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Fire destroys Whitaker office facilities

Susan M. Andrews -- Furniture Today, January 29, 2006

Searcy, Ark. — Manufacturer Whitaker Furniture has shut down after a suspicious fire on Jan. 21 that destroyed its offices and some inventory. There were no injuries.

The Searcy fire department is investigating the fire, said Robin Connell, office manager for Whitaker, located about an hour from Little Rock.

"We think it was arson because there were at least eight separate fires set in different places in all four buildings," she said. "Our computer system is completely gone and we'll have to rebuild the offices, of course. There was very little damage to the production areas, but some inventory was lost."

Connell, whose father, Bob Thompson, has owned Whit-aker Furniture for about 25 years, said a tentative date of Feb. 26 has been set to bring employees back to work, subject to the status of the investigation. Connell's husband, Patrick Connell, is general manager.

Whitaker, which was founded in the 1970s, has about 85 employees and makes midpriced to high-end tables, chairs and barstools for customers that include Havertys and Nebraska Furniture Mart. Its annual revenues are about $6 million.

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Fire destroys Whitaker office facilities

Jan 25, 2006

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