Colleagues salute Holliman
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, April 20, 2008
High Point — Can a secret be kept at the High Point Market?
Apparently, because it was a surprise and "a very appreciative shock" when Furniture Brands International Chairman Mickey Holliman walked into the Lane showroom Tuesday evening during market to discover a celebration in his honor.
"When I walked in I wondered why there were so many people in the showroom at this time of night," he quipped.
Holliman has been helping Furniture Brands build a new leadership team for several months and will officially retire at the manufacturer and importer's annual meeting May 1.
Ralph Scozzafava, vice chairman and CEO of FBI and Holliman's designated successor, welcomed a showroom full of industry heavyweights both at Furniture Brands companies and in retail who came to congratulate Holliman.
Scozzafava said the company had trouble deciding on a going-away gift but settled on a selection of fine wines, each vintage representing a highlight in the chairman's life: 1937 for the year he was born, 1959 for his marriage, 1970 for the birth of his first child, and several later years for various industry awards including City of Hope, Furniture/Today Leadership and the American Furniture Hall of Fame.
Holliman's son, Skipper, president of FBI company Lane, noted how hard his dad had worked to grow the company and praised him for playing a strong role in his life and those of others.
"I look around and see so many faces that I've known and loved," Mickey Holliman told the crowd. "All of you are special in my life and I appreciate it very much."
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