La-Z-Boy celebrates 75 years
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, December 1, 2002
High Point — Nearly 1,000 La-Z-Boy dealers, supplier partners and employees celebrated the company's 75th anniversary at a black-tie gala during the October market.
"This party was our way of saying 'thank you' to our valued customers and business partners," said Gerald L. Kiser, president and chief executive officer of La-Z-Boy Inc. "This company was built from the ground up on the ideas of quality and comfort, and we look forward to continuing those traditions through the next 75 years."
North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley proclaimed Oct. 17 as "La-Z-Boy Day."
"This anniversary represents a very significant milestone for La-Z-Boy and it was only fitting that we celebrated it in the furniture capital of the world," said Pat Norton, chairman of La-Z-Boy.
"We are very proud of our rich heritage and our contributions to the furniture industry, and we are pleased to celebrate our accomplishments with the partners that have helped us get to where we are," he said.
La-Z-Boy was founded in Monroe, Mich., in 1927 by cousins Edward M. Knabusch and Edwin J. Shoemaker, who used orange crates to mock up and refine their reclining mechanism. Following a customer's advice, they upholstered their design and arrived at the La-Z-Boy name after a contest yielded suggestions such as Sit-N-Snooze, Slack-Back and Comfort Carrier.
Today, the company generates annual sales in excess of $2 billion and employees nearly 18,000 people worldwide. Divisions include Alexvale, American Drew, American of Martinsville, Bauhaus, Centurion, Clayton Marcus, England, Hammary, Kincaid, La-Z-Boy, La-Z-Boy Contract Furniture Group, Lea, Pennsylvania House and Sam Moore.
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