Young America, Stanley Furniture Company’s brand of infant and youth furniture, formally announced the company’s commitment to consumers and retailers to be the most trusted name in infant and youth furniture.
Using this year’s ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas as its venue, the company plans to introduce a new generation of the Young America brand – this one backed by a lasting promise to its customers to be “the brand you can trust.”
“Today’s infant and youth furniture consumer is looking for more than style, quality and service,” said Glenn Prillaman, Stanley Furniture’s President and COO. “She wants to be able to justify her investment in a premium brand. That’s what the new Young America intends to do.”
According to Prillaman, the goal is now to differentiate the brand in the marketplace, to redefine Young America as a brand that pulls consumers into retailers’ stores. “We want Young America – the brand and the products – to stand for something that you can only get here. That’s our promise. And we’re asking retailers and consumers to trust Young America to deliver on our promise,” added Prillaman.
To deliver the promise of “trust” to its consumers, Young America will rely on four fundamental components – choice, safety, green and quality.
Young America will be the industry’s leader in color and choice. Using a unique combination of paints, techniques and effects, Young America will offer its consumers a total of 60 finish options – 70% more finish options than ever before.
“Customization has been a major focus since we introduced the myHaven group back in 2006,” said Kevin Walker, Vice President of Product Development for Young America.
“Based on the success of myHaven and Stanley’s Coastal Living collection on the adult side of the business, we felt confident that color and finish options would be the ideal complement to Young America’s already wide range of styles.”
The company also plans to offer its new color customization capabilities without significant price premiums or delivery delays for its customers. According to Mr. Walker, offering a combination of superior, customized product and speedy delivery has eliminated the need for retailers to inventory Young America product. “The only product investment a retailer has to make is in his floor samples. Those savings benefit the retailer and, ultimately, should find their way to the consumer.”
In addition to an unprecedented array of finish options available, Young America is also committed to be the safest furniture in the infant and youth market.
“In our minds, this promise is comprised of two critical components – product safety and the health of the child,” said Cristina Loth, Stanley Furniture Company’s Vice President of Engineering Services.
In terms of product safety, Young America, like every company in the infant and youth furniture industry, adheres to the same, mandatory governmental standards as set forth by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). “But that’s where our similarities to the other brands end,” said Loth.
According to Ms. Loth, over the years Young America has become actively involved with governmental agencies like the CPSC and voluntary product safety organizations like the American Society of Testing and Materials, or ASTM, agencies that are instrumental in setting industry safety standards.
Young America promises to push for, not fight against increased regulation and tougher, more stringent standards in product safety. “Rather than wait for new legislation to be introduced by the industry’s governing bodies, Young America will implement safety standards into its manufacturing and engineering process before they become law,” said Loth.
In fact, Young America has pledged to create and publish its own branded set of safety standards designed to surpass the most stringent mandatory and voluntary product safety guidelines. “We hope to set an example that all other brands in the industry can follow. Our goal is to improve the safety of all children, regardless of which furniture brand a consumer decides to purchase,” said Loth.
In tandem with product safety, the new Young America will devote resources to the health of the children who use its products. Specifically, the company has taken steps to improve indoor air quality.
According to the GREENGUARD® Environmental Institute (GEI), an industry-independent leader in certifying products for low chemical emissions, children typically spend 85 percent of their time indoors, where the air may be two-to-five times more polluted than the outdoor air. As a result, children face short and long-term health risks from the indoor air pollution caused by chemicals released from the everyday products in homes including furnishings, electronics, appliances and cleaners.
In response, Young America has taken measures to ensure that all of its cribs are GREENGUARD Certified. Products which receive the GREENGUARD Children and SchoolsSM certified mark have been independently tested and meet the most rigorous chemical emissions standards in the world.
According to Cristina Loth, Young America intends to obtain GREENGUARD Children and Schools certification for all of the products it manufactures. “When it comes to indoor air quality,
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute represents the best in class,” said Loth. “That’s the caliber of health and safety that we want associated with Young America products.”
Young America is also more environmentally conscious and responsible. “This is a part of the way we have always done business,” said Loth. “If you’re not constantly reducing your footprint and staying ahead of new regulations, you’re already behind. Now we are taking our approach to environmental stewardship a step further. We will aim to improve the environment around our products – not only in the town where our furniture is made but in the child’s room where he or she interacts with Young America products.”
Quality represents the fourth part of the new commitment Young America is making. The company says it is striving to insure that every product will be delivered to its customer ready to be used.
“If you’re asking for a premium price, you have to deliver a premium product,” said Steve Bullock, Stanley Furniture’s Executive Vice President of Operations. The new Young America guarantees its quality against manufacturing defects for five years, a five-time increase in its warranty. “Using a series of specification upgrades and changes as well as a newly engineered packaging model, we’ll be able to guarantee that retailers can deliver our furniture directly to the consumer’s front door,” added Bullock.
There is one common thread that binds Young America’s four promises together, making each entirely attainable, said Glenn Prillaman. “All of Young America products will be made in the U.S.”
“This will clearly distinguish Young America from its competitors,” Prillaman said. “We have re-positioned the brand as one that offers unprecedented choice, unsurpassed safety, unwavering environmental commitment and unmatched quality.”
In the end, Prillaman adds, the only way Young America could make good on these promises was to regain control of the entire production process. Ultimately, the decision was made to bring everything back to the company’s facilities in Robbinsville, N.C. and Stanleytown, Va. – from sourcing raw materials to finishing and shipping furniture.
“Domestic manufacturing is the nerve center of Young America’s four-part promise to its retailers and its consumers,” said Prillaman. “By taking advantage of our 85-year heritage as an American manufacturer, we can offer more than the products we make.
We feel confident that the entire package will position Young America as a powerful consumer brand and enable us to lead the industry for years to come.”
For more information about the new Young America, visit yamadeinusa.com.