Lane's legendary leaders and the realities of today
By Jerry Epperson -- Furniture Today, September 30, 2001
The closing of Lane's remaining three domestic wood factories woke up many people to the realities of our time. To those of us who have worked with various Lane executives over several decades, it is difficult to discuss this without emotion.
I met Ed Lane in the 1960s. My late father was a conductor on the railroad that serviced many furniture factories and other industries between Crewe and Roanoke, Va. Dad could tell you how good business was based on the need for boxcars. Mr. Lane occasionally rode the train with my father to Roanoke. It was this contact that allowed me to study furniture in undergraduate and graduate school, and get my first job as a furniture analyst. Obviously, my ties to Lane go back a long ways.
They taught me many lessons. Mr. Lane said he liked the cedar chest business because it did not require taking styling risks; you just made chests that matched what the case goods manufacturers were selling. When the company bought recliner specialist Action Inds., he pointed out a parallel with cedar chests: They just made recliners to co-ordinate with the stationary upholstery that was selling. When asked why he chose Action, a company then only two or three years old, he said it had the best people. That proved true and taught me a valuable lesson.
Think of the other unique personalities from Lane. No one who ever met Hamp Powell could forget him. He was a true gentleman, yet a fierce competitor, and a believer that our industry could and should do better. He set a high standard and recognized few excuses. He believed that where you received your education was less important than what you did with it. He said that one year of college should equal two of work experience. And no matter how early you got to a meeting, Hamp was already there and working. Many respected Hamp but none more than Stuart Moore and B.B. Lane, who followed him in running Lane.
I believe the company has a spirit and heritage that will remain regardless of where its product is manufactured.
In the decade ahead,our industry will use many strategies to meet consumers' needs while competing in a global economy. Some look a lot easier than they are, like vertical integration or short-cycle manufacturing. Going offshore also sounds easy, but when you have to warehouse large quantities the advantage can lessen, even if the quality is perfect.
We believe brands will be increasingly important, and Lane was a pioneer when it began a national consumer advertising program about 70 years ago. I hope the company will be alive and successful for many decades to come.
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