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Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, January 16, 2012

Executives
Southerland
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Independent bedding producer Southerland has hired Tim Tyler as vice president of strategic alliances, a new position.
"We are excited to have Tim join us," said Scott Miller, executive vice president of Southerland. "Tim brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and relationships to our growing company. He will play an important role in our expansion plans going forward."
Tyler has spent almost 20 years in the bedding business, holding posts with Therapedic/Sleep Inc., Corsicana, Spring Air and Restonic.

Sherma
SHERBROOKE, Quebec - Canadian furniture industry veteran Jerry Zelnicker has returned to full-line furniture producer Shermag as vice president of U.S. sales after a seven-year absence.
     Zelnicker first held the post from 1991 until 2004. After he was recruited by company founder Serge Racine, he was vice president of U.S. sales for almost 12 years before being tasked to pioneer the company's sourcing efforts in China.
     After leaving company in 2004, he acted as an agent in China for several furniture companies and in 2005 became a shareholder in Spectra Home, a leather upholstery producer with production in China and a sales office in High Point. Zelnicker said he has sold his shares in Spectra Home.
     Since he left Shermag, the company has restructured and is now part of the BDM+ Furniture group. In his renewed role, Zelnicker will be responsible for the sales and marketing of Shermag's adult case goods offerings, while Alex Adimari, the company's chief operating officer, will continue to manage the juvenile assortment.

SPCI Cos. Calder Calder
DENVER - Consulting firm and liquidator SPCI Cos. has promoted Alex Calder to the newly created position of vice president.
    Calder , who rejoined SPCI in 2009 as a senior project manager, had worked for the company as a field consultant earlier in his career. As vice president of SPCI, Calder will be responsible for overseeing all facets of the business.
     He has been in the industry since 1984, working in retail and manufacturing. He founded a store in Olympia, Wash., Home-Towne Furniture, and was co owner of Dovetail Marketing, an advertising company specializing in circulars. He was western sales director for Hickory Hill Furniture Co. before rejoining SPCI.
     "Alex has been a great asset to SPCI. His depth of experience in the retail industry and service to SPCI for the past 20 years has helped position us as a leader in furniture consulting," said Stephen Forsey, president of SPCI Cos.

Loloi Rugs
DALLAS - Rug industry veteran Austin Craley has joined Loloi Rugs in the new position of vice president of sales.
Craley Craley     Craley most recently was vice president of sales at Momeni Rugs since 2001 and previously held the same position at Kas Rugs. Earlier, he was a rug buyer at Macy's, and has been in the industry for 26 years.
     He will be responsible for managing Loloi's sales team and will report to Amir and Steven Loloi. Craley will remain based in New Jersey.
     "Austin is highly respected by retailers throughout the country, and his extensive wholesale and retail experiences will help our company as we continue our climb to new levels," said Amir Loloi.

Polyurethane Foam Assn.
LOUDON, Tenn. - Lynn Knudtson of Future Foam in Council Bluffs, Iowa, has been elected president of the Polyurethane Foam Assn., the trade association of the U.S. flexible foam manufacturers and suppliers.
Knudtson has served in management positions with chemical manufacturers, independent laboratories and regulatory compliance consultants for 30 years. He currently manages regulatory compliance for Future Foam, a global flexible polyurethane foam manufacturer with five foam production facilities and 14 foam fabrication facilities in the U.S. and Asia.
"Lynn has a deep understanding of the industry and has made significant contributions to the PFA as a member of the executive committee since 2008 and as technical counsel to the association," said Robert Luedeka, PFA executive director. "Lynn's experience providing technical information to related organizations and regulatory groups will be invaluable during his tenure as president."

Marketing/Sales
Feizy Rugs
DALLAS - Feizy Rugs has hired Allen Hannigan as territory manager for Pennsylvania and New Jersey and John Whorton as regional sales manager for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico.

Hannigan

Whorton

Both are responsible for servicing existing accounts in their territories and targeting new customers. They report to Dale Sweary, vice president of sales.
Hannigan is an 11-year rug industry veteran. Whorton has more than 30 years of industry experience and worked for Shaw Living before joining Feizy.

FurnitureDealer.net
Napier NapierMINNEAPOLIS - Bill Napier has joined FurnitureDealer.net to lead its marketing and premium website solutions sales effort.
     An industry veteran in the marketing realm, Napier has worked previously as a consultant for the Minneapolis-based company, which builds websites and provides content for furniture retailers, organizations and suppliers.
     Napier has helped FurnitureDealer. net "focus our message and sales process, which helped to grow our business immensely," said Andy Bernstein, founder and president. He added that Napier, who doesn't have an official job title, "will help us strategically" with current and new clients.
     Napier has operated a marketing agency and consulting firm in Minneapolis since 2007. He was Home Line's vice president of marketing from 2009 until early this year and earlier held marketing roles at Robinson & Robinson, parent of the former LeatherTrend, and Ashley Furniture.

Jerome's Furniture
SAN DIEGO - Jerome's Furniture has promoted Leatha Molina to the new position of director of consumer experience and Kristine Hilliard to the position of social media manager.

Molina

Hilliard

     "A traditional customer service department is reactive, but in today's connected and fast - paced world it requires more," said Lee Goodman, president and CEO of the Top 100 company. "We are pushing deeper into our connections with customers to make sure we're meeting their needs, and that they feel compelled to share their positive experience with others."
     Molina, who has worked at the retailer for 25 years, was named director of consumer relations earlier, managing the company's relationship with customers and among company departments.
     Hilliard will manage online customer interactions through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Yelp.

Weekends Only Furniture
ST. LOUIS - Weekends Only Furniture has promoted Christopher Scofield to business analyst and Travis Esmon to business operations analyst.

Scofield has worked at Weekends Only Furniture for six years, most recently as a supply chain analyst at the company's distribution center. In his new role, he will be responsible for gathering and analyzing business requirements for functionality, reporting and technology supported processes.

Esmon

Scofield

Esmon has worked at Weekends Only Furniture for two years, most recently as a supply chain analyst at the company's West County location. In his new role, he will provide analytical support to the stores, distribution center and corporate office for initiatives to reduce costs and improve customer experience.

Vision Fabrics
Soares SoaresINDIANAPOLIS - Carlos Soares has joined fabric and trim vendor Vision Fabrics to cover the Greater Toronto area.
     He reports to Liana Montagnese, Ontario regional sales manager.
     Soares will be responsible for the development of the Vision Fabrics product line to the residential upholstered furniture segment. He previously spent 14 years with the textile division Freudenberg Now Woven selling supplies, fabrics (suedes) and interlining.
     "Carlos is a great addition to our team of sales professionals," Montagnese said. "His passion, experience and innovative approach to the furniture market make him an ideal fit for the culture of the company and our customers."
     Vision is a division of J. Ennis Fabrics and serves the home furnishings, contract, hospitality and outdoor markets.

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