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October 2013 

IN THIS ISSUE

Call for WOW Nominations

HIGH POINT MARKET EVENTS
Presidents Welcome

Education Breakfast

Competitive Intelligence

Day of Student Mentoring

What Does Furniture Brands International Bankruptcy Mean...?

UPCOMING EVENTS 

 
FALL 2013
HIGH POINT MARKET

President's Welcome Reception 

Friday, Oct. 18

6 pm

Copeland Furniture

Showplace 5100 

 

WithIt Education Breakfast 

Sunday,  Oct. 20 

IMC's IHFC Building Green Wing, 11th Floor
International Ballroom A

Speaker: Wendy Bellissimo

 

Must RSVP at www.withit.org

  

Competitive Intelligence/  Trends Panel 

Monday, Oct. 21  

Design9 Showroom,

220 ELM - 311

6-8pm  

Hosted by 220 Elm, Design9 Inc., TemaHome and Lumintonic

 

Register at www.withit.org 

 

WithIt Student Mentoring Day 

Wednesday, Oct. 23

8am-1pm

 Student Registration 

 

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

 Patricia Caruso

Marketing Events Specialist

STORIS

Enfield, CT


Debbi Guyan

Director of Operations

Planned Furniture Promotions

Enfield, CT

 

Myra Johnson

Director of Client Services

Planned Furniture Promotions

Enfield, CT

 

Shannon Kennedy

Student

Randolph Community College

Randleman, NC

 

Aimee Kurzner

Sr. Designer and Project Manager

Foremost

Atlanta, GA

 

John Loecke

Creative Director

Madcap Cottage

Brooklyn, NY

 

Carolyn Martin

Director of Marketing

IMC - International Market Centers

Las Vegas, NV

 

Toni McCreery

Office Manager

Planned Furniture Promotions

Enfield, CT

 

Sarah Mount

Director of Content & Interactive Media

IMC - International Market Centers

Las Vegas, NV

 

Jason Oliver Nixon

Madcap Cottage

Brooklyn, NY

 

Sheryl Pugh

Student

Randolph Community College

Randleman, NC

 

Sheilla Sanon

Student

Appalachian State University

Boone, NC

  

Lindsey Scapicchio

Business Development Manager

STORIS

Enfield, CT


Kaitlin Surdoval

Marketing Manager

STORIS

Enfield, CT


Denise Wenacur

Principal

DW Design & D�cor LLC

Croton on Hudson, NY

 

 

WITHIT'S SPONSORS 

220 Elm 

Adesso, Inc. 

American Leather  

BDI 

Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library   

Bernhardt  

 Braxton Culler 

Brown Jordan  

Carolyn Kinder International  

Circle Furniture  

Cohen Tauber Spievack & Wagner 

Copeland Furniture    

Cory 1st Choice Home Delivery  

Dallas Market Center  

 Design9 Inc. 

Ekornes 

Frinier Atelier - Richard Frinier Collection 

Furniture Brands International 

FurnitureDealer.net  

 Furniture First  

Furniture/Today  

Furniture World magazine 

HB2 Resources  

High Point Market Authority  

Home Accents Today 

Home Furnishings Business 

IHFC  

International Market Centers 

Jena Hall Designs

La-Z-Boy 

Las Vegas Design Center  

Lexington Home Brands   

Liz O'Brien  

Lumitonic 

Massood Logistics  

Norwalk Furniture 

Palliser Furniture  

Planned Furniture Promotions 

red egg 

PROFITsystems  

Smith Leonard PLLC  

STORIS 

Sunbrella 

The Media Matters, Inc.  

TemaHome 

Tempur-Pedic 

Thomasville Home Furnishings of NJ 

Twin-Star International 

Valdese Weavers    

ViewIt Technologies 

Vulcan Information Packaging   

Wray Ward 

Wright Global Graphic Solutions  

 

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WOWWOW AWARDS
WOW Awards
Call For Nominations

During the summer, WithIt launched its 13th annual Call for Nominations for the 2014 WOW awards. The chosen nominees will be honored at a dinner during Las Vegas Market. Deadline for nominations is October 25, 2013.

 

As we do yearly, we are asking you, our members and friends, to nominate an individual that deserves to be recognized.   Our goal is to gather a strong list of candidates from which our industry committee can recommend 12 to be honored. Once these 12 are selected and have submitted their package, a judging committee will score each package. The committee will include the WithIt president, a retailer, a manufacturer, someone from media and a university faculty member from design or product development.

