training Company. Dave’s company offers mattress retailers a full array of retail guidance; from small store management to training retail sales associates (RSAs.) Dave’s many years of hands-on experience as retail sales associate, store manager, sales manager/trainer and store owner of multiple stores in six different American metropolitan areas uniquely qualifies him as an expert in selling bedding at the retail level. David is the author of the recently published book, “How to Win the Battle for Mattress Sales, the Bed Seller’s Manual”. This book is the first book to systematically present a complete, organized, but easily read and understood text book for mattress and bedding retail sales associates, beginner and experienced professional alike. It is a complete training course in one 292 page book. The book can be purchased on-line at http://www.bedsellersmanual.com. He also offers hands-on training classes for retailers on a variety of subjects and issues as well as on-line classes that can be downloaded from the websites mentioned above. David can be contacted via e-mail at dave@bedsellersmanual.com or in person at 361-648-3775. Email David Benbow View all articles by David Benbow
David Lively David Lively, partner at The Lively Merchant, has over 20 years hands-on experience in the home furnishings industry, from the warehouse to the sales floor to the boardroom. He has walked the walk and talked the talk from the family-owned, single-site store to the multi-state, multi-million dollar operation; from sales training to computer programming; from warehouse construction and operations to financial management; from new store construction to complete renovation. Twice named to the "Beyond the Top 100" list of independent retailers and 1997 "Ohio Retailer of the Year," David's wisdom was won on the front lines of a furniture store and his battle scars have given him compassion for counseling today's retail warrior. David’s experience has led him to address the issues of the transfer of authority, responsibility and wealth from one furniture store generation to the next. The surviving legacy of your family business depends on your plan for transition, and David has developed a system for helping to identify goals, strengths and opportunities during this crucial time. Read more of David Lively’s articles for family furniture businesses on the furninfo.com website. You can reach David by calling 740.415.3192 or email him at davidL@furninfo.com. David has offered free phone consultations to any FURNITURE WORLD readers who would like to talk about topics related to family business transition. Email David Lively View all articles by David Lively
David McMahon About David McMahon: David McMahon is founder of PerformNOW Inc. PerformNOW has three main products that help home furnishings businesses improve and innovate: Performance Groups (Owners, Sales managers, Operations), PerformNOW CXM (Customer eXperience Management systems and processes), Furniture business consulting. Your can reach David at david@performnow.com. Email David McMahon View all articles by David McMahon
Dr. Marilyn Black Email Dr. Marilyn Black View all articles by Dr. Marilyn Black
Ellen Gefen About Ellen Gefen: Ellen Gefen is the co-owner of Gefen Marketing and Gefen Productions, a High Point-based full-service marketing and multimedia company in the home industries. She also founded TheHome.com, a consumer-facing home design and lifestyle site. As part of a multiracial, multicultural family, Gefen knows first-hand the challenges faced by many and is passionate about supporting movements that work to ensure equality for all. Questions or comments can be directed to her at ellen@gefenmarketing.com, or call her at 336.884.5020. Email Ellen Gefen View all articles by Ellen Gefen
Gordon Hecht About Gordon Hecht: Gordon Hecht is a business growth and development consultant to the retail home furnishings industry. You can reach him at Gordon.hecht@aol.com Email Gordon Hecht View all articles by Gordon Hecht
Hal McClamma Founder of Integrity Business Coaching, Hal McClamma has over 30-years in the home furnishings, appliance and electronics industry. He has owned successful furniture stores and sleep shops. McClamma has been a distribution center manager, single and multiple store manager and company VP for Havertys Furniture, Barrow Furniture, Maas Brothers, Burdines and Jordan Marsh. Contact Hal at Hal@IntegrityBusinessCoaching.com or call 334.470.9999. Email Hal McClamma View all articles by Hal McClamma
HFA A feature about Home Furnishings Association's retail members, legislation affecting the furniture industry and other retail news from HFA. Email HFA View all articles by HFA
Janet Holt-Johnstone Janet Holt-Johnstone is retail editor at Furniture World Magazine. Email Janet Holt-Johnstone View all articles by Janet Holt-Johnstone
Jeff Giagnocavo About Jeff Giagnocavo: Jeff Giagnocavo is co-owner of the retailer Gardner’s Mattress & More and the co-creator of Mattress Retailer Weekly. Mattress Retailer Weekly is shared with you every week so you can get new customers, stay ahead of your competition and increase your sales tickets. Get your FREE subscription by visiting www.RenegadeMattressRetailer.com or text MRW to 484-303-4300. Email Jeff Giagnocavo View all articles by Jeff Giagnocavo
Jeff Hunt About the Author: Jeff Hunt is the founder and CEO of a startup called Snap36. Email Jeff Hunt View all articles by Jeff Hunt
Jennifer L. Jacobson Jennifer L. Jacobson is a PR professional and communications strategist with two decades of experience growing brands stand out in competitive industries. Jennifer delivers outstanding results to brands, startups, and nonprofits who often have limited budgets, time, and resources. For more articles by Jennifer, visit: https://jacobsoncommunication.com/blog.html Email Jennifer L. Jacobson View all articles by Jennifer L. Jacobson
Jennifer Magee About Jennifer Magee: Jennifer Magee is an architect and designer who has over 15 years of experience in the home furnishings industry. She has designed over three million square feet of retail space. Working almost exclusively with furniture and mattress retailers, Magee has an in-depth knowledge of how to layout stores to create better customer flow, improve the way merchandise is presented, and increase sales. She is the founder and owner of Retail in the City, a boutique design firm offering a full range of retail design services from storefront design to interior design, branding, space planning, visual merchandising, signage, new store concepts and more. Her talented team of architects, interior designers and renderers creates exterior and interior design packages so retailers can become more competitive in their home market or expand into new markets. For additional information, visit www.retailinthecity.com or contact Jennifer directly at 917-533-4372 or jennifer@retailinthecity.com. Email Jennifer Magee View all articles by Jennifer Magee
Jerry Epperson Wallace W. Epperson, Jr. C.F.A, or “Jerry” to his friends, holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and graduate degree from the College of William & Mary. He is a principal in the investment banking firm Mann, Armistead & Epperson, offering professional corporate financing services to the home furnishings industry. Mr. Epperson’s publishes a monthly newsletter on the home furnishings industry and conducts larger studies on consumer demographics, housing trends, the economy, shifts in furnishings retailing, imports/exports, styling and on specific product trends. He is a frequent speaker at industry events. His furniture research, investment clients and state department visits gave him reasons to travel throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Recognition for his work has included the Distinguished Service Award from the AFMA Association, the Pillar of the Industry from IHFRA, being named to the American Furniture Hall of Fame and others. Questions about this article or about any related area can be directed to Jerry at wwe@maeltd.com. Email Jerry Epperson View all articles by Jerry Epperson
