Waterford returns to High Point
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, April 18, 2004
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Waterford Furniture Makers, a high-end specialist in solid walnut and cherry bedroom, dining room and occasional furniture, is returning to the High Point market this April for the first time since October 2000.
Lumber company Taylor Ramsey Corp. launched Waterford 18 years ago, selling it two years ago to Maynard Austin, president and CEO and a retired U.S. Army colonel, and Larry Hunter, chief operating and financial officer, with a background in wood technology, engineering and accounting.
Last year, Waterford consolidated production in a new 79,000-square-foot plant here from a two-building facility in the city. At market, it shows at 214 E. Kivett Dr.
Lynn Siemer, a longtime Broyhill executive, joined Waterford in November as sales manager and set to work building a sales force. The company now has representation in Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.
"We'd like to open Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee by the end of the year," Siemer said.
The Waterford line, 100% U.S.-made, includes 140 SKUs, all available in cherry or walnut. Finishes include four cherry and five walnut, with five hardware options, in polished or antiqued finish.
Beds retail from $3,000 to $6,000, chinas from $8,000 to $10,000. Waterford employs 34 workers, who hand-assemble and finish furniture to order from a parts inventory. Lead times are six to 12 weeks.
Siemer said there's a demand for Waterford's furniture. "I've been here 90 days, and I've gotten phone calls from 32 states from people who own a piece of Waterford and want to know where they can buy it," he said.
Austin met the owners of Taylor Ramsey when the company was a supplier to Fort Pickett, the Nottoway County base in Virginia where Austin was commander.
"My interest in furniture started a long time ago," he said. "I used to buy and restore old furniture, and I continued that while I was in the army."
After retiring from the service, Austin spent 10 years in economic development and industrial recruiting in Nottoway County. After one of the Taylor Ramsey owners died, the company decided to sell Waterford, which it had used largely to show off the fine qualities of its lumber.
"I'd seen Waterford furniture long before I bought it, and I'd always admired its quality," Austin said. "We're taking it more commercial, trying to broaden our market and expand the line."
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