Over 154 Years of Service to the Furniture Industry
Furniture World Logo

American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Elects New Officers and Board Members

Furniture World News Desk on 1/29/2021

Caroline Hipple, president, Norwalk Furniture, has been elected the Board President.
Caroline Hipple, president, Norwalk Furniture, has been elected the Board President.

The Board of Directors of the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Inc. has elected new officers and board members for 2021, including the Foundation’s first female Board president.

Caroline Hipple, president, Norwalk Furniture, has been elected the Board president; Scott Eckman, executive vice president and Chief Revenue Officer of International Market Centers, first vice president; Tyson Hagale, President-Furniture Hardware Division, Leggett & Platt, second vice president; and, David Gebhart, CEO, Global Views, secretary-treasurer. Martin Ploy, president, AICO/Amini Innovation Corp, will continue to serve on the executive committee as Board chairman.

New directors are Michael Faus, senior vice president of Carpenter Company; Jeremy Hoff, CEO of Hooker Furniture; and Steve Rusing, President of U.S. Sales, Tempur Sealy International.

“The vision for the Hall of Fame building is really threefold: First, to create a home for our $150 billion industry where we can gather for activities and create engagement; second, to be a symbol for leadership, innovation and excellence, just as our inductees are; and, third, to be a place where our story is told to us and to the whole world,” says Caroline Hipple, Foundation president.  “It’s going to be a living space to celebrate our industry. It will be engaging and interactive.  Through this engagement, it will become a hub of discovery for our industry and a celebration of our industry.”

Re-elected members serving an additional three-year term are Andy Bernstein, Founder & CEO, FurnitureDealer.Net; Irv Blumkin, CEO, Nebraska Furniture Mart; and Janet Guy, President, Prestige Arts & Art Trends.

A privilege of membership in the Foundation is to nominate candidates for consideration for induction into the Hall of Fame, which closes on Feb. 15. Foundation membership is open to all home furnishings industry companies, organizations and individuals that do business in the United States.  Memberships are available at various levels. To join, visit homefurnishingshalloffame.com.  Checks may be made payable to American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Inc. and sent to 202 Neal Place, Suite 101, High Point, N.C. 27262.

About The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc.: The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, is an industry-wide organization founded to preserve its history, to celebrate exceptional individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the U.S. home furnishings industry, and to inspire a new class of innovation and leadership. Membership includes eligibility to nominate candidates for consideration by the Selection Committee, and the opportunity to help preserve the history and heritage of the industry.  As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, 92 percent of all funds support our history and leadership programming. The organization currently is based in High Point, North Carolina, at 202 Neal Place, Suite 101, and can be reached at 336.882.5900. Watch for ongoing developments and details about the grand opening of a new permanent home, which is targeted for opening in 2022.