Joe Capillo Joe Capillo is a 41 year career veteran, experienced in managing and consulting with furniture retail operations. He is also a contributing editor for Furniture World Magazine. He is a contributing editor to FURNITURE WORLD and a frequent speaker at industry functions. See all of Joe’s articles on the furninfo.com website. Email Joe Capillo View all articles by Joe Capillo
Joe Milevsky About Joe Milevsky: Joe Milevsky, CEO and founder of JRM Sales & Management, Inc., calls on his more than 40 years of industry experience to help hundreds of clients improve the performance of their companies and profit as a result of their business relationships with JRM. Before establishing JRM, Joe held various executive positions with several of the strongest companies in the retail furniture industry. He has authored numerous articles for industry trade publications and he is a regular speaker at national events for the Home Furnishings Association (HFA), Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA), Nationwide Marketing Group, and various other buying groups as well as many other organizations both domestic and international. Email Joe Milevsky View all articles by Joe Milevsky
Jon Cheney Jon Cheney is the CEO and co-founder of Seek, which delivers best-in-class augmented reality content and services to companies all over the world, with a primary focus on web-based AR solutions for retail, e-commerce and education. Email Jon Cheney View all articles by Jon Cheney
Jordan Davidson Email Jordan Davidson View all articles by Jordan Davidson
Karen Florence Karen Florence is a Certified Professional Coach and founder of Tabula Rasa Coaching, a coaching firm that specializes in transformational coaching for individuals as well as organizations. She works with people who want to explore their lives in a deeper way to create change in their personal, business and spiritual challenges. Karen has worked with CEO's and high level executives around the world, coaching, mentoring and consulting. She has worked one-on-one with executives from Pierce Global Promotions, Pinnacle Foods, Jaguar Land Rover, The Disney Channel, BBDO Russia, New York Life, The St. Croix Foundation, Volvo Italia, Prudential Life, Intel and The Learning Channel among others. When working with Karen, clients’ lives change. With her unique way of digging for the truth and finding the answers within her clients, doors open and circumstances change. Karen's keen intuition and curiosity often helps the truth to bubble up in surprising ways, allowing her clients to see themselves as whole and resourceful individuals moving forward into all that is possible. Questions about this article or related to her consulting practice can be directed to Karen Florence at kfmcmullen@gmail.com, or call 610.228.4145. Email Karen Florence View all articles by Karen Florence
Katherine Andes Email Katherine Andes View all articles by Katherine Andes
Kevin Lawrence Kevin Lawrence is vice president, sales and marketing for Versatile Credit, the leading provider of in-store, self-service credit application solutions. Email Kevin Lawrence View all articles by Kevin Lawrence
Lance Hanish Email Lance Hanish View all articles by Lance Hanish
Larry Mullins Larry Mullins is a contributing editor for Furniture World and has 30+ years of experience on the front lines of furniture marketing. Larry’s mainstream executive experience, his creative work with promotion specialists, and mastery of advertising principles have established him as one of the foremost experts in furniture marketing. His affordable High-Impact programs produce legendary results for everything from cash raising events to profitable exit strategies. His newest books, THE METAVALUES BREAKTHROUGH and IMMATURE PEOPLE WITH POWER… How to Handle Them have recently been released by Morgan James Publishing. Joe Girard, “The World’s Greatest Salesman” said of this book: “If I had read Larry Mullins’ book when I started out, I would have reached the top much sooner than I did.” Larry is founder and CEO of UltraSales, Inc. and can be reached directly at 904.794.9212 or at Larrym@furninfo.com. See more articles by Larry at www.furninfo.com or www.ultrasales.com. Email Larry Mullins View all articles by Larry Mullins
Larry Schneiderman Larry Schneiderman is the CEO of the six-store Minnesota-based retailer Schneiderman’s Furniture. He sold his first piece of furniture when he was fifteen and has been hooked ever since. Don’t ask him when he’s going to retire—they don’t have a treatment facility equipped for his kind of customer-service addiction. He is the author of the recently published book, “Call Of The Couch: A Family’s Love Affair With It’s Business.” Says Brian Tracy, the best-selling author, entrepreneur, and business development consultant, “This book tells a memorable and rich story of success in business, lessons learned, and the wisdom that every person can apply.” Comments about this article or questions can be addressed to www.larryschneiderman.com. Offer for Furniture World Readers: Larry’s book is available for sale through www.larryschneiderman.com with a $5 off coupon for Furniture World Readers. Email Larry Schneiderman View all articles by Larry Schneiderman
Lisa Cody Lisa Cody, VP Marketing, Twin Star Home, has over 25 years of consumer-focused marketing expertise with Fortune 500 companies. Lisa’s focus is leading a consumer-centric team that delivers creative solutions to drive growth for retailers and Twin Star Home, the market leader in electric fireplaces. Email Lisa Cody View all articles by Lisa Cody
Liz Castells-Heard Liz Castells-Heard is a 'tell it like it is' strategic thought leader and industry force with a Stanford MBA, finance and psychology training, 37 years of Multicultural, GM and Client experience with hundreds of brands, and unique brand of 'brains, heart and grit' with her analytical acumen, diverse skill-set, energetic style, solid values, and fearlessness. Email Liz Castells-Heard View all articles by Liz Castells-Heard
Margo DeGange, M.Ed. Margo DeGange, M.Ed. is a Business Empowerment Coach, and frequent contributor to Furniture World Magazine on retail sales, interior design and marketing topics. She is the creator of the Twelve Step Go Build a Biz Marketing Program (http://www.GoBuildABiz.com) for a Thriving & Profitable Business Fast! Margo is totally committed to your wild success. She’ll mentor & coach you to get crystal clear on your most ideal target client, connect to them with a magnetic marketing message, establish your unique (and empowering ) value position, build trust through amazing offers and information, and close the sale almost effortlessly. Questions about this article can be directed to editor@furninfo.com or Visit www.MargoDeGange.com for products, programs and coaching to put YOU on the map! Email Margo DeGange, M.Ed. View all articles by Margo DeGange, M.Ed.
Maria Rummel Maria Rummel is a client enablement specialist at PERQ, a marketing technology company. PERQ's Marketing Cloud helps power the online to in-store customer experience from start to finish with everything from interactive website experiences to digital sales training and reporting. Email Maria Rummel View all articles by Maria Rummel
Martin Roberts About Martin Roberts: Martin Roberts is an internationally known designer and the President of Martin Roberts Design, LLC, an award-winning team of retail consultants, architects, industrial, interior and graphic designers. Martin Roberts Design has been a leading influence in guiding the home industry’s visual merchandising, branding and re-branding concepts for which their expertise has placed them at the forefront of the retail design industry. Over the past 50 years Martin has worked worldwide for many of the best-known brands from Cartier to Wal-Mart. Martin Roberts Design employs an integrated design approach to developing and executing brand-focused retail solutions that meets the needs and goals of the individual client DNA. Questions can be directed to him at martin@mrobertsdesign.com or call 212-365-4809. Email Martin Roberts View all articles by Martin Roberts
Matt Stewart Matt Stewart is co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com), which provides real-world business experience for thousands of college students each year. The award-winning program also offers high-quality house-painting services for homeowners. Email Matt Stewart View all articles by Matt Stewart
