The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation last week elected new officers and board members for 2018.
Jeffrey S. Child, President, R.C. Willey, has been elected Board President; David Gebhart, CEO, Global Views, first Vice President; Martin Ploy, President, AICO/Amini Innovation Corp., second Vice President; and, Lorri Kelley, President, BDI Furniture, Secretary-Treasurer. Bob Maricich, CEO, International Market Centers, will continue to serve on the executive committee as Board Chairman.
New directors are Randy Coconis, President, Coconis Furniture; Jerry Epperson, Managing Partner, Mann, Armistead & Epperson; Mike Herschel, Executive Director, Furniture Marketing Group, Inc.; Caroline Hipple, President, Norwalk Furniture; Martin Ploy, President, AICO/Amini Innovation Corp.; and Mike Shelton, President and CEO, Valdese Weavers. Re-elected members serving an additional three-year term are Andy Bernstein, Founder & CEO, FurnitureDealer.net; Irv Blumkin, CEO, Nebraska Furniture Mart; and Alexander Peykar, President, Nourison Industries.
“Due to the strong leadership of Bob Maricich and Michael Amini, 2017 saw increased attendance at our annual Induction Celebration, greater support for our programs, and interest in our new leadership initiative. We have a fully engaged Board that is committed to taking the Hall of Fame to new levels,” Child says. “With new Board members joining us for 2018, we are poised to take the Hall of Fame even further in its mission to tell our story, honor our industry’s great leaders and to roll out a new leadership initiative that will create a new generation of leaders.”
Members in the foundation can nominate candidates for consideration for induction into the Hall of Fame, which closes on Feb. 1. The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation is open to all home furnishings industry companies, organizations and individuals that do business in the United States.
The 2018 inductees—individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the U.S. furniture industry—will be honored with the American home furnishings industry’s highest honor at the Lead with Vision 2018 Induction Celebration on Sunday, Oct. 14 at the High Point Market. For more information, call 336.882.5900.