 

Categories for nominations include:

  • Legacy Award -  For a woman of achievement who has made significant lifetime contributions to the home and furnishings industry.
  • Mentoring Award (may be a woman, man or a corporation) For an executive or organization that has fostered advocacy, development or promotion of women in their company or the industry.  
  • Education Award (may be a woman, man or a corporation) For an executive or company which has developed programs to educate associates, retailers or consumers about home and furnishings.  
  • Leadership Award - For a woman over 40 who has demonstrated successful leadership in her company, in WithIt, and/or in the home and furnishings industry.  
  • Future Leadership Award- For a woman under 40 who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and the potential to become an industry leader. 

Each distinguished honoree must have a minimal of 5 years in the home and furnishings industries and demonstrated significant impact within her company

 

Nominate a deserving leader today. If you have questions, contact Sara Lyke at [email protected].

 

presWITHIT HIGH POINT MARKET EVENTS
President's Welcome Reception
Friday, Oct 18 @ 6pm
Copeland Furniture
Showplace 5100

Join Betty Lyn Eller, WithIt's 2013 President, and Copeland Furniture to kick off High Point Fall Market. Feel welcome with friends and a glass of wine. Bring a guest, we would love to welcome them. Make sure to bring your business cards.
 
For over 30 years, Copeland Furniture has been designing and manufacturing contemporary, Shaker-inspired, solid hardwood furniture for the bedroom, dining room, and home office. The simple, clean lines of Copeland furniture complements and enhances any interior.

All Copeland Furniture is made in Vermont of solid hardwood from the Northern Forest.  

 

                                                     
breakfastWithIt/IMC Education Breakfast
Sunday, Oct 20 @ 7:30 am
IMC's IHFC Bldg. Green Wing
11th Floor, Int'l Ballroom A
RSVP required

"Baby Steps to a Better Brand"
Wendy Bellissimo, Wendy Bellissimo Media
Family lifestyle designer and "Nursery Designer to the Stars"

With tentative and sometimes stumbling baby steps, Wendy Bellissimo took her business from a few discarded fabric swatches to a multi-million dollar brand.  Now, as Wendy launches new projects, including her first-ever youth furniture line, she will recount the challenges that brought her back down to square one, share insight gained through hardship, and reveal what has empowered her to make her business stronger than ever.

To learn more about Wendy Bellissimo, watch her video by OPRAH.
Wendy Bellissimo Video Biography
Wendy Bellissimo Video Biography

   
CI
Competitive Intelligence
Monday, October 21 @ 6pm - 8pm
Design9 Inc. - 220 Elm, Showroom 311

Engage in the discussion led by moderator Betty Lyn Eller, WithIt's 2013 President, and a panel of stellar guests to summarize what is the newest in design, global and material trends, and the motif of the moment as reflected this market. Networking and cocktails @ 6pm. Panel and discussion begins @ 7pm.

What is Competitive Intelligence?
During the formative years of WithIt, the Board of Directors would often meet at the beginning and closing of each market. Invariably at the closing meeting, trends or exciting new introductions were shared, critiqued and probably scored.  Since WithIt's board members represent many facets of the industry, perspective was always broad and interesting.  Sharing this information was dubbed as one of the highlights of their market.
 
It wasn't long before other WithIt members heard about this market intelligence and asked to be included.  The venue which had previously been held at the String & Splinter moved to volunteer showrooms allowing more members and guests to come and share. The format of the meeting became a little more structured; led by a current board member and was dubbed "Competitive Intelligence."  All attendees were invited to offer their opinion about the "good, the bad and the ugly" they had seen at market.  But discussion did not stop with furniture, future trends and color.  This group of leaders talked about the economy, global influences, urbanization, how weather could affect housing, politics, the internet, the ecology and sales. New materials were often identified and future uses for them imagined.
 
With time Competitive Intelligence became a bit more formal with panels led by moderators. Attendees heard from Barry Dixon, Jena Hall, Raymond Waites, Ellen Gefen, Michael Wolk, Connie Post Benton, Kimberley Wray, Karim Rashid, Tobi Fairley, Faith Sheridan and many of our very talented members.  These insights have led to friendly disagreements, correct calls on products and the predicting of future trends.  The discussion doesn't end at the close of the meeting but usually continues with small groups over dinner.
 
If you have not attended before, join WithIt this market.  You will gather some of the best inside information and even get a scoop or two. As you explore market, be sure to note what you think could be of value to this group.  We are eager to hear from you.



Why do the top 100 retailers spend so much time at 220 Elm-Selection. Location. Amenities. 220 Elm has 65 diverse exhibitors in one convenient location, in the heart of the High Point Market. Shop great designs and partners that will inspire your customers and enhance your business. Customers enjoy free Wi-Fi daily, and live blues music in the courtyard during the popular End Your Day on Elm festivities over the weekend. 220 Elm: from modern to traditional, we've got your style.

