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People on the Move

By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, March 8, 2010

In this story:
Executives
Directors
Marketing/Sales
Contact us

Executives

The Brick Group
EDMONTON, Alberta — Veteran retail executive Violet Konkle has been named president of business support for The Brick Group, a new position for Canada's largest full-line furniture retailer.
Konkle will lead The Brick's customer service initiative as well as its supply chain, distribution, information systems and financial services divisions. She will report to group President and CEO Bill Gregson.
Konkle most recently worked in various capacities with Mississauga, Ontario-based Wal-Mart Canada, including stints as chief customer officer and chief operating officer. Earlier, she was with Atlantic-Wholesalers, a division of Loblaw Cos.
Costco
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Warehouse club operator Costco has promoted longtime executive Craig Jelinek to president and chief operating officer.
Jelinek, who also will join the retailer's board of directors, has been executive vice president of merchandising since 2004. He has worked for Costco for more than 25 years.
Jim Sinegal, who had been president and CEO, will retain the CEO title and become part of a four-person Office of the President that “will coordinate on major company matters,” Costco said in a statement announcing Jelinek's promotion.
In addition to Jelinek and Sinegal, the Office of the President will consist of Chairman Jeff Brotman and senior executive vice president Dick DiCerchio.
Jacob Alexander Chair
VALDESE, N.C. — Jacob Alexander Chair, a leather upholstery producer that caters to the design trade, has promoted Susie Bradshaw to secretary-treasurer.
Bradshaw, who formerly worked at Henredon, joined the company last June as office manager.
The company, founded in 2007 by furniture industry veterans Bruce Stacy and Steve Blevins, features hair-on-hide, mohair and other specialty leathers in addition to traditional leather covers.
WSL Strategic Retail
NEW YORK — Consulting firm WSL Strategic Retail has named Paul Menichelli as research manager.
He will be responsible for overseeing the development and expansion of the “How America Shops” research portfolio.
Before joining WSL Strategic Retail, Menichelli was with Hase/Schannen, a marketing research supplier based in Princeton, N.J.
Wendy Liebmann, WSL CEO, said Menichelli's “experience and knowledge will be a tremendous asset to our firm.”

Directors

WHFA
LAS VEGAS — The Western Home Furnishings Assn. installed new officers during its annual membership meeting here during the Las Vegas Market.
The 2010 officers are Claudia LeClair, Fiesta Home Furnishings, Scottsdale, Ariz., president; Angel Lopez, Dearden's, Los Angeles, president-elect; Chris Sanders, Everton Mattress Factory, Twin Falls, Idaho, vice president; Valerie Watters, Valerie's Furniture and Accents, Cave Creek, Ariz., treasurer; Lael Thompson, Broyhill Home Collections, Aurora, Colo., secretary; and Marty Cramer, Cramer's Home Furnishings, Ellensburg, Wash., executive committee chair.

Marketing/Sales

HTL International
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Leather upholstery resource HTL International has promoted Chris Stevens to the newly created post of national sales manager.
Stevens joined HTL last year as the company's sales representative in the upper Midwest. He previously held sales posts at leather upholstery producers DeCoro and Natuzzi.
At HTL, he will oversee sales and marketing efforts in the United States and Central and South America. He also will focus on less-than-container sales to mid-sized retailers.
Sarreid
WILSON, N.C. — Francel Goude will take on additional duties at case goods and upholstery source Sarreid Ltd. in marketing, branding and general business roles.
Goude will focus on enhancing Sarreid's brand presentation to designers and retailers. He continues to report to the company's ownership.
He has worked in product development for Sarreid for seven years and helped develop its Biltmore for Your Home licensing program, released last year.
His new duties include managing visual media, showroom display, sales force training and customer education, the company said in a press release.
Capel Rugs
TROY, N.C. — Capel Rugs has promoted Tami Watras to director of merchandising, with responsibility for the company's strategy and execution of merchandise selection, product development and procurement.
In this newly created position, she reports to John Magee, president and CEO. Norm Sweeters, managing director of imports, and Lou Webster, director of design and product development, will report to Watras.
Watras joined Capel in 2006 as a merchandise manager and most recently was general manager of the retail division. Before joining Capel, she held positions in merchandising, product development and sourcing for Ethan Allen, Amy Coe and Lillian August Designs.
Nourison Inds.
SADDLEBROOK, N.J. — Rug source Nourison Inds. has appointed Paula Atkins account executive for Georgia and Alabama.
Atkins, a Georgia native, has been a Nourison account executive covering upstate New York and Connecticut for the past four years. She accepted a transfer to her home state effective Feb. 8, and will be responsible for growing Nourison's business and servicing its extensive line of rugs, broadloom, roll runner and custom capabilities.
Prior to joining Nourison, Atkins held sales and sales management positions within the carpet industry with Mohawk Inds.
Springwall
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Canadian mattress producer Springwall has named industry veteran Simon Gingras as territory representative for Alberta. He succeeds John Mailman, who resigned to take a similar post with Ashley Furniture.
“John will be missed, his dedication and professionalism representing our company has been greatly appreciated and we wish him every success in his new venture,” Springwall CEO Boyd Kay said in a statement.
Mailman will stay on with Springwall to help Gingras with the transition until the end of February.
Gingras can be reached at (403) 540-8982 or by e-mail sgin102854@aol.com.

Contact us

Retailers, manufacturers, suppliers and trade associations are invited to send releases and photographs for appointments, promotions and awards to: People/Today, P.O. Box 2754, High Point, N.C. 27261.

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Violet Konkle joins The Brick Group as president of business support

Feb 5, 2010