Starr pleased he's leaving Natuzzi Americas on high note
By Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today, January 14, 2008
High Point — Fred Starr always said he wanted to leave his job at Natuzzi Americas on a high note.
After 6½ years as the division's president, the 75-year-old industry veteran is getting his wish. Not only is he leaving the business in the capable hands of American Leather veteran Cary Benson, but this Christmas his three children presented him with a ticket to go skydiving.
In both senses, Starr surely will land on his feet. And as he leaves Natuzzi, he remains upbeat.
"As I see it, our strategies are in place, we have an outstanding group of retailers to work with and we are starting to see signs of recovery," he said. "We are entering 2008 with a good backlog."
Starr has headed Natuzzi Americas, which has annual sales of about $300 million, since 2001. Previously, he was a top executive at Thomasville Furniture Inds. for 23 years, including 16 years as president, and earlier was with Armstrong World for 14 years.
At Natuzzi, Starr hit a snag he hadn't encountered as head of a domestic manufacturer — fluctuating currency rates, with the U.S. dollar weakening against the euro, which is used in Natuzzi's home base of Italy.
He said the currency turbulence "forced us to take steps that will have long-range positive results, including the shift of production to lower-cost areas (China and Brazil). It also forced us to work harder to build our brand to differentiate ourselves from our competition, and to be sharp in terms of the quality of our organization."
On Starr's watch, the company also segmented its brand into the premium signature Natuzzi line, the midpriced Natuzzi Living line and the promotional Italsofa. It also established 200 galleries in the Americas and some freestanding stores.
Starr credited Pasquale Natuzzi, the company's chairman and CEO, for his forward thinking.
"We're truly fortunate that Pasquale Natuzzi foresaw many of today's challenges back in the mid-'90s and took steps to prepare Natuzzi Americas for the future," Starr said.
"Investments in the Natuzzi brand, multiple plants in China and Brazil, introduction of the Italsofa and offshore Natuzzi lines, organizational changes, and much more, are all the result of his vision of the future."
After he leaves Natuzzi, Starr plans to stay involved in current events, golf and such civic interests as Winston-Salem, N.C.'s Reynolda House Museum, the Wyndham PGA Championship Foundation and High Point University.
He's also looking forward to a trans-Atlantic cruise with his wife, Sue, on the Queen Mary this fall.
