IHFRA to honor New York group as Chapter of Year

Will be saluted at High Point Market gala

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, April 7, 2010

HIGH POINT — The Greater New York Home Furnishings Assn. will be honored this month as the International Home Furnishings Representatives Assn.'s Chapter of the Year.

IHFRA officials will present the honor at the 76th annual Presidential Gala and Awards Banquet during the High Point Market.

Officials said the New York chapter was chosen for the honor for the bold initiatives it has taken to reorganize its operations and reframe its mission to align itself with the current economic situation and changing nature of the furniture industry.

For more than 80 years, the GNYHFA has served a membership composed of reps, retailers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers to the industry. The organization has been known for its social and networking events. It has also been active in local and state legislative issues that affect retailers and reps.

Last year, GNYHFA honored Neil Goldberg, Michael Goldberg and Steven Goldberg of Raymour & Flanigan at a dinner and dance gala, attended by about 450 industry members. The Goldbergs received the Jerry Gans Memorial Award, its highest honor.

"Our dinner dance is a huge undertaking for the association, spearheaded by our longtime member, supporter and past president Andy Gans of Gans Bros.," said Chris De Lisa, president of the association and a Home Line sales executive. "Andy invests his own blood, sweat and tears to make sure this event is the highlight of the New York furniture industry's year."

In addition, GNYHFA recently redesigned its Web site at gnyhfa.org, installing a Paypal feature to streamline dues and event payments. It also instituted some aggressive social networking, creating a LinkedIn site that now boasts roughly 250 members.

But because of the difficult business conditions and industry changes, including declining membership, the chapter recently cut its paid executive director position, which had been held for years by Barbara Goldstein. De Lisa said in part that the group's leaders "have realized for some time that we needed to change the way our organization does business so we can generate more direct member involvement and reduce costs for members and supporters."

The group said it has allocated resources to focus on its core mission to help members become more efficient and profitable; influence general business conditions experienced by New York area members; and promote good business practices through the exchange of ideas at networking events seminars and functions.

So far, those efforts have paid off. Just two weeks after the change in direction, membership was up by 20%, officials said. Member stores of buying group Fash-N-Home Group have rejoined the association and rep membership is on the increase.

The IHFRA Presidential Gala will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, April 16 in the IHFC Club on the International Home Furnishings Center's 11th Floor Green wing. For information and reservations, contact the IHFRA office at (336) 889-3920 or by e-mail at ihfra@ihfra.org.