Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, 7/7/2005 11:29:00 AM
Named Retailer of the Year
Stephanie Dufresne, left, and Eva Dufresne and Doug Dufresne, right, look on as Mark Dufresne, second from left, receives the 2005 Retailer of the Year Award from Hugh Owen, chairman of the Ontario Furniture Manufacturers Assn.
TORONTO — Some 200 industry people turned out to salute Mark Dufresne, CEO of the Dufresne Group, honored by the Ontario Furniture Manufacturers Assn. at a gala dinner here as 2005 Retailer of the Year. The family-owned and operated Dufresne Group has been named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Private Companies for the past six years — the time Mark Dufresne has been CEO — and has received numerous other awards.In accepting OFMA’s award, Dufresne praised his family and his executive team.“There was and continues to be a long list of people who got us here,” he said. “My family has been responsible for our success. We discuss and debate, but there has not been a circumstance where we did not have 100% agreement on an issue. We are all comfortable with our roles and have mutual respect for our respective positions.”
Sonja Whatmore, left, Stienman Transportation; Dennis Novosel, Stoney Creek Furniture, Stoney Creek, Ontario; Pamela Novosel; and Bruce MacPherson Jr., Gibbard Furniture Shoppes of Napanee.
Dufresne credited Ron Wanek of Ashley for helping inspire his approach to business. He met Wanek at a buying group meeting in 1996 and applied the latter’s ideas on operational excellence and gross margin return on investment, coupled with an appreciation of the power of demographics as outlined in the book “Boom, Bust and Echo” by David Foote. ProfitSystems CEO Rick Stark, who has known Dufresne for a number of years, said, “I work at a company that sells software to more than 2,000 furniture stores, so I have met a lot of furniture store owners in my life, and Mark is the sharpest knife in the drawer.“He’s fiercely honest. He has an impeccable sense of system and procedures. He’s excited by business and he contaminates his whole crew with his ... zest for life and business.”
Steve Braniff, left, formerly of Cantrex, and Wendy Braniff; Mike Huff and Ken Napier, both of Ashley; and Mike Dunlop, Therapedic Toronto/Crown Design Upholstery.
Larry Rogers, vice president of Sealy International, said, “Mark came into the family business some 14 years ago. He has since applied his combination of boundless energy, intellect and focus, fuelled by an unparalleled personal value system, to create a company that is recognized as best in class. When I think of words to describe Mark, I think of integrity, honesty, loyalty and commitment.”He was selected by OFMA’s board of directors from nominations made by manufacturers and retailers from across the country. Previous honorees have been Tom Leon of Leon’s Furniture, Bill Tepperman of Tepperman’s Furniture and Bill Comrie, founder of The Brick.
Dan Weare, left, Cantrex Group and Sears Canada, Mississauga, Ontario; and Louis Bachicha, Sealy Canada.
Launched in Kenora, Ontario, with a single store in 1986 and now headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Dufresne Group has grown rapidly since Mark, son of founders Doug and Eva Dufresne, joined as general manager in 1992 after earning a degree in business from the University of Manitoba.Doug Dufresne remains president, with Mark as CEO for the past six years. His brothers Shaun and Michael are active in the business. The former heads purchasing operations and the latter serves as both a regional manager and manager of the Kenora store. Mark’s wife, Stephanie, is accessories buyer.
Tony Orlando, left, T&J Furniture; Loretta Thompson; Jack Thompson, Statum Designs; and Joe Falconi, T&J Furniture.
The company doesn’t disclose sales but says it has grown at a compound annual rate of 42% since 1992. It now operates four banners: Dufresne Furniture and Appliances, with 10 stores in northern Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta; a single La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries store in Winnipeg; Sleep Source, a new bedding banner; and an Ashley store.The company also operates a Dufresne Clearance Outlet in Winnipeg and supplies furniture and appliances to The North West Company, a retailer serving the Canadian Arctic.Dufresne opened the first of 10 planned Ashley dedicated stores last week in Winnipeg, taking only 19 days to convert the store from its previous incarnation as a Palliser Rooms store. Their second Ashley store is set to open in Calgary, Alberta, in August, with two more planned for Alberta in 2006. The remaining seven will be built over the next five years.
