Hassell Franklin wins AHFA Distinguished Service Award

Cited for building company, helping develop furniture industry

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 17, 2009

American Home Furnishings Alliance CEO Andy Counts, left, presents Hassell Franklin, Franklin Furniture, with the AHFA’s Distinguished Service Award.

HIGH POINT — Hassell Franklin, leader of Mississippi upholstery producer Franklin Furniture, received the American Home Furnishings Alliance's Distinguished Service Award during the group's 2009 annual meeting earlier this month.

Franklin began his furniture career in the 1960s and worked for several furniture companies in before starting his own business in 1970 with only 32 employees.

Franklin Furniture now has over 1,300 employees and over 1 million square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space. According to the AFMA, it is the nation's third largest producer of reclining chairs.

Hassell Franklin also supported the furniture industry statewide, devoting time organizations including the Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi, which he helped form. One of the commission's top areas of focus is workforce development.

Wishing to better prepare people to work in the industry, Franklin donated $1 million to help build the Franklin Center for Furniture Manufacturing and Management, a facility for furniture research, teaching and service, at his alma mater, Mississippi State University. The 35,000-square-foot center, which opened in 2004, houses laboratories, classrooms, offices and an auditorium/distance learning center.

"Lauded for his marvelous abilities in working with people, he has garnered support and admiration from all of the employees in his company, business leaders throughout his home region plus elected officials in his state and in Washington, D.C.," said John D. Bassett III in presenting the award. "For nearly four decades, he has commanded a steady ship in the face of extreme adversity and competition while at the same time provided jobs and security for his workers."

Franklin has served on the AHFA board and on the boards of the North Mississippi Medical Center, Itawamba Community College and the Mississippi Economic Council. His volunteer work has included creating grants for neighborhood and regional projects, establishing boys' and girls' clubs and building homes for those in need.