WithIt header

January 2009
In This Issue
Check out Upcoming Events
Welcome New Members
Alternatives to Layoffs. Really?
Job Change? Keep WithIt Updated
Thank You to our Sponsors
WOW Leader
2009 Board of Directors
Connect with a Professional
Save the Date: Tri-Cities Networking Event
Adesso
 
WithIt Events

World Market Center Las Vegas
Monday, February 9, 2009
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
World Forum Conference Room, Building B, 16th floor
"New Trends in Home Entertainment and Office"
Join an expert panel of industry leaders moderated by Jena Hall, aspenhome's director of marketing and director of occasional, who will focus on the new trends in Home Entertainment and Home Office - the two targeted categories for future growth potential in the U.S. Panelists come from the Consumer Electronics industry, award-winning furniture designers in this category and a successful electronics furniture retailers.
                                         
Panel members are:

Steve Kidera, Communications Coordinator, Consumer Electronics Association
Brett Hiatt, Electronics Buyer, RC Willey

Ken Levi, Home Office/Home Entertainment Furniture Designer, Aspenhome Furniture
 
Bring a guest!

Save The Date:
MIDWEST/TRI-CITIES EVENT
February 25, 2009
For more details on this event, see the article in the right-hand column.

High Point Market Events
Educational Event
Sunday, April 26
7:30 am - 9:00 am
WithIt Educational Breakfast
Reservations Required
"Trick the Eye -
Design Ideas for Living Large in a Small Space"

Guest speaker - Libby Langdon
Design expert for HGTV's Small Space, Big Style
Abundant tips, tools, tricks and comparisons will be given for small spaces helping retailers and designers create the potential for these areas to be gracious, inviting and extremely functional.
Libby Langdon's Small Space Solutions book signing following event.
 
Educational Event
Monday, April 27
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Competitive Intelligence/ Trends Forecast
Industry Experts Explore the Hits and Misses of Market
Interactive session
Ekornes Showroom
IHFC D820

STUDENT MENTORING
Wednesday, April 29
8:30 am - 1:30 pm
WithIt Student Mentoring
Luncheon Host - Four Hands
Volunteer to Mentor or Host a group in your Showroom.

CREATIVE BRIEFS

Alternatives to Layoffs. Really?

by Stephanie Lowder


Extraordinary pressures to cut costs? Considering layoffs?

Leaders know: "The principles of modern human capital management strategy suggest that the employee is the organization's greatest strength, and mass layoffs play havoc with an organization's ability to serve its customers and maintain long-term market share. When a firm chooses layoffs, the firm isn't just shedding costs but also tossing away assets." - Jan9 09, Stephanie Medlock, Assoc. Director Professional Studies, University of Chicago

And, several studies post data showing no post-layoff increase in efficiency, no post-layoff increase in share price, and the high cost of lost expertise.

Want to hold on to as much top talent as possible, for as long as possible? 

Everyone knows that times are tough. Most employees say they would rather have a job with reduced pay/benefits than to have no job at all. Now is the time for honest, thorough, and thoughtful communication. Ask for cost-cutting ideas. Ask for volunteers. In such an environment, employees are likely to be loyal and work with you to find a solution that keeps the business open.

Consider tactics some companies are trying as new alternatives to wholesale job elimination:

FedEx:  Salary reductions, 5% overall, 10 percent for executives, 20% for the ceo. "A five-percent salary cut saves much more money than a five-percent layoff because there are no severance payments; the legal liability and associated costs are much less; and the savings come instantly without the agonizing administrative process of figuring out who has to go and getting them out in a dignified manner." - HReonline.com

Cisco Systems:  Offered employees the option of working for nonprofits for a year, at a third of their usual wages, rather than cutting ties with the company. During that time, they received employee benefits, vesting and access to training and continuing education. If Cisco jobs opened up, they enjoyed an advantage over external candidates.

415 Productions: Offered either an overall 5 percent pay cut, or a four-day work week reflecting the appropriate decrease in pay.

Texas Instruments:  "Lending" several staffers to vendors for up to eight months, with the intention of bringing them back to their original jobs at the end of that period. The supplier reimburses the company for the staffers' salaries during the loan period and agrees not to offer them a permanent job.

Brandeis University: Proposed that the school's 300 professors and instructors give up 1 percent of their pay, More than 30 percent volunteered for the pay cut, saving at least $100,000 and preventingt layoffs for several employees.

Dell: Extended unpaid holiday.

Honda: Voluntary unpaid vacation time.

The Seattle Times:  One week of unpaid furlough for 500 workers, a savings of $1 million.

YRC Worldwide, unionized truckers:  Voted to accept an across-the-board 10% pay cut.