Matthew Carroll About Matthew Carroll: Matthew Carroll is president and CEO of Ignition Commerce, responsible for corporate strategy, product positioning, marketing, business development, and the management of all strategic relationships including technology providers Salesforce Commerce Cloud (formerly Demandware) and Oracle Commerce (formerly ATG). Prior to the founding of Ignition Commerce in 2007, Carroll served as SVP of Business Development for Accretive Commerce where he determined strategy for general and client specific business acquisitions and managed new client sales cycles. Carroll has spent the entire 30 + years of his professional life working within the retail and apparel industries, and the past 20 focused on providing eCommerce solutions, services, and infrastructure for retailers and branded manufacturers. Email Matthew Carroll View all articles by Matthew Carroll
Matthew Mack Matthew Mack is a Senior Marketing SEO Content Writer for Snap Finance and has been a contributor to Furniture World Magazine, and AutoLink Magazine. To connect with Matt, visit www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdmack Email Matthew Mack View all articles by Matthew Mack
Melissa Galt Melissa Galt is a sales generating, referral building, relationship maker who doesn’t just show you and your design team what to do, but leads you through a remarkable experience that will forever change how you do business. You’ll be able to ditch the clichéd sales speak and been-there-done-that strategies that haven’t been working and step into genuine engagement that gets rave results. Melissa is your resource for increasing sales by design. Schedule an in-depth discovery session today. The insights you’ll gain will provide immediate clarity, confidence, and opportunity. Email Melissa Galt View all articles by Melissa Galt
Melody Doering Email Melody Doering View all articles by Melody Doering
Michael Greene Michael Green a.k.a. Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90 is a former furniture retailer, author, playwright and past contributor to a well known furniture news publication. He currently writes a weekly column for Furniture World’s e-newsmagazine (subscribe by going to www.furninfo.com). Got a question? Got a comment? Great!! E-mail: grandpamike-e-e!@furninfo.com And, see the new YouTube music video staring Grandpa Mike-e-e! with his granddaughter Becca in a supporting role at http://bitly.com/qALkrX. Email Michael Greene View all articles by Michael Greene
Mike Magnuson About Mike Magnuson and GoodBed.com Magnuson is the founder and CEO of GoodBed.com, a leading online research destination for mattress shoppers. Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received his MBA from Stanford University. GoodBed recently created a low-cost Local Discovery Program specifically for brick-and-mortar retailers, through which participating stores can be found by nearby shoppers who are seeking recommendations, wanting to try a given product or looking for the right store to visit. Questions about this article or any topic related to bedding sales and marketing can be directed to him at www.goodbed.com/contact. This article was adapted from episode three of the ‘Mike It Up’ podcast (www.mikeitup.com). Listen to Mike It Up wherever you get your favorite podcasts. More details can be found at mikeitup.com and goodbed.com. Email Mike Magnuson View all articles by Mike Magnuson
Mike Petersen About Mike Petersen: Dr. Mike Petersen is the president and co-founder of The Furniture Training Company (FTC). Mike's extensive educational background in learning and teaching is why FTC is able to create instruction that actually changes behavior and improves sales success. About The Furniture Training Company: Designed to improve sales success, the Furniture Training Company's online sales training program has been used in more than 1,000 retail locations by over 30,000 salespeople. FTC is the creator of custom sales training for such notable companies as Klaussner, Cozzia, Guardsman, and O.W. Lee. Mike Petersen can be reached by calling 866-755-5996 or emailing mikep@furnituretraining company.com. Email Mike Petersen View all articles by Mike Petersen
Mike Rittler Email Mike Rittler View all articles by Mike Rittler
Mike Root Mike Root is President of Furniture Sales of Mid-America (www.furnituresales.biz), a furniture wholesale and rep company in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states. His perspective is one of a third generation furniture guy who has been involved in many aspects of the furniture business including furniture retail, wholesale and rental. Mike has his finger on the pulse of the industry by serving on the Executive Committee of the International Home Furnishings Representative’s Association (IHFRA) as well as the CQRID Advisory Board of the Interior Design Society. Mike has been recognized by the Small Business Administration, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and numerous national furniture factories for sales and marketing excellence. Mike helps furniture retailers and factories through his company, Get Customers Right Now build their sales through the use of low cost and no cost direct response marketing strategies including online marketing and social media. If you have questions about this article or other marketing topics, email mroot@furninfo.com or visit www.MikeRoot.com. Email Mike Root View all articles by Mike Root
Monica Tucker Email Monica Tucker View all articles by Monica Tucker
Monte Lee Monte Lee is a Regional Manager for Service Lamp Corporation, a distributor of lighting products such as fixtures, bulbs, plus lighting consulting and design services for retailers. Inquiries on any aspect of furniture store lighting can be sent to Monte care of FURNITURE WORLD at mlee@furninfo.com. See all of Monte Lee’s articles on store lighting posted to the Operations Management article archives on the furninfo.com website. Email Monte Lee View all articles by Monte Lee
Nic Ledoux Email Nic Ledoux View all articles by Nic Ledoux
of Smith Leonard PLLC Email of Smith Leonard PLLC View all articles by of Smith Leonard PLLC
Pam Danziger About Pam Danziger: Pamela N. Danziger is an internationally recognized expert specializing in consumer insights for marketers targeting the affluent consumer segment. She is president of Unity Marketing, a boutique marketing consulting firm she founded in 1992 where she leads with research to provide brands with actionable insights into the minds of their most profitable customers. She is also a founding partner in Retail Rescue, a firm that provides retailers with advice, mentoring and support in Marketing, Management, Merchandising, Operations, Service and Selling. A prolific writer, she is the author of eight books including Shops that POP! 7 Steps to Extraordinary Retail Success, written about and for independent retailers. She is a contributor to The Robin Report and Forbes.com. Pam is frequently called on to share new insights with audiences and business leaders all over the world. Contact her at pam@unitymarketingonline.com. Email Pam Danziger View all articles by Pam Danziger
Paula Fogarty AA Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wofford College and art history honors M.A. graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Paula S. Fogarty’s professional career has focused on upper-level management in marketing, design, finance, and operations. As President of Kindel Furniture Company, Paula innovated product lines and streamlined operations for greater profitability. As owner of her own marketing and strategic consulting firm, Paula Scott Unlimited, Paula assists both established brands and start-ups in creating consistent communications across all channels. She is currently developing furniture collections that address the needs of the female consumer. Currently a freelance writer, Paula’s blog for Metropolis Magazine follows her book research on the role of women in the American furniture industry. She has written for Chair Culture, Connect Savannah, and served as Managing Editor for South magazine Paula has served as Board Chair of the Irish Georgian Society, The Center for Environmental Study, and The David Wolcott Kendall Memorial Foundation. She is a current board member of the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library, American Society of Furniture Designers, Rape Crisis Center of Savannah, Coastal Jazz Association, and Emergent Structures. She lives in Savannah with her Jack Russell Terrier, Charles. Email Paula Fogarty View all articles by Paula Fogarty
