2018 Sales Rep of the Year and Manufacturer of the Year Finalists Named

Furniture World News Desk on 9/17/2018

The International Casual Furnishings Association recently announced finalists for the 2018 Sales Representative of the Year.

The award recognizes an outstanding sales representative within the casual furnishings industry. Finalists were selected based on leadership, professionalism, exceptional service, communication skills, knowledge and product training expertise.

The 2018 winner will be selected from among the five finalists through online voting of the ICFA membership. Finalists include:
       
Andy Hamilton, Dallas
Andy is president of Andy Hamilton DSA and a third-generation sales representative following his grandfather and parents. After graduating from Texas A&M in 1997, he took an outside sales rep job and joined his mother and stepfather in late 1998. Andy now partners with his stepbrother, Steven Dennis, who joined in 2003. As business grew in their nine-state territory, the firm added a third representative, Blake McElroy in 2013, and currently handles Breezesta, Ebel, Elaine Smith, Hanamint, Alu-mont and Treasure Garden. Andy is a member of the ICFA Sales Representative Council.

Ed Hatton, Lexington, Ky.
Ed is president of Hatton & Associates. He began working in the retail side of the outdoor furnishings business in South Florida at Babbo’s Imports, and later worked for Porch & Patio and Carls Patio. In 2006, he returned to his home state of Kentucky and became a sales representative for Lloyd Flanders and Classic Cushion in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. His Lloyd Flanders territory has grown to include Indiana and Illinois.

Dave Hunt, Churchville, N.Y.
Dave is president of Hunt Sales Associates and started in the furniture business in 1975 when he ran La-Z-Boy Showcase Shoppes for a few years before becoming a minority owner of dinette specialty stores for a couple of years. In the early 80’s, he left the retail arena to become a rep for Samsonite and has represented outdoor lines ever since. He currently covers New York, Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio. Dave has carried Lloyd Flanders and Treasure Garden for over 30 years and represents Homecrest and Breezesta.

Billy Markowitz, Tustin, Calif.
Billy is the president of W.R. Markowitz Enterprises. He started in the industry in 1996 as a sales rep for Brown Jordan’s contract division in Southern California, later transferring to the residential side. In 2001, he joined his father in a partnership representing Woodard Furniture in Southern California and Arizona. Five years later, Billy returned to Brown Jordan and expanded his territory to include Northern California in 2009. He added Tropitone Furniture in 2014.

Carmen Squadrito, Wake Forest, N.C.
Carmen’s 18-year career in outdoor furniture started in 2000 in the retail division of Summer Classics. He worked his way up to sales representative from 2006-2016 covering North Carolina and South Carolina. In 2016, he became an independent sales representative for Castelle, Gloster and Southern Home. He carries the three lines in North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as Gloster in Georgia.

2018 Manufacturer of the Year Award

In addition to the Sales Reps, manufacturers of outdoor furnishings have been named finalists for the International Casual Furnishings Association’s 2018 Manufacturer of the Year Award.  

The five companies were selected for ICFA’s Manufacturer Leadership Award after online voting in August among ICFA’s membership. The honorees include: Brown Jordan, Gloster, Lloyd Flanders, O.W. Lee and Telescope Casual Furniture.

The finalists were selected based on the overall design and quality of their products, along with their merchandising, customer service, ethics, communications and trade relations. Company profiles of the finalists were distributed to ICFA members for a second round of voting, and the company with the most votes will be announced at the ICFA Awards Gala on Thursday, September 27, at the Swissotel Chicago.
    
ICFA Executive Director Jackie Hirschhaut noted that this year’s selection process was modified from previous years to follow the procedures in effect for the Apollo and Sales Representative of the Year Awards. “The Board of Directors last October approved a recommendation from our Awards Committee to duplicate the method in place for showcasing five finalists like the other two awards,” she said.

The September 27 awards gala will bring together all segments of the outdoor furnishings industry to recognize and celebrate top retail stores, manufacturers and sales representatives. Products receiving the industry’s Design Excellence Awards will be spotlighted, along with the two Lilly Awards for Outdoor Furniture and Outdoor Accents, plus the Lillian B. Winchester “Best of Show” design award.

More about the ICFA: The International Casual Furnishings Association, based in High Point, N.C., represents manufacturers, retailers, sales representatives and designers of outdoor furnishings plus suppliers to the industry.