Cathy Finney, effervescent sales educator, motivator, management consultant and longtime contributing editor to FURNITURE WORLD Magazine died on June 8th after a long struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. She was 59 years old.
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.
Toward this end she advised them to say, “I’m here to assist you and save you time.” “I want to establish a long-term relationship with you.” I’m here to make this process easy, painless, and fun!”
Not only inspiring in her work with clients, Cathy was also a positive personal example to everyone who met her. Frank Goldoni, Vice President, Luxe Home, LLC said, “Cathy was a wonderful person, inspired hundreds, if not thousands, both in our industry and through her work with the MS Society. She was a good friend and I will miss her greatly.”
Greg Wyers, President of Luxe Home, LLC added, “Cathy did countless training sessions for my stores and we always experienced a great surge in sales after each one. She had a way of inspiring people which only increased after she was diagnosed with MS which, as I said, she defined as Must Succeed.”
“I was surprised when I met Cathy for the first time in person,” said Russell Bienenstock, FURNITURE WORLD Magazine’s editor. “The power conveyed by her voice, her enthusiasm and energy suggested that she was a giant of a person. She was, in fact, a dynamo in a tiny physical package. Her attitude in confronting her MS was reflected in her advice to FURNITURE WORLD readers. She asked them to be fearless, get out from behind the ‘Fort’, tell Ethel who they are, how they work and what they expect Ethel to do for them.”
Cathy 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.
Editor’s Note: At this time we are waiting for more information from friends and family members regarding Cathy’s life and will ad information here as it arrives. Those wishing to make a contribution in Cathy’s name can send it to the MS Society, Central Pennsylvania Chapter, 2040 Linglestown Rd., Ste. 104, Harrisburg, PA 17110, Phone: 717-652-2108.
For those of you not familiar with Cathy's work can see much of it posted to the news section of the furninfo.com website. A list of posted articles can be found in the author article index on the furninfo.com website at http://furninfo.com/Authors/List