Peter A. Marino Corporate trainer, educator and speaker Dr. Peter A. Marino has written extensively on sales training techniques and their furniture retailing applications. Scores of his articles are posted to the "Sales Skill Index" on furninfo.com. He is available for in-store training, and speaking. Email Peter A. Marino View all articles by Peter A. Marino
Peter Palmer Peter Palmer is a sleep expert with over 15 years of experience in the field, and his mission is to find the perfect recipe for a restful sleep. He also collaborates with Topmattress.com in a desire to educate people about the importance of high-quality mattresses for a good night’s sleep. Email Peter Palmer View all articles by Peter Palmer
Peter Schlosser Peter Schlosser is a backend furniture consultant based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His focus is repair, quality control, exceptional customer service, and all things operational. He is a contributing editor to Furniture World. To see all his articles Click Here. Questions on any aspect of this article or furniture repair can be directed to Peter Schlossser at pschlosser@furninfo.com. Email Peter Schlosser View all articles by Peter Schlosser
Ray Allegrezza Email Ray Allegrezza View all articles by Ray Allegrezza
Ray Morefield Ray Morefield has been affiliated with leading corporations in the housewares, hardware and coatings industries. He has also served other industries in an advisory capacity through Common Goals, Inc. Questions or comments can be sent to him by emailing editor@furninfo.com. Email Ray Morefield View all articles by Ray Morefield
Rene´Johnston-Gingrich About René Johnston-Gingrich: René Johnston-Gingrich is Vice President of Training Development for the Profitability Consulting Group, delivering programs such as Design Trac: Design Skills for Retail Sales People and Sales Trac III: In Home Selling. René has owned and operated an interior design firm for 17 years and now works with organizations to ensure they have the best possible team environment. René served as a regular columnist for The Lewiston Tribune Business Profile and is an adjunct faculty member of Lewis-Clark State College’s Business Division. René has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Planning and Design and a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. She can be contacted at reneg@profitabilityconsulting.com. Email Rene´Johnston-Gingrich View all articles by Rene´Johnston-Gingrich
Rimma Kats Email Rimma Kats View all articles by Rimma Kats
Russell Bienenstock Russell Bienenstock is Editor-in-Chief of Furniture World Magazine, founded 1870. Comments can be directed to him at editor@furninfo.com. Email Russell Bienenstock View all articles by Russell Bienenstock
Scott Hill Scott Hill is the Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, PERQ Email Scott Hill View all articles by Scott Hill
Scott Morris About Scott Morris Scott Morris worked for the four largest furniture retail chains in America as a store manager and sales trainer. He is the owner of HSM Publishing. His mission is to stop the high sales associate turnover rate within the furniture industry. He has written and published six books on various topics, in addition to the “Sales Questions” laminate, and designed and produced the advanced level sales training course titled “The Best Furniture Sales Training Ever!!!” He also produced 12 insightful customer “handouts” designed to bring back the “75 percent who leave without buying.” Questions about this article or any aspect of sales education can be directed to him at hsm7777@att.net or visit TheBestFurnitureSalesEver.com. Email Scott Morris View all articles by Scott Morris
Scott P. Shaw About Scott P. Shaw National intellectual property (IP) attorney Scott P. Shaw specializes in litigation and licensing within the furniture manufacturing and retail industry—from design and technology to eCommerce and counterfeiting. He is the Managing Partner of Merchant & Gould’s Los Angeles office. As an experienced IP trial attorney, Scott focuses his practice on litigation, supporting clients in protecting their IP and defending against infringement allegations. His experience includes matters involving copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, patents, trade secrets, false advertising, unfair competition, contract and licensing, and class actions. Throughout his career, Scott has handled numerous lawsuits from inception through trial, including many trials as the first-chair lead trial attorney. He can be reached at sshaw@merchantgould.com or 949.330.0202. Email Scott P. Shaw View all articles by Scott P. Shaw
Smith Leonard PLLC Founded in 1930 by BDO Seidman, LLP, the High Point, North Carolina practice was acquired by four individuals who have spent the majority of their 100+ year careers building the existing practice. Beginning January 1, 2007, Smith Leonard PLLC became an independent member of the BDO Seidman Alliance. Partners are Ken Smith, Darlene Leonard, Jon Glazman and Mark Bulmer. Among the firm's 32 employees are 18 CPAs. Smith Leonard has an extensive network of international relationships that helps service their clients’ needs throughout the world with locations in Asia, Europe, South America, Mexico and Canada. These companies range in revenue size of $2 million to $300 million. Many of its clients are either furniture manufacturers, distributors or suppliers to the furniture industry. Smith Leonard also services companies in retail, transportation, insurance, not-for-profit entities and employee benefit plans. Smith Leonard offers a full range of accounting and consulting services including audits, compilations, reviews, tax planning and compliance. The partners and staff of Smith Leonard also assists clients in mergers, acquisitions, business consulting, cash flow projections, and tax outsourcing. Individual clients benefit from extensive experience in family wealth services including estate tax planning. Email Smith Leonard PLLC View all articles by Smith Leonard PLLC
Steen Knigge Steen Knigge, originally from Denmark, immigrated to the United States back in 2003. He is currently Head of Marketing for BoConcept Americas. With a long and successful track record in marketing (Procter & Gamble, Gillette, FilmNet), advertising (Lowe & Partners), Steen also has a solid entrepreneurial experience from creating both a Marketing Consultant agency as well as a successful Scandinavian Lifestyle retail business in New York City. Currently residing in Jersey City, NJ, Steen is a proud father of a budding high-schooler, Nyasha. Email Steen Knigge View all articles by Steen Knigge
Stephen J Wisocky Stephen J. Wisocky, Home Furnishings Insurance Group President, has over 30 years of experience as a property and casualty insurance broker. He began with the home furnishings industry in 1986. In January 2004 Stephen created HFIG whose mission is exceptional service to the home furnishings industry with the most competitive and comprehensive insurance products. For many years Stephen has been the trusted insurance advisor for National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA), International Home Furnishings Representatives Association (IHFRA), Interior Design Society (IDS) and Tri-State Home Furnishings Association (TSHFA). In 2011 he was named a Dean of IHFRA, and earlier received from TSHFA their President’s Award. Both honors were given in recognition of his accomplishments and dedication to the home furnishings industry. Questions about this article or any insurance related topic or issue can be directed to Steve at 610-366-0105 or email stevew@furninfo.com. Email Stephen J Wisocky View all articles by Stephen J Wisocky

