Posts Tagged ‘upholstered furniture nc’

Blues Traveler, Sister Hazel to play at High Point Market

Friday, February 12th, 2010

WonderBread 5 will entertain on opening night
Larry Thomas — Furniture Today
HIGH POINT — Three rock bands – Blues Traveler, Sister Hazel and the WonderBread 5 – will headline the evening entertainment during the spring High Point Market, which opens April 17.

The WonderBread 5, a San Francisco-based party band, will perform on opening night, while Grammy Award-winning Blues Traveler takes the stage on April 18. Sister Hazel, an alternative rock band, will perform on April 19.

The WonderBread 5, whose members use the names Michael, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Action Jackson, perform a wide range of rock-and-roll music that includes songs from the B-52s to The Beatles.

Blues Traveler, whose sound combines blues with psychedelic, folk, Southern rock and soul, has recorded eight studio albums and four live albums that have sold more than 10 million units. The group’s best-known single, “Run Around,” was the longest-charting radio single in Billboard history.

Sister Hazel has recorded 10 albums and had its music featured in several movies, including “Major League: Back to the Minors,” “The Wedding Planner,” and “10 Things I Hate About You.” The group’s best-known singles are “All For You” and “Change Your Mind.”

All three bands will perform under the tent on the Showplace parking lot as part of the market’s “Stars Under The Stars” series.
“Beyond these exciting headliners will be an outstanding line-up of additional live entertainment across the downtown area, along with an abundance of complimentary food and drink options to ensure that our guests will find something for everyone while they are working here this spring,” said Market Authority President Brian Casey.

Furniture Rep About to Change the Industry

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

I just returned