AJ Peterson joins Brown Street, Vermont Tubbs as VP, operations

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, June 30, 2011

AJ Peterson

Peterson, who has 30 years of manufacturing experience, most recently was a consultant to manufacturer Stickley, helping it transition the Nichols & Stone line it acquired in 2008 into the company's Manlius, N.Y., and Vietnam operations.

Before that, he worked for Nichols & Stone for 28 years, primarily as vice president of manufacturing and production.

His role at Brown Street/Vermont Tubbs is a new and upgraded position for the company. Peterson will oversee production and operations at the 90,000-square-foot operation in Whitefield, which employs about 55 workers.

Adam Tager, who co-owns the company with his brother Kyle, said the position is important in helping the company improve product flow and consistency. It also wants to lower lead times to four weeks, down from 12-14 weeks currently.

"We have been looking for an appropriate qualified operations person for almost a year," Adam Tager said, noting that the company has experienced delays in lead times since it acquired Vermont Tubbs in 2008.

"Even though we made significant improvements over the years, converted to order building and adopted a lot of lean manufacturing principles, the management was never right. The employees are all very committed to the sustainability of the company and its future growth. We needed to identify the right person to lead the way and are very excited to have someone such as AJ - and his years of experience - on board with us."

Peterson reports to the Tagers. The company also said it plans to hire an assistant plant manager, but has not yet identified a candidate.