MFA awards top industry leaders at ‘07 event
Koziel is retailer of the year
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, February 26, 2008
CEDAR GROVE, N.J. — John Koziel was named 2007 Retailer of the Year by the Metropolitan Furnishings Assn. at its annual awards banquet here.
More than 150 industry members, friends and family members attended the event.
Koziel was in the roofing business before Carl Resnick hired him as a salesman for his Flemington Department Store in Flemington, N.J., in 1985. Koziel moved up the ladder to occasional buyer, then general manager and furniture buyer, and now is a partner.
 John Koziel, left, and Carl Resnick, both of Flemington Department Store, Flemington, N.J., with Ray Simonetti, Broyhill. |
| John Koziel, left, and Carl Resnick, both of Flemington Department Store, Flemington, N.J., with Ray Simonetti, Broyhill. |
 Gary Lasar, left, Metro Furnishings Assn., and Joel Friedman, a real estate executive. |
| Gary Lasar, left, Metro Furnishings Assn., and Joel Friedman, a real estate executive. |
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Other awards included:
Best Manufacturer’s Store: Three Ashley Furniture HomeStores operated by Will Schafer, the third generation of his family involved in home furnishings. He opened Furniture Showplace in Linden, N.J. in 1998 and his first Ashley store in 2005 in New Brunswick, N.J. Since then, he has converted his two other stores to Ashley. Schafer was named MFA’s top young retailer in 2001. -
Best Sales Representative: Chuck Cuccia, who was Northeast district manager at Thomasville Furniture, where he earned the President’s Award. He began as a buyer for now-defunct B. Altman and became GMM before joining Jack Hayes at Thomasville. Cuccia was cited as having been instrumental in the development and growth of 11 Thomasville stores in New Jersey and New York.
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Best Young Retailer: Paul Massood, who worked in the pizza and trucking industries before opening a Bassett Furniture Direct store in Brick Township, N.J., in 2004.
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Howard Liveright Award: Tommy Leflein, who was honored for his “leadership, guidance, thought and consideration of others” as well as his civic and charitable activities. The first secretary of the original New Jersey Furniture Club, Leflein started at his father’s furniture store in Plainfield, N.J., in 1971, then worked as a sales representative for Thomasville, Pennsylvania House and Rowe, and as vice president of sales and marketing for BenchCraft and Lifestyle California.
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MFA recognizes industry leaders at banquet
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