Alex Sampera

Alex Sampera is the VP of Product Management at Descartes. Email Alex Sampera

Allison Kurtz

Allison Kurtz is an Executive Vice President with L.C. Williams & Associates (LCWA). Based in Chicago, LCWA is a full-service public relations and marketing communications firm with expertise ranging from brand marketing and community outreach to internal communications and crisis management. LCWA is ranked among the top 15 independent firms in Chicago and is one of the top 5 agencies in the country specializing in promoting brands and products in the home/building arena. For more information, email akurtz@lcwa.com or call 312/565-4619.

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Alyson Hunter

Director of Marketing at Whereoware, Alyson Hunter specializes in content marketing, public relations, and lead generation to increase brand awareness and sales. Whereoware is a leading B2B digital agency and software company supporting Furniture and Gift and Home clients for 19 years. Talk to a Whereoware digital expert or get a demo of our Pharos Product Suite, built to solve B2B marketing, sales, and e-commerce challenges.

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Amanda Plank

Amanda Plank is an entrepreneur and small business advisor. She is also the founder of Merch Minion, a custom merchandising and brand promotions company in Seattle Washington. Email Amanda Plank

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Amitesh Sinha

Amitesh Sinha is a technology consultant based in North America. With over 20 years of experience developing and deploying solutions for retail, Sinha has gained a reputation for home furnishing software solutions, furniture software, POS furniture software, and re-engineering of software with extended features. His company, iConnect offers business technology solutions that integrate with most P.O.S. systems to make them more efficient and user-friendly. For more information about this article or any retail technology question contact Amitesh at 703-471-3964, amitesh@iconnectgroup.com or www.iconnectgroup.com. Email Amitesh Sinha

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Andrew Schneider

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Ben Houston

Ben Houston is the CTO of ThreeKit, a software platform that helps B2B buyers explore products in 3D, Virtual Photography, Augmented Reality, and VR. ThreeKit enables an immersive experience so manufacturers can drive engagement, trust, and more sales. Email Ben Houston

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Bill Napier and Ed Tashjian

Bill and Ed write Furniture World's popular and controversial Point-Counterpoint series.

About Bill Napier: Bill Napier is Managing Partner of Napier Marketing Group. He has been the chief marketing officer of several small, medium and large companies throughout his career, most notably Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. Bill is a featured writer and speaker in the retail industry. His passion is to help retail brands & brick mortar retailers grow their businesses by creating, guiding and deploying successful marketing B2B/B2C solutions integrating traditional marketing with the web/social media. His FREE website www.social4retail.com includes hundreds of articles and “how To” strategies. Bill can be reached at; billnapier@napiermkt.com or 612-217-1297.

About Ed Tashjian: Tashjian Marketing provides senior marketing leadership to the Home Furnishings Industry. It specializes in business analytics and in helping its clients to segment the market, define and communicate a sustainable differentiated value proposition. Get more information at www.Tashjianmarketing.com or call (828) 855-0100.

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Bill O'Malley

About Bill O'Malley: Bill O’Malley is the owner and co-founder of Connector Team Recruiting, a specialized search firm working with Furniture | Mattress | Electronics Owners, Presidents and HR executives. Since 2012 he has connected Furniture Enterprises with top talent. Connector Team is an affiliate office of MRINetwork, recently ranked as a Top Recruitment Firm by Forbes Magazine.

To read Bill's blog on the Connector Team Recruiting website, click here.

If you want a pdf copy of the MRINetwork Recruitment Trends Study, call Bill O'Malley at (434) 227-4330 or send him an email at bill@connectorteamrecruiting.com. Connector Team is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Bob Summers

Bob Summers is co-founder of CallJoy, which was built within Area 120, Google’s internal incubator for experimental ideas. CallJoy is an easy-to-use cloud-based phone agent that enables small business owners to delight customers. For more information, visit their Facebook Page, Twitter Page, or LinkedIn Page

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Cathy Finney

Cathy Finney, effervescent sales educator, motivator and management consultant was a longtime contributing editor to FURNITURE WORLD Magazine. Cathy helped retail furniture store sales and design associates to turn customers (she called them Fred and Ethel) into clients. An enthusiastic mentor and friend to up-and-coming salespeople, she told them to remember that they are skilled professionals and that “Ethel” needs them to get the best possible result for her room or project.

Finney got her start in the furniture business with Ethan Allen where she worked closely with Furniture Hall of Fame member Nathan Ancell. Her company, Ancell Affiliates \"T 'N T" resulted from that close relationship. She passed away at 59 years of age after a long struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. For more information about Cathy and here work email editor@furninfo.com.

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Craig Brown

Craig Brown is the Head of Delivery in North America at Incubeta NMPi, an award-winning digital marketing agency. Email Craig Brown

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Dan Bolger

Contributing editor Dan Bolger of The Bolger Group helps companies achieve improved transportation, warehousing and logistics. See many other articles by Dan in the Operations Management article archives on the furninfo.com website. You can send inquiries on any aspect of transportation, warehousing or logistics issues to Dan Bolger care of Furniture World Magazine at dbolger@furninfo.com or call him direct at 740-503-8875. Email Dan Bolger

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David Benbow

David Benbow, a twenty-three year veteran of the mattress and bedding industry, is owner of Mattress Retail Training Company. Dave’s company offers mattress retailers a full array of retail guidance; from small store management to training retail sales associates (RSAs.) Dave’s many years of hands-on experience as retail sales associate, store manager, sales manager/trainer and store owner of multiple stores in six different American metropolitan areas uniquely qualifies him as an expert in selling bedding at the retail level.

David is the author of the recently published book, “How to Win the Battle for Mattress Sales, the Bed Seller’s Manual”. This book is the first book to systematically present a complete, organized, but easily read and understood text book for mattress and bedding retail sales associates, beginner and experienced professional alike. It is a complete training course in one 292 page book. The book can be purchased on-line at http://www.bedsellersmanual.com.

He also offers hands-on training classes for retailers on a variety of subjects and issues as well as on-line classes that can be downloaded from the websites mentioned above.

David can be contacted via e-mail at dave@bedsellersmanual.com or in person at 361-648-3775. Email David Benbow

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David Lively

David Lively, partner at The Lively Merchant, has over 20 years hands-on experience in the home furnishings industry, from the warehouse to the sales floor to the boardroom. He has walked the walk and talked the talk from the family-owned, single-site store to the multi-state, multi-million dollar operation; from sales training to computer programming; from warehouse construction and operations to financial management; from new store construction to complete renovation. Twice named to the "Beyond the Top 100" list of independent retailers and 1997 "Ohio Retailer of the Year," David's wisdom was won on the front lines of a furniture store and his battle scars have given him compassion for counseling today's retail warrior. David’s experience has led him to address the issues of the transfer of authority, responsibility and wealth from one furniture store generation to the next. The surviving legacy of your family business depends on your plan for transition, and David has developed a system for helping to identify goals, strengths and opportunities during this crucial time.
Read more of David Lively’s articles for family furniture businesses on the furninfo.com website. You can reach David by calling 740.415.3192 or email him at davidL@furninfo.com. David has offered free phone consultations to any FURNITURE WORLD readers who would like to talk about topics related to family business transition. Email David Lively

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David McMahon

About David McMahon: David McMahon is founder of PerformNOW Inc. PerformNOW has three main products that help home furnishings businesses improve and innovate: Performance Groups (Owners, Sales managers, Operations), PerformNOW CXM (Customer eXperience Management systems and processes), Furniture business consulting. Your can reach David at david@performnow.com.

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Dr. Marilyn Black

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Ellen Gefen

About Ellen Gefen: Ellen Gefen is the co-owner of Gefen Marketing and Gefen Productions, a High Point-based full-service marketing and multimedia company in the home industries. She also founded TheHome.com, a consumer-facing home design and lifestyle site. As part of a multiracial, multicultural family, Gefen knows first-hand the challenges faced by many and is passionate about supporting movements that work to ensure equality for all. Questions or comments can be directed to her at ellen@gefenmarketing.com, or call her at 336.884.5020. Email Ellen Gefen

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Gordon Hecht

About Gordon Hecht: Gordon Hecht is a business growth and development consultant to the retail home furnishings industry. You can reach him at Gordon.hecht@aol.com Email Gordon Hecht

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Hal McClamma

Founder of Integrity Business Coaching, Hal McClamma has over 30-years in the home furnishings, appliance and electronics industry. He has owned successful furniture stores and sleep shops. McClamma has been a distribution center manager, single and multiple store manager and company VP for Havertys Furniture, Barrow Furniture, Maas Brothers, Burdines and Jordan Marsh. Contact Hal at Hal@IntegrityBusinessCoaching.com or call 334.470.9999. Email Hal McClamma

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HFA

A feature about Home Furnishings Association's retail members, legislation affecting the furniture industry and other retail news from HFA.