 

mentoring                                                                   
Palliser Supports WithIt's Day of Student Mentoring
Wednesday, Oct 23 @ 8am

Victoria Valentinas,Visual Merchandising Coordinator, Bassett Furniture, knows personally what WithIt Student Mentoring can do for you.  Tory, as she is known by most, participated in many WithIt mentoring activities while in college. WithIt was impressed by Tory and when the call came from Jena Hall that she needed to interview for some interns to work with HGTV, WithIt gave Tory as one of the possibilities.  She was selected and her internship has grown in to a full time job.  She would be the first to say that through WithIt she made valuable connections.

Tory and her team have created a day of learning.  The students will kick off the morning hearing from industry experts on making the transition from college to the job market, advice on resum�s and interviewing for "the" job, interior design, product development  and trend forecasting.  Following the industry insights, the group will enjoy tours of various showrooms. Their day will end with lunch furnished by Palliser Furniture along with a showroom tour.



Palliser Furniture Upholstery Ltd. is a leading North American furniture company with local manufacturing facilities in Canada and Mexico. These centrally and strategically located plants allow us to provide prompt, cost efficient service and delivery to our valued clients across the continent.   High quality furniture with clean contemporary lines and comfy classic curves.

 

bankINDUSTRY NEWS
What Does the Furniture Brands International Bankruptcy Mean for Our Way of Doing Business?

 

By Jerry Cohen, Founding Parner

Cohen Tauber Spievack & Wagner, P.C.  

WithIt Corporate Member 

 

Since Furniture Brands International filed for bankruptcy on September 9, I have spoken and heard from many people in the furniture and home furnishings businesses. They are anxious about the climate of uncertainty created by the bankruptcy of one of the industry's giants and its iconic brands.

 

That's understandable. This development is unsettling for a storied industry with generations-old businesses and proud professionals. And as many WithIt members discussed at the 2013 professional conference, so much of our business is about relationships. While business can go up and down for anyone, it becomes much more unstable when a company of this size faces so much uncertainty ahead.

 

One thing you should know is that a bankruptcy filing does not necessarily mean a company is closing up shop and shutting down. In fact, in this case, Furniture Brands International will continue to operate as a business. Its assets will be owned by Oaktree Capital Management or other entity.

 

But a bankruptcy filing does trigger adjustments and special provisions in the agreements a company has with others. I outlined some of these in a recent piece for Furniture Today. These changes will cause businesspeople in every part of the industry-from furniture designers and manufacturers all the way downstream to interior designers and customers-to look at their business relationships again and makes sure every agreement they have is in their best interest given this more unstable climate.

 

Whatever your business or role in the furniture industry, I encourage you to examine how you work with all of your business partners. Even if you're doing everything you can to maintain your way of doing business, they may need to make changes that will, in turn, impact you. Are you paying money up front for orders now in question? Are products in danger of not being delivered when customers ask for them? What will you communicate to your suppliers, clients, employees, and customers?

 

The relationships in our business mean that this development is not only a matter of bankruptcy law. This is an occasion to look at how you do business with everyone, so you can prepare for uncertainty and protect yourself.

 

That might sound unpleasant or scary, but here's what I know from the inspirational leaders I've met through WithIt. The furniture business will have to adjust, but it will find a way through. The products we make and recommend become part of people's homes. They become part of family histories and Facebook feeds. People will always take pride in the d�cor of their homes.

 

That means you should not wait to see what happens with FBI, and it has little value to speculate about what could happen to companies out of your control. Look at what today's furniture business means for you right now. An honest assessment and realistic plan will be your best bet in the uncertainty to come.

 

I'm interested in hearing how the Furniture Brands International bankruptcy has affected you. What are your customers or clients asking or telling you? Let me know at [email protected].

Jerry Cohen is a founding partner in Cohen, Tauber, Spievack, & Wagner P.C. His firm is a full-service business law firm with practice areas including corporate, litigation, real estate, life sciences, intellectual property, financial restructuring, and immigration. He is a member of WithIt's Board of Governors.

Furniture Brands is a partner and friend to WithIt. We support them and wish the best outcome for the corporate leaders and the employees.

 

Have a story idea for an upcoming e-newsletter? Submit your idea to [email protected].

 

WithIt, Inc.

PO Box 16264, High Point, NC 27261

Office: 2125 Eastchester Drive Suite 103, High Point, NC 27265

www.withit.org