WithIt Announces “Broken Ceilings: Lessons from The Top” Education Breakfast in October
Furniture World News Desk on
10/3/2022
Pictured clockwise from top left: Caroline Hipple – President, Norwalk Furniture, Melinda Whittington – President & CEO, La-Z-Boy, Inc., Maria Mullen – President, Hubbardton Forge, and Laurie Tokarz – President, Restonic Mattress Corp.
WithIt (Women In The Home Furnishings Industry Today) announces “Broken Ceilings: Lessons From the Top” – the organization’s fall educational breakfast being held during High Point Furniture Market, October 23rd, 2022. The event features an all-star panel of women who have made it to the top in the home furnishings industry:
- Caroline Hipple – President, Norwalk Furniture
- Melinda Whittington – President & CEO, La-Z-Boy, Inc.
- Laurie Tokarz – President, Restonic Mattress Corp.
- Maria Mullen – President, Hubbardton Forge
WithIt’s bi-annual educational breakfasts are always popular events during High Point Furniture Market, and October’s event will most likely host a sold-out crowd. The event presented by Myriad Software, also a women-led company, will take place Sunday, Oct. 23rd from 7:30 am – 9:00 am in the IHFC, Green Wing, International ballroom. Membership is not required to attend. For more information and tickets, go to: www.withit.org.
Norwalk Furniture President, Caroline Hipple, will be the panel moderator. Describing the theme of the panel, she states, “When I was working on WithIt’s first board of directors 25 years ago, our goal was to move the needle on women leading major companies in the home furnishings industry. We hoped to ‘break the glass ceiling’ in all levels of organizations by offering our members leadership opportunities. I’m thrilled to sit down with these incredible women to discuss our journeys on the way to the top of our companies and what we’ve learned along the way. We want to inspire the next generation of leaders to reach higher than they dreamed they could.”
The panelists will discuss topics such as: visionary leadership; leadership principles; core values around leadership; and being a change agent. In true WithIt style, the discussions will be authentic and relatable.
“WithIt is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the honor of hosting a panel of women of such stature in our industry confirms the importance of the mission of our organization,” states WithIt’s executive director, Amy Van Dorp. “The panelists represent many different areas within the home and furnishings industry. So, whether you’re an interior designer, an entrepreneur, retailer, or you’re in the corporate world, we promise, you will be engaged, educated and inspired.”
In addition to presenting sponsor Myriad Software, supporting sponsors of the education breakfast include Durham Furniture and AICO Amini Innovation Corporation, leading companies who believe that the education and development of women builds the C-suite pipeline. Table sponsorships which include eight tickets are still available. Contact Cathy Smith, WithIt’s Development Director at devdirector@withit.org.
About WithIt
WithIt was formed in 1997 for women in the home and furnishings industries in order to support their multi-dimensional career paths. The non-profit network is based in North Carolina and supported by leading companies across the industry including their Vision and Platinum sponsors: International Market Centers, J.B. Hunt Transport, Myriad Software and Stressless. WithIt’s purpose is to encourage and develop leadership, mentoring, education and networking opportunities for professional women in the home and furnishings industries.