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Janet Holt-Johnstone

Janet Holt-Johnstone is retail editor at Furniture World Magazine. Email Janet Holt-Johnstone

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Jeff Giagnocavo

About Jeff Giagnocavo: Jeff Giagnocavo is co-owner of the retailer Gardner’s Mattress & More and the co-creator of Mattress Retailer Weekly. Mattress Retailer Weekly is shared with you every week so you can get new customers, stay ahead of your competition and increase your sales tickets. Get your FREE subscription by visiting www.RenegadeMattressRetailer.com or text MRW to 484-303-4300. Email Jeff Giagnocavo

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Jeff Hunt

About the Author: Jeff Hunt is the founder and CEO of a startup called Snap36. Email Jeff Hunt

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Jennifer L. Jacobson

Jennifer L. Jacobson is a PR professional and communications strategist with two decades of experience growing brands stand out in competitive industries. Jennifer delivers outstanding results to brands, startups, and nonprofits who often have limited budgets, time, and resources. For more articles by Jennifer, visit: https://jacobsoncommunication.com/blog.html Email Jennifer L. Jacobson

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Jennifer Magee

About Jennifer Magee: Jennifer Magee is an architect and designer who has over 15 years of experience in the home furnishings industry. She has designed over three million square feet of retail space. Working almost exclusively with furniture and mattress retailers, Magee has an in-depth knowledge of how to layout stores to create better customer flow, improve the way merchandise is presented, and increase sales.

She is the founder and owner of Retail in the City, a boutique design firm offering a full range of retail design services from storefront design to interior design, branding, space planning, visual merchandising, signage, new store concepts and more. Her talented team of architects, interior designers and renderers creates exterior and interior design packages so retailers can become more competitive in their home market or expand into new markets.
For additional information, visit www.retailinthecity.com or contact Jennifer directly at 917-533-4372 or jennifer@retailinthecity.com.

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Jerry Epperson

Wallace W. Epperson, Jr. C.F.A, or “Jerry” to his friends, holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and graduate degree from the College of William & Mary. He is a principal in the investment banking firm Mann, Armistead & Epperson, offering professional corporate financing services to the home furnishings industry.

Mr. Epperson’s publishes a monthly newsletter on the home furnishings industry and conducts larger studies on consumer demographics, housing trends, the economy, shifts in furnishings retailing, imports/exports, styling and on specific product trends. He is a frequent speaker at industry events.

His furniture research, investment clients and state department visits gave him reasons to travel throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Recognition for his work has included the Distinguished Service Award from the AFMA Association, the Pillar of the Industry from IHFRA, being named to the American Furniture Hall of Fame and others. Questions about this article or about any related area can be directed to Jerry at wwe@maeltd.com. Email Jerry Epperson

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Joe Capillo

Joe Capillo is a 41 year career veteran, experienced in managing and consulting with furniture retail operations. He is also a contributing editor for Furniture World Magazine. He is a contributing editor to FURNITURE WORLD and a frequent speaker at industry functions. See all of Joe’s articles on the furninfo.com website.
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Joe Milevsky

About Joe Milevsky: Joe Milevsky, CEO and founder of JRM Sales & Management, Inc., calls on his more than 40 years of industry experience to help hundreds of clients improve the performance of their companies and profit as a result of their business relationships with JRM. Before establishing JRM, Joe held various executive positions with several of the strongest companies in the retail furniture industry. He has authored numerous articles for industry trade publications and he is a regular speaker at national events for the Home Furnishings Association (HFA), Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA), Nationwide Marketing Group, and various other buying groups as well as many other organizations both domestic and international.

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Jon Cheney

Jon Cheney is the CEO and co-founder of Seek, which delivers best-in-class augmented reality content and services to companies all over the world, with a primary focus on web-based AR solutions for retail, e-commerce and education. Email Jon Cheney

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Jordan Davidson

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Karen Florence

Karen Florence is a Certified Professional Coach and founder of Tabula Rasa Coaching, a coaching firm that specializes in transformational coaching for individuals as well as organizations. She works with people who want to explore their lives in a deeper way to create change in their personal, business and spiritual challenges.

Karen has worked with CEO's and high level executives around the world, coaching, mentoring and consulting. She has worked one-on-one with executives from Pierce Global Promotions, Pinnacle Foods, Jaguar Land Rover, The Disney Channel, BBDO Russia, New York Life, The St. Croix Foundation, Volvo Italia, Prudential Life, Intel and The Learning Channel among others.

When working with Karen, clients’ lives change. With her unique way of digging for the truth and finding the answers within her clients, doors open and circumstances change. Karen's keen intuition and curiosity often helps the truth to bubble up in surprising ways, allowing her clients to see themselves as whole and resourceful individuals moving forward into all that is possible.

Questions about this article or related to her consulting practice can be directed to Karen Florence at kfmcmullen@gmail.com, or call 610.228.4145. Email Karen Florence

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Katherine Andes

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Kevin Lawrence

Kevin Lawrence is vice president, sales and marketing for Versatile Credit, the leading provider of in-store, self-service credit application solutions. Email Kevin Lawrence

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Lance Hanish

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Larry Mullins

Larry Mullins is a contributing editor for Furniture World and has 30+ years of experience on the front lines of furniture marketing. Larry’s mainstream executive experience, his creative work with promotion specialists, and mastery of advertising principles have established him as one of the foremost experts in furniture marketing. His affordable High-Impact programs produce legendary results for everything from cash raising events to profitable exit strategies. His newest books, THE METAVALUES BREAKTHROUGH and IMMATURE PEOPLE WITH POWER… How to Handle Them have recently been released by Morgan James Publishing. Joe Girard, “The World’s Greatest Salesman” said of this book: “If I had read Larry Mullins’ book when I started out, I would have reached the top much sooner than I did.” Larry is founder and CEO of UltraSales, Inc. and can be reached directly at 904.794.9212 or at Larrym@furninfo.com. See more articles by Larry at www.furninfo.com or www.ultrasales.com. Email Larry Mullins

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Larry Schneiderman

Larry Schneiderman is the CEO of the six-store Minnesota-based retailer Schneiderman’s Furniture. He sold his first piece of furniture when he was fifteen and has been hooked ever since. Don’t ask him when he’s going to retire—they don’t have a treatment facility equipped for his kind of customer-service addiction. He is the author of the recently published book, “Call Of The Couch: A Family’s Love Affair With It’s Business.” Says Brian Tracy, the best-selling author, entrepreneur, and business development consultant, “This book tells a memorable and rich story of success in business, lessons learned, and the wisdom that every person can apply.”

Comments about this article or questions can be addressed to www.larryschneiderman.com.
Offer for Furniture World Readers: Larry’s book is available for sale through www.larryschneiderman.com with a $5 off coupon for Furniture World Readers. Email Larry Schneiderman

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Lisa Cody

Lisa Cody, VP Marketing, Twin Star Home, has over 25 years of consumer-focused marketing expertise with Fortune 500 companies. Lisa’s focus is leading a consumer-centric team that delivers creative solutions to drive growth for retailers and Twin Star Home, the market leader in electric fireplaces. Email Lisa Cody

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Liz Castells-Heard

Liz Castells-Heard is a 'tell it like it is' strategic thought leader and industry force with a Stanford MBA, finance and psychology training, 37 years of Multicultural, GM and Client experience with hundreds of brands, and unique brand of 'brains, heart and grit' with her analytical acumen, diverse skill-set, energetic style, solid values, and fearlessness. Email Liz Castells-Heard

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Margo DeGange, M.Ed.

