We’re better with your input

In December, we published a special issue called Fresh Furniture Faces, mainly to refute a persistent and nagging perception that our industry is doing a poor job of attracting talented young professionals.

We identified some 150 capable up-and-comers from all sectors of the business. Of course, any such list is bound to be far from complete. Even so, it was gratifying to have you, the reader, weigh in with your suggestions of who deserved to be in that issue and why.

Based on that high level of reader participation, I hope you will let me to pick your brain again for another project I’m working on. The goal this time is to identify individuals you believe are distinguishing themselves by their efforts to make our industry better.

Let me clarify what I mean by “better.” For our purposes here, someone could have made our industry better by introducing some new and improved process or procedure. Or you may want to credit someone for coming up with a new twist on a retail format or presentation. Or perhaps you are thinking of someone who has helped put the home furnishings industry in a better light with the consumer.
 

And, since I’m just as eager to applaud unsung heroes, I also want to hear about people who are functioning, in part, as behind-the-scenes mentors.

Coming up as a journalist, I was fortunate to have more than one mentor. They were people who, for the love of the craft, willingly shared their most valuable assets — their time and their gifts — to make the people they worked with the best they could be.

At a time when most of us seem to be chasing madly after margins and wildly prowling after profitability, this may be the perfect time to pause, identify, recognize and thank those who, in the midst of the rat race, are finding the time to make us better.

So, as a favor, send me an e-mail at rallegrezza@reedbusiness.com and help me compile a list of industry people who are taking us from good to great!  (to add public comments click on "Add your Comment" below, or to email Ray directly click here.)