OW Lee Sales Rep of the Year

ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA

OW Lee, a manufacturer of high-end outdoor furniture, firepits and accessories, announced today its chosen Sales Representative of the Year - Rod Wilcoxen, an independent manufacturer's representative who has been representing the company for nearly 13 years. He was recognized for his outstanding performance in achievement of sales goals, excellence in customer service and supporting OW Lee's sales and marketing strategies.  

Terry Lee Rogers and Rod Wilcoxen.

 During the course of the year, Wilcoxen met and exceeded OW Lee's sales goals and agreed to take on an additional 100,000 sq. miles of sales territory. 

"Rod has worked hard to grow his territory into the one of the highest volume territories in the country for OW Lee," says Terri Lee Rogers, vice president of Sales and Marketing. His original territory included Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and the eastern half of North and South Dakota. More recently, Wilcoxen expanded his territory to Illinois and Wisconsin.

In addition to awarding the Sales Representative of the Year, OW Lee also announced the hiring of a new sales representative, Donna Moore, also an independent manufacturer's representative. Moore's territory includes the state of Florida.

"OW Lee has had representation in Florida for many years and has grown the territory by 25 percent in the 2012 season. Our need for a new sales representative was part of our company's natural growth process," says Rogers.

Moore has been involved in the casual furniture industry for more than 29 years. She started her independent manufacturer's representative business approximately seven years ago and has successfully established business relationships with retail stores and furniture manufacturers.

OW Lee currently employs 20 different sales representatives and representative organizations that serve both the retail and hospitality segments.  

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A total of 103 housing markets across the United States qualified to be listed on the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) for October, was released today. This is up from 99 markets listed as improving in September and is the largest number of metros on the IMI since it was created one year ago. A total of 33 states and the District of Columbia are represented on the October list.

The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. Markets added to the list in October include such geographically diverse locations as Santa Cruz, California; Pocatello, Idaho; Abilene, Texas; and Savanna, Georgia.

"While 11 new housing markets were designated as improving in October, 92 metros retained their spots on the IMI and just seven slipped from the list," said Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Gainesville, Florida. "This is an encouraging sign that the housing recovery is proceeding at a steady pace as firming prices and employment help spur new building activity, which in turn generates new jobs and more home sales."

"The fact that most markets are maintaining their spots on the improving list from month to month is an important indication that the recovery trend is solidifying," said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. "At the same time, overly tight credit conditions are certainly constraining consumers' ability to purchase homes as well as builders' ability to construct them."

"The expansion of the improving markets list to more than 100 metros marks an important milestone on the road to recovery," said Kurt Pfotenhauer, vice chairman at First American Title Insurance Company. "For potential buyers across the country, it is becoming increasingly apparent that now is a good time to explore a new-home purchase."

The IMI is designed to track housing markets throughout the country that are showing signs of improving economic health. The index measures three sets of independent monthly data to get a mark on the top improving Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

The three indicators that are analyzed are employment growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, house price appreciation from Freddie Mac and single-family housing permit growth from the U.S. Census Bureau. NAHB uses the latest available data from these sources to generate a list of improving markets. A metropolitan area must see improvement in all three measures for at least six months following those measures' respective troughs before being included on the improving markets list.

The Mart's Design Center's
New Amenity Lounge 

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

The Design Center at The Merchandise Mart will unveil a new amenity center for designers and shoppers this winter called "Lounge 1447." This state-of-the-art facility, designed by renowned designer and architect Gary Lee (who also planned the reorganization and corridor redesign for Design Center floors 14 and 15), will serve as a meeting spot, lounge, office and café on the 14th floor.

Lounge 1447, located in the northwest corner, will anchor the floor alongside top showrooms HOLLY HUNT, David Sutherland, Dessin Fournir Companies, Jean de Merry and Century Furniture. The amenity center is the first of its kind in the country and will offer an array of informational resources and services for both the design professional and the visitor, all designed to make their visit to the Design Center more enjoyable.

Interior Designer: Gary Lee Partners; Rendering: Hoffman Visualization

"We're excited our designers and the public will have a designated space to use for work and pleasure while visiting and shopping the Design Center showrooms," said Julia Chappell, managing director of Marketing for the Design Center. "Lounge 1447 will become the go- to destination for all Design Center patrons. This will truly serve as an office-away-from-the-office.  We have also partnered with first floor tenant, The Artisan Cellar, to cater a Café inside Lounge 1447, which will serve espresso, cappuccino, fresh hot and cold delicacies and feature a sophisticated one of a kind wine list."

Amenities for Design Professionals and Consumers:

• Open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
• Full time Concierge
• Private conference rooms for meetings with
  clients while shopping the Design Center
• State-of-the-art audio/visual set up for private meetings
  both large and small
• The Artisan Cellar Café serving hot and cold breakfast, lunch, artisan cheese, snacks, pastries, full espresso bar serving Illy Café, and a  first class wine and craft beer list.                    
• Café Tables and seating area for dining                  
• Computer and Work Stations to serve as
  an office away from the office                
• Lounge atmosphere for interior designers and consumers
  to unwind between showroom appointments                   
• Seating for Educational Seminars, Industry
  Events and Presentations              
• Design reference library to serve as inspiration

"We envision Lounge 1447 as the perfect venue to provide a true premier European café experience to a discerning clientele," said Philip Bernstein, owner of The Artisan Cellar. "Patrons will be served on china; our wine list will consist of a select group of wines, many of which we are bringing exclusively to the Chicago market, and these wines will be served in Riedel glassware. Our food offerings, whether they be for breakfast, lunch, afternoon conferences, or fully catered receptions, will all be made fresh, using the finest ingredients found in Chicago," added Bernstein.

In order to create an inviting environment where designers and visitors can relax, work and entertain, Lee envisioned a bright, open layout with designated seating areas. The state of the art facility is meant to accommodate special events, client meetings, business lunches, and leisure. Keeping with the look of the newly designed 14th and 15th floor corridors, Lounge 1447 embodies the same sleek interiors with furniture, lighting and fabric from Design Center showrooms including HOLLY HUNT, ROMO, Jean de Merry, David Sutherland and his namesake showroom, Atelier Gary Lee.

"At Gary Lee Partners, our vision for the Lounge was to create an elegant, dynamic space that will provide a convenient place for designers and their clients to meet throughout their Mart experience," added Lee. "The concept is designed to be an extension of the new corridor look and features world-class, contemporary products in a sophisticated palette of warm charcoal and platinum grays with caramel and ivory upholstery complements. For the Design community, it will be a great venue for the sharing of ideas."