Margo DeGange, M.Ed. is a Business Empowerment Coach, and frequent contributor to Furniture World Magazine on retail sales, interior design and marketing topics. She is the creator of the Twelve Step Go Build a Biz Marketing Program (http://www.GoBuildABiz.com) for a Thriving & Profitable Business Fast! Margo is totally committed to your wild success. She’ll mentor & coach you to get crystal clear on your most ideal target client, connect to them with a magnetic marketing message, establish your unique (and empowering ) value position, build trust through amazing offers and information, and close the sale almost effortlessly. Questions about this article can be directed to editor@furninfo.com or Visit www.MargoDeGange.com for products, programs and coaching to put YOU on the map!
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Maria Rummel

Maria Rummel is a client enablement specialist at PERQ, a marketing technology company. PERQ's Marketing Cloud helps power the online to in-store customer experience from start to finish with everything from interactive website experiences to digital sales training and reporting.

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Martin Roberts

About Martin Roberts: Martin Roberts is an internationally known designer and the President of Martin Roberts Design, LLC, an award-winning team of retail consultants, architects, industrial, interior and graphic designers. Martin Roberts Design has been a leading influence in guiding the home industry’s visual merchandising, branding and re-branding concepts for which their expertise has placed them at the forefront of the retail design industry. Over the past 50 years Martin has worked worldwide for many of the best-known brands from Cartier to Wal-Mart. Martin Roberts Design employs an integrated design approach to developing and executing brand-focused retail solutions that meets the needs and goals of the individual client DNA. Questions can be directed to him at martin@mrobertsdesign.com or call 212-365-4809. Email Martin Roberts

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Matt Stewart

Matt Stewart is co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com), which provides real-world business experience for thousands of college students each year. The award-winning program also offers high-quality house-painting services for homeowners. Email Matt Stewart

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Matthew Carroll

About Matthew Carroll: Matthew Carroll is president and CEO of Ignition Commerce, responsible for corporate strategy, product positioning, marketing, business development, and the management of all strategic relationships including technology providers Salesforce Commerce Cloud (formerly Demandware) and Oracle Commerce (formerly ATG). Prior to the founding of Ignition Commerce in 2007, Carroll served as SVP of Business Development for Accretive Commerce where he determined strategy for general and client specific business acquisitions and managed new client sales cycles. Carroll has spent the entire 30 + years of his professional life working within the retail and apparel industries, and the past 20 focused on providing eCommerce solutions, services, and infrastructure for retailers and branded manufacturers.
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Matthew Mack

Matthew Mack is a Senior Marketing SEO Content Writer for Snap Finance and has been a contributor to Furniture World Magazine, and AutoLink Magazine. To connect with Matt, visit www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdmack

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Melissa Galt

Melissa Galt is a sales generating, referral building, relationship maker who doesn’t just show you and your design team what to do, but leads you through a remarkable experience that will forever change how you do business. You’ll be able to ditch the clichéd sales speak and been-there-done-that strategies that haven’t been working and step into genuine engagement that gets rave results.

Melissa is your resource for increasing sales by design. Schedule an in-depth discovery session today. The insights you’ll gain will provide immediate clarity, confidence, and opportunity.
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Melody Doering

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Michael Greene

Michael Green a.k.a. Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90 is a former furniture retailer, author, playwright and past contributor to a well known furniture news publication. He currently writes a weekly column for Furniture World’s e-newsmagazine (subscribe by going to www.furninfo.com). Got a question? Got a comment? Great!! E-mail: grandpamike-e-e!@furninfo.com And, see the new YouTube music video staring Grandpa Mike-e-e! with his granddaughter Becca in a supporting role at http://bitly.com/qALkrX.

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Mike Magnuson

About Mike Magnuson and GoodBed.com

Magnuson is the founder and CEO of GoodBed.com, a leading online research destination for mattress shoppers. Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received his MBA from Stanford University. GoodBed recently created a low-cost Local Discovery Program specifically for brick-and-mortar retailers, through which participating stores can be found by nearby shoppers who are seeking recommendations, wanting to try a given product or looking for the right store to visit.

Questions about this article or any topic related to bedding sales and marketing can be directed to him at www.goodbed.com/contact.

This article was adapted from episode three of the ‘Mike It Up’ podcast (www.mikeitup.com). Listen to Mike It Up wherever you get your favorite podcasts. More details can be found at mikeitup.com and goodbed.com.

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Mike Petersen

About Mike Petersen: Dr. Mike Petersen is the president and co-founder of The Furniture Training Company (FTC). Mike's extensive educational background in learning and teaching is why FTC is able to create instruction that actually changes behavior and improves sales success.

About The Furniture Training Company: Designed to improve sales success, the Furniture Training Company's online sales training program has been used in more than 1,000 retail locations by over 30,000 salespeople. FTC is the creator of custom sales training for such notable companies as Klaussner, Cozzia, Guardsman, and O.W. Lee.

Mike Petersen can be reached by calling 866-755-5996 or emailing mikep@furnituretraining
company.com.

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Mike Rittler

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Mike Root

Mike Root is President of Furniture Sales of Mid-America (www.furnituresales.biz), a furniture wholesale and rep company in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states. His perspective is one of a third generation furniture guy who has been involved in many aspects of the furniture business including furniture retail, wholesale and rental. Mike has his finger on the pulse of the industry by serving on the Executive Committee of the International Home Furnishings Representative’s Association (IHFRA) as well as the CQRID Advisory Board of the Interior Design Society.

Mike has been recognized by the Small Business Administration, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and numerous national furniture factories for sales and marketing excellence. Mike helps furniture retailers and factories through his company, Get Customers Right Now build their sales through the use of low cost and no cost direct response marketing strategies including online marketing and social media. If you have questions about this article or other marketing topics, email mroot@furninfo.com or visit www.MikeRoot.com. Email Mike Root

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Monica Tucker

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Monte Lee

Monte Lee is a Regional Manager for Service Lamp Corporation, a distributor of lighting products such as fixtures, bulbs, plus lighting consulting and design services for retailers. Inquiries on any aspect of furniture store lighting can be sent to Monte care of FURNITURE WORLD at mlee@furninfo.com. See all of Monte Lee’s articles on store lighting posted to the Operations Management article archives on the furninfo.com website. Email Monte Lee

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Nic Ledoux

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of Smith Leonard PLLC

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Pam Danziger

About Pam Danziger: Pamela N. Danziger is an internationally recognized expert specializing in consumer insights for marketers targeting the affluent consumer segment. She is president of Unity Marketing, a boutique marketing consulting firm she founded in 1992 where she leads with research to provide brands with actionable insights into the minds of their most profitable customers.

She is also a founding partner in Retail Rescue, a firm that provides retailers with advice, mentoring and support in Marketing, Management, Merchandising, Operations, Service and Selling.