MBH Architects, Newport Beach:  Salaries for partners and professionals slashed 25% to 50%

Dow Jones & Co: Wages of 4,000 employees frozen for one year.

Gannett Co: Workers taking one week of unpaid leave during the first quarter.

Other ideas:  Reduce contributions to retirement and health care plans, Trade days off for raises, Voluntary unpaid leave for a specific length of time, Give workers the alternative of doing another job - any job.

On the other hand, if you have been laid off, and you are a good writer:

Position: island caretaker. Duties: lazing around the Great Barrier Reef for six months. Salary: $100,000. The position is real. Australian tourism officials are seeking someone to spend six months relaxing on Hamilton Island while promoting the destination on a blog. Go se islandreefjob.com.  Applicants must submit a 60-second video application, 11 finalists will be flown from their home countries to the island in May for the final selection process. Application deadline is Feb. 22. - Associated Press, Jan14 09.

With challenge, they say, comes opportunity.

Sources:  LATimes, WSJournal, NYTimes, A.P., BusinessWeek, news.uchicago.edu,  management.about.com, expertbusinessourcrce.com, and others


 
 Welcome
New Members

Carol Angus
Consultant
Greensboro, NC

Diane Branch
Alie James LLC
Raleigh, NC

Ashley Hill
Intern - Bluefish Home
Atlanta, GA
 
Vicki Lederman
Consultant
Summit, NJ

Cheryl Luteman
Randolph Community College Student
Greensboro, NC
 
Jillian Pritchard-Cooke
DES-SYN
Atlanta, GA

Julia Rosien
Natura World
Cambridge Ontario Canada

Katherine Schuman
Canadel Furniture Inc.
Chicago, IL
 

Job Change?

Be sure to let WithIt know your new email address, phone number and contact information.

Email us - [email protected]
 
WithIt's Sponsors
220 Elm
American Home Furnishings Alliance
Adesso, Inc.
American Leather
AmericasMart, Atlanta
AYR1.com
aspenhome™
Barkhouse�
BDI
Biltmore Estate For Your Home
BioH, Cargill
Broyhill Furniture Industries
Cantoni Furniture
Catherine Frinier
Century Furniture Industries
Circle Furniture
Consolidated Graphics
Dallas Market Center
Ekornes, Inc.
Enkeboll
Four Hands
Furniture/Today magazine
Furniture World magazine
Gefen Productions
Genre Brand Communications
HB2
Hearst Integrated Media
High Point Market Authority
Home Furnishings Independents Association
Home Furnishings Business
Horich, Parks, Lebow Advertising
Hutchison Allgood Printing
Jaclyn Smith
Jena Hall
Lane Home Furnishings
Las Vegas World Market Center
Leggett & Platt, CPG
Lexington Home Brands
MGM Transport Corporation - A Division of FTG
MMPI
Natuzzi
Outer Limits
Powell Company
PROFITsystems, Inc.
Restonic Mattress Corporation
Riverside Furniture
RLF Communications
RS Means - a Reed Construction Data Company
SECO Furniture
Selva Furniture
Sligh Furniture Company
Stanley Furniture Company, Inc.
The Media Matters, Inc.
The Monday Company
ViewIt Technologies

Thank You
Quick Links

Join Our Mailing List

Kathleen & Kathy

WOW LEADER

Liz O'Brien

Interview by Stephanie Lowder

During my junior year of college, I was offered an internship in London to assist the President of Ekornes UK. I thought they would have me answering the phone, but he assigned a project:  find a way to charge different customers different rates according to their commitment to the brand. That was my project. I had never lived alone, I knew nobody there, and it was more responsibility than I ever thought I would be handling. But later, they implemented the plan I developed, in fact they've moved it into their entire global operation. So I realized that, wow, maybe I can do this.

It was a difficult time. At the same time I was working in London on this project, I was president of my sorority at Florida State and managed a $2 million renovation to our house on campus, and was trying to keep 160 women happy, all at the same time. It was very difficult.

I graduated with a B.S. in Marketing, a B.S. in International Business, and a minor in Economics. I married my high school sweetheart two weeks after graduation, and a week later hit the road selling furniture with our family business - and haven't looked back since.

We have one son, so far. Ocean Davis O'Brien, born May 2, 2008.

My territory: Florida, Georgia, and the Caribbean.

How do I manage? Of course, I have the flexibility of working for myself, but it's not perfect by any means. A nanny sometimes helps a couple days a week. A lot of weeks I pack up my mom and my baby and the two dogs, and we travel together. We might travel to Miami -  a six hour drive - and work five or six days. Or, I might work central Florida and only be out for one night.

I pray for boredom. But it never comes.

