Bentbrook's Wilson breaking barriers
By Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today, March 11, 2007
Sherman, Texas — Kimberly Wilson is making waves in the mostly male-dominated field of custom leather upholstery production.
Wilson is involved in both manufacturing and design as CEO of Bentbrook Furniture, her two-and-a-half-year-old startup that is based here and has a factory in China, in a joint venture with a Chinese partner.
It's all second nature to this daughter of a furniture merchant, Ray Barnes, and daughter-in-law of a national leather supplier, Bob Wilson of Anthem Leather.
After growing up working in her father's store here, Wilson went to work for Gabberts in Dallas. At 27, she moved to the wholesale side, joining Century Furniture as its lone female sales representative, covering the Carolinas. When she resigned 6½ years later, executives there assumed she would stay at home with her newborn.
Not quite — by that time, Wilson had decided to launch an upholstery business of her own.
Now the mother of two preschool daughters (usually settled in a room adjacent to her office), Wilson wants her girls to grow up knowing "it's OK to be a mommy and to have a career."
Her management team includes her husband, Scott Wilson, who as chief financial officer handles operations, and Scott Sullens, a former Lexington Home Brands vice president of sales who recently joined Bentbrook as president.
About 85% of the product line ships container-direct to customers from Bentbrook's facility in China. The remainder of the business centers on its warehouse program, which is growing. The company has a warehouse here and will open a second one in High Point in April, and expects to open more around the country.
Wilson said her business has grown in careful, measured steps, though she would not disclose a sales figure.
Bentbrook uses 80 leather articles on a line of about 30 stationary seating groups. In China, the company works around a core set of 15 in-stock leathers and nearly 20 fabrics.
"Nothing is married," she said. "Customers can have any leather or any fabric on any frame. Our combinations are limitless."
The U.S. warehouse program, with a choice of 10 frames, can support container customers with "fill-ins" or retailers conducting special promotions such as tent sales. "We are committed to having certain frames in stock all the time," said Wilson.
She added that the company plans to move its headquarters from Texas to High Point, and is looking for office space along with a showroom. "We hope to have our permanent showroom by next fall market," she said.
Bentbrook also is finalizing plans to show in a temporary space at the High Point Market in March, she added.
Although the company is moving its headquarters, Wilson's father, Ray Barnes, will remain in Texas overseeing deliveries.
None of the four-person management team is opposed to driving a truck cross-country to make deliveries or to show new product.
Barnes is a 50-year industry veteran who went from making furniture deliveries in high school to sales and then manufacturing. Kimberly is the only child of three to follow him into furniture.
"My entire life I watched my dad working and taking calculated risks and I knew I wanted to try this myself," Wilson said.
With Bentbrook, she says her mission is to produce high- quality designs at competitive price points from China. The company imports mainly leather seating, plus some leather/fabric collage frames, targeting retails of $999 and up. The upholstery is made in a 500,000-square-foot plant based in Haining, 2½ hours southwest of Shanghai.
While most of its leathers are finished and stocked in China, Bentbrook also sources leathers globally, including from Italy and Brazil.
"Having our own factory is what separates us," she said. "Our number one goal is to maximize margin opportunities for our customers. We don't want them to have to sell more in volume to make up for low pricing."
Retailers can buy containers or one at a time out of the warehouse.
"We're not only creating better margins, but better service opportunities. This comes from having grown up on the retail side and understanding customers' needs," she said.
Wilson has hired Mario Lichtenstein of Argentina to serve as her leather advisor. He worked for Wilson's House of Leather (no relation to Kimberly) for 20 years and has a worldwide knowledge of the product, she said. Lichtenstein will assist in the development of leather articles and color enhancements and bring in more innovative, creative and "different" looks.
"I'm OK with the creative side, but Mario can also understand and interpret my intentions," Wilson said.
Bentbrook's current line is a transitional mix of colors and textures addressing coastal, lifestyle and Old World themes.
Lichtenstein's current project is the Vista Collection, a new line of traditional leathers in such fashion colors as mochas, reds, and soft blues and greens.
The new leathers will be mixed and matched with fabrics.
"Everything goes together — color and fashion — to create the entire package," said Carol Arditi, Lichtenstein's wife and business partner, who is an architect and designer.
Wilson said the company is taking calculated steps to build its business, and is ahead of its goals.
"The biggest obstacle we have to overcome is that people don't know who we are," she said. "It takes time to put together a line, to develop a Web site (www.bentbrookfurniture.com) and to make sure everything on the back end is in place so we can continue to grow."
The company is targeting Top 100 furniture stores and also smaller independents, she added.
"We have some great customers that are one-store, family-owned — like my daddy's store — and a lot of times, where we excel is with those customers," Wilson said. "They can put our product on the floor and sell it with confidence."
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