A prolific writer, she is the author of eight books including Shops that POP! 7 Steps to Extraordinary Retail Success, written about and for independent retailers. She is a contributor to The Robin Report and Forbes.com. Pam is frequently called on to share new insights with audiences and business leaders all over the world. Contact her at pam@unitymarketingonline.com.
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Paula Fogarty

AA Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wofford College and art history honors M.A. graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Paula S. Fogarty’s professional career has focused on upper-level management in marketing, design, finance, and operations. As President of Kindel Furniture Company, Paula innovated product lines and streamlined operations for greater profitability.

As owner of her own marketing and strategic consulting firm, Paula Scott Unlimited, Paula assists both established brands and start-ups in creating consistent communications across all channels. She is currently developing furniture collections that address the needs of the female consumer.

Currently a freelance writer, Paula’s blog for Metropolis Magazine follows her book research on the role of women in the American furniture industry. She has written for Chair Culture, Connect Savannah, and served as Managing Editor for South magazine Paula has served as Board Chair of the Irish Georgian Society, The Center for Environmental Study, and The David Wolcott Kendall Memorial Foundation. She is a current board member of the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library, American Society of Furniture Designers, Rape Crisis Center of Savannah, Coastal Jazz Association, and Emergent Structures. She lives in Savannah with her Jack Russell Terrier, Charles. Email Paula Fogarty

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Peter A. Marino

Corporate trainer, educator and speaker Dr. Peter A. Marino has written extensively on sales training techniques and their furniture retailing applications. Scores of his articles are posted to the "Sales Skill Index" on furninfo.com. He is available for in-store training, and speaking.
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Peter Palmer

Peter Palmer is a sleep expert with over 15 years of experience in the field, and his mission is to find the perfect recipe for a restful sleep. He also collaborates with Topmattress.com in a desire to educate people about the importance of high-quality mattresses for a good night’s sleep. Email Peter Palmer

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Peter Schlosser

Peter Schlosser is a backend furniture consultant based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His focus is repair, quality control, exceptional customer service, and all things operational. He is a contributing editor to Furniture World. To see all his articles Click Here. Questions on any aspect of this article or furniture repair can be directed to Peter Schlossser at pschlosser@furninfo.com.

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Ray Allegrezza

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Ray Morefield

Ray Morefield has been affiliated with leading corporations in the housewares, hardware and coatings industries. He has also served other industries in an advisory capacity through Common Goals, Inc. Questions or comments can be sent to him by emailing editor@furninfo.com.

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Rene´Johnston-Gingrich

About René Johnston-Gingrich: René Johnston-Gingrich is Vice President of Training Development for the Profitability Consulting Group, delivering programs such as Design Trac: Design Skills for Retail Sales People and Sales Trac III: In Home Selling. René has owned and operated an interior design firm for 17 years and now works with organizations to ensure they have the best possible team environment.

René served as a regular columnist for The Lewiston Tribune Business Profile and is an adjunct faculty member of Lewis-Clark State College’s Business Division. René has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Planning and Design and a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. She can be contacted at reneg@profitabilityconsulting.com.

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Rimma Kats

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Russell Bienenstock

Russell Bienenstock is Editor-in-Chief of Furniture World Magazine, founded 1870. Comments can be directed to him at editor@furninfo.com. Email Russell Bienenstock

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Scott Hill

Scott Hill is the Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, PERQ Email Scott Hill

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Scott Morris

About Scott Morris

Scott Morris worked for the four largest furniture retail chains in America as a store manager and sales trainer. He is the owner of HSM Publishing. His mission is to stop the high sales associate turnover rate within the furniture industry. He has written and published six books on various topics, in addition to the “Sales Questions” laminate, and designed and produced the advanced level sales training course titled “The Best Furniture Sales Training Ever!!!” He also produced 12 insightful customer “handouts” designed to bring back the “75 percent who leave without buying.” Questions about this article or any aspect of sales education can be directed to him at hsm7777@att.net or visit TheBestFurnitureSalesEver.com.

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Scott P. Shaw

About Scott P. Shaw

National intellectual property (IP) attorney Scott P. Shaw specializes in litigation and licensing within the furniture manufacturing and retail industry—from design and technology to eCommerce and counterfeiting. He is the Managing Partner of Merchant & Gould’s Los Angeles office. As an experienced IP trial attorney, Scott focuses his practice on litigation, supporting clients in protecting their IP and defending against infringement allegations. His experience includes matters involving copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, patents, trade secrets, false advertising, unfair competition, contract and licensing, and class actions. Throughout his career, Scott has handled numerous lawsuits from inception through trial, including many trials as the first-chair lead trial attorney. He can be reached at sshaw@merchantgould.com or 949.330.0202.

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Smith Leonard PLLC

Founded in 1930 by BDO Seidman, LLP, the High Point, North Carolina practice was acquired by four individuals who have spent the majority of their 100+ year careers building the existing practice. Beginning January 1, 2007, Smith Leonard PLLC became an independent member of the BDO Seidman Alliance. Partners are Ken Smith, Darlene Leonard, Jon Glazman and Mark Bulmer. Among the firm's 32 employees are 18 CPAs.

Smith Leonard has an extensive network of international relationships that helps service their clients’ needs throughout the world with locations in Asia, Europe, South America, Mexico and Canada. These companies range in revenue size of $2 million to $300 million.

Many of its clients are either furniture manufacturers, distributors or suppliers to the furniture industry. Smith Leonard also services companies in retail, transportation, insurance, not-for-profit entities and employee benefit plans. Smith Leonard offers a full range of accounting and consulting services including audits, compilations, reviews, tax planning and compliance. The partners and staff of Smith Leonard also assists clients in mergers, acquisitions, business consulting, cash flow projections, and tax outsourcing. Individual clients benefit from extensive experience in family wealth services including estate tax planning.

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Steen Knigge

Steen Knigge, originally from Denmark, immigrated to the United States back in 2003. He is currently Head of Marketing for BoConcept Americas. With a long and successful track record in marketing (Procter & Gamble, Gillette, FilmNet), advertising (Lowe & Partners), Steen also has a solid entrepreneurial experience from creating both a Marketing Consultant agency as well as a successful Scandinavian Lifestyle retail business in New York City. Currently residing in Jersey City, NJ, Steen is a proud father of a budding high-schooler, Nyasha.
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Stephen J Wisocky

Stephen J. Wisocky, Home Furnishings Insurance Group President, has over 30 years of experience as a property and casualty insurance broker. He began with the home furnishings industry in 1986.
In January 2004 Stephen created HFIG whose mission is exceptional service to the home furnishings industry with the most competitive and comprehensive insurance products.

For many years Stephen has been the trusted insurance advisor for National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA), International Home Furnishings Representatives Association (IHFRA), Interior Design Society (IDS) and Tri-State Home Furnishings Association (TSHFA). In 2011 he was named a Dean of IHFRA, and earlier received from TSHFA their President’s Award. Both honors were given in recognition of his accomplishments and dedication to the home furnishings industry.

Questions about this article or any insurance related topic or issue can be directed to Steve at 610-366-0105 or email stevew@furninfo.com. Email Stephen J Wisocky

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Over 151 Years of Service to the Furniture Industry