Hooker Furniture realigns management at Sam Moore division

Reassigns one executive, eliminates three positions

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, May 28, 2009

BEDFORD, Va. — Hooker Furniture has reassigned one executive in its Sam Moore division and is eliminating three positions at the upholstery manufacturer, the company announced today.

Steve Shelor, who had been vice president of supply chain, will assume the new position of vice president - operations and general manager of Sam Moore. All operational departments will report through him, and Shelor will report to Alan Cole, president of Hooker Furniture Upholstery.

Positions that have been eliminated are vice president of finance, which was held by Gary Brumfield, and vice president - information technology, held by Roger Gossler. In addition, Charles Boley, plant manager, will retire June 15 after 24 years with the company and will not be replaced.

Sales and merchandising at Sam Moore will continue to report to Frank Richardson, vice president of sales, who reports to Cole.

"This realignment of our costs and overhead based on current and anticipated business levels will help us to be a more efficient and responsive organization, with all operating functions reporting to one individual," said Cole. He said the new reporting structure will help the company be "totally focused on service and quality, to speed up our customer response time and delivery time."

Cole added that the cost reductions at Sam Moore, and at Hooker's Bradington-Young upholstery division last summer, are "an important step toward ensuring that Hooker Furniture's Upholstery Division is a vibrant, preferred vendor in the industry for years to come."