The best part of a family business: I work with partners that I can trust beyond trust. It can be messy, but we always know we have each other's best interests at heart. And, we're lucky, we truly enjoy each other's company.

The worst part: When you hear the phone ringing at 9 pm Friday and you know it's your brother so of course you want to pick it up, and they want to talk about a new account and how it went and what's needed, and all you want to do is sit down and have your glass of wine.

The best part of being a sales rep: Having the freedom to create your own destiny. You can work as hard as you want and as smart as you can to earn as much as you want. You have the freedom to work like a dog for 60 days and then go to Africa for two weeks. I love that.

The worst part: For me, it's spending nights away from my husband and baby.

In this economy, I feel like I'm on a battlefield every day.  But for companies, it's time to stay the course. At a time like this, my job is a lot of consulting and guidance and directing, and less how many chairs did I sell today. It's about keeping our partners healthy, our factories running, and people working.

For a branded product, it's time to conserve and be smart with advertising, but stay the course so you can emerge from this downturn in a better position.

Right now, some in retail think their biggest problem is having so few shoppers. But the bigger problem is having no cash because they have too much inventory. So the most important thing is to be conservative with purchasing and with inventory.

I'm happy to report:  At retail, the first two weeks of January have been good - not great, but good. It's so much better than the months prior. I'm very encouraged by that.

No one wants to see an uptight rep walk in the door, so how do I stay relaxed in this economy? I only have one answer for that - I have a very strong faith. We can encourage ourselves by remembering that things will get better in a year or two, but as for me I walk through life with a peace and joy in my heart. I'm in it for the long haul. 

At the end of the day, I like clear-cut bottomline goals. I'm very analytical and bottomline oriented.

One thing I've learned for sure is to trust my my gut. Whether choosing who to work with, how to do a proposal, how to choose a solution - to trust my instinct. I've never regretted it when I did, and when I didn't I've almost always regretted it.

Stay calm, measure twice, cut once, and move forward. I have no problem making a decision.

What some people don't know about the life of a sales rep is that it's very isolating, because of all the travel and driving.

What I want to learn next: There's so much that I have to learn. On a business level, I need to learn how to utilize business friends and associates. I have all these wonderful people around me and I don't know how to make use of all they offer. How to ask for help or advice, I just don't know how to do that.

The only woman I knew in the industry was Margaret Roderick  who reps Carter and Ekornes in NC. The retail owners I was talking to were all men, everyone at the factories were men. I only had a male perspective of the industry. And just before my senior year in college, Margaret recommended I join WithIt.

Why did I take her up on it? I wanted exposure to professional women who were growing their careers, who I could watch and learn from. The first person I met in WithIt was Jackie Hirschhaut, and three weeks later she called and said we'd like you to be WithIt VP in Florida. Hah! Three weeks.

I can't even tell you what a blessing WithIt has been to my life. The women I have met here are the reason I have strength in what I am doing. I have taken inspiration from some very incredible women.

What I didn't expect: I've made money. I met key retailers in my territory that I now work with. This is icing on the cake.

In WithIt, we're upping the ante this year on activities that directly help our members. Any activity that is not a real and tangible benefit to members and sponsors is being trimmed away, it's gone.

Before joining the board, I used my volunteer time to plan charity events - golf tournaments, banquets, auctions, clothing drives - to support victims of domestic violence. These women have no one to help, no one to speak for them. Their situations are not very pleasant, so a lot of people just don't want to look.

I'm an adrenaline junkie.  Last year I spent nine months training and two weeks climbing and summitting Mount Kilimanjaro. I was the only woman in a group of 32 men. A lot of people climb there, but less than one percent summit. It is incredibly painful to climb at that altitude, it's not fun, but I have never had a sense of accomplishment such as that. The prior year I ran the Palm Beach marathon. In 2006 I took up skydiving.

Next, I'd like to do something that doesn't require leaving my baby. I had 18 years of dance training, so I might try competitive ballroom dancing, amateur level. My husband's a pretty good dancer, too. He's not convinced, so I'm working on that.

In my fridge: A lot of condiments. My refrigerator is jars and jars of condiments and not much of anything to eat. It's embarrasing. I need to stop by the store. Today.

I'm not afraid to wear fake eyelashes. Because I pack and unpack a lot, I almost always dress in black and white so I can mix everything. St. John suits travel well and don't wrinkle. Oh, and I love flashy and glamorous jewelry - I often wear evening jewelry during the day. So, flashy and glamorous, I have no problem with that.

Liz O'Brien, WithIt President 2009, represents Directional (Carter), Star Intl, and Ekornes through Davis & Davis International, a family business.

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WithIt 2009 Goals and Objectives


Service and Industry Leadership
Increase our level of service and leadership to our members, sponsors, and the industry while ensuring the future of the organization. 
 
Objective: Maintain the current membership of 400 and target new members in the retail, international, and design communities
 
Objective:  Maintain and nurture Corporate Memberships and Sponsorships increasing WithIt's recognition within the industry by educating decision makers to the benefits of WithIt
 
Objective: Improve the WithIt website offering  integrative services for our current membership and use the Internet (LinkedIn) as a tool to attract new members.
 
Objective: Position our organization as innovative, thought leaders within the industry by offering research that will benefit multiple sectors of the industry .

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WithIt 2009 Board of Directors


EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Kelly Peterson, Chairman, Board of Governors
Group Advertising Director, Hearst Integrated Media

Mary Frye, Chairman
President, Home Furnishings Independents Association

Liz O'Brien, President
Sales Representative, Star International, Ekornes, Creative Accents and Carter
 
Jana Platina Phipps, Vice President/President Elect
Owner, Home Couture Collective

Ann Hackney, Vice President
Creative Director, Valdese Weavers

Debbie Beers, Secretary
Vice President of Consumer Insights, Furniture Brands International, Inc.

Kira Staggers, Treasurer
Manager, Audit Services, Grant Thornton LLP
           
VICE PRESIDENTS/COMMITTEE CHAIRS
       
Veronica Londono, Financial Development
Vice President of Operations, American Leather

Mary Eitel, Marketing
President, MKE Communications, Inc.

Leslie Newby, Media
President, Brand Communications, Inc.

Kim Reynolds, Mentoring
Vice President - Marketing, Oriental Weavers USA, Inc.

Cathy Smith, Education
Director of Design & Merchandising, De Leo Textiles

Christy DiFoggio, Networking
President, Genre Brand Communications

Leslie Carothers, Membership
Principal, The Kaleidoscope Partnership

Rene Crosby, Scholarship Foundation
National Sales Manager, Four Hands
           
VICE PRESIDENTS AT LARGE
   
Beverly Kastel, Casegoods/Upholstery
Vice President of Marketing, Ekornes

Karen Olson, Showroom/Building
Vice President of Marketing, MMPI

Libby Langdon, Supplier
President, Libby Interiors, Inc.

Deb Linkhorn, Retail
Consultant
           
VICE PRESIDENTS/REGIONS
       
Heather Brown, Atlanta/Southeast
Marketing & Communications Manager, Bluefish Home

Jill Robinson, Dallas/Southwest
Vice President of Retail Development, Dallas Market Center

Heidi Higgins, Florida
Buyer, Carls Furniture

Kathleen Holterman, Virginias/Carolinas
Showroom & Designer Sales Manager, French Heritage

Erin Piotrowski, Chicago/Midwest
Consultant

Donna Favia, Western
Vice President Sales, Aspenhome

Catherine Smoak, International
Owner/Creative, Jigsaw Solutions

Vicki LedermanMetro/Northeast Region
Consultant


______________________________

SAVE THE DATE: February 25, 2009


Midwest WithIt Tri-Cities Networking

Wednesday, February 25 - 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
   
Join WithIt members and guests for an after work opportunity to hear the latest and build your contacts file.
Watch the web site www.withit.org  for more information.
 
CHICAGO - Kinzie Street Chop House
Host: Erin Piotrowski
400 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 822-0191
 
CLAWSON, MICHIGAN
(Detroit Suburb) - Leon & Lulu
Host: Mary Liz Curtin
96 W 14 Mile Road
Clawson, MI 48017
248-288-3600
 
EAGAN, MINNESOTA - Pardon My French
HostS: Leslie Carothers & Rebecca Miller
1565 Cliff Road,
Thomas Lake Center
Eagan, MN 55122

______________________________

 
CALL TO ACTION
January is Mentoring Month
 
Mentoring is a developmental partnership through which one person shares knowledge, skills, information, and perspective to foster the personal and professional growth of someone else.
 
WithIt has always been known for its informal mentoring but this month the board challenges you to take this a step further and build a formal relationship.   If you seek a mentor (many of you have indicated that you do on your application) or you would be mentor or you seek both, let the WithIt office know your desires. We will try our best to link you up.
 
If you want to do this the easy way, join the WithIt LinkedIn group and ask for a mentor.   Be sure to state your needs.   http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=102433&trk=hb_side_g
 
A  word of caution - mentors are not psychologists, they do not solve your problems nor do they take them on.  They are experienced people that you may learn from.
 
Start a relationship now and then at the WithIt Educational Conference in August, you can get together for dinner or breakfast.  Most successful business people get support from 2 formal relationships - their coach and their mentor.
 
We challenge you to walk the WithIt mission and get involved.  Now more than ever we need to support each other and share business advice.