Industry veteran Robert Cribbs has been named president of Spectra Home, the upholstered furniture maker long known as a private-label supplier to high-profile specialty retailers and catalog houses. Former president John Hoff retired earlier this summer following the successful merger of leather maker Palatial Home with the upholstered furniture powerhouse. Spectra Home is a division of Shayne International Holdings, Ltd., based in Hangzhou, China.
“Robert Cribbs has been a furniture veteran for more than 25 years and he knows both upholstery and casegoods,” reports Jay Shane, Managing Director of Shayne International. “He has an excellent reputation in the industry and is well-respected by all the major dealers. I am sure with his expertise in furniture merchandising, marketing and leadership, that our company will soon be recognized as a significant player in the medium- to high-end furniture market.”
Cribbs was most recently President and owner of RowOne Home Entertainment, an established brand focused on entertainment and home theater seating with a reputation for quality, comfort and technology-driven designs. Grand Rapids-based RowOne will now become part of Spectra Home. Additionally, the executive says he is eyeing expansion into other new product categories under the Spectra name. Along with motion, he noted the possibility of wood furniture and hinted at a whole-home strategy as he moves forward.
“Dealers can expect to see us move quickly in a number of new directions, not only in terms of product categories, but also with game-changing programs and services,” Cribbs relates. “We believe the landscape is changing swiftly, as are the needs and expectations of today’s consumers, and we think that it’s high time to change the perception of the traditional furniture industry. In short order, retailers and designers will see that Spectra Home is set on bringing ‘sexy’ back to the upholstered furniture business, and that our goal is to be a fun and exciting company with the needs of dealers and designers at the heart of everything we do.”
With an extensive background in both the upholstered furniture and wood furniture businesses, Cribbs certainly brings to his new position the necessary expertise to grow the Spectra brand across categories. Indeed, prior to launching RowOne, he purchased the intellectual rights to Jasper Cabinet and successfully brought that company out of bankruptcy. At Jasper, his responsibilities included the financial wellbeing of the concern, as well as product development, domestic and import strategy, and sales and marketing. Other career highlights include sales and marketing for Hekman/Woodmark, as well as leading the residential furniture division of Kimball International where he developed the import strategy and program for Kimball Home and Kimball International.
Early on in his career, the executive served as a regional sales manager for both La-Z-Boy Inc. and Sealy Inc., and as a sales representative for Broyhill, Stanley Furniture and Schnadig in both residential and contract furnishings. Still, he says, “After running my own companies, I never thought I would return to a corporate environment. But Spectra Home is a perfect fit for me and the opportunity to be a part of the expansion of this already successful business was just too great to turn down. I’m excited to be leading a team with the same desire as my own to be part of a forward-thinking company, and we believe it’s high time to start shaking things up with great products and marketing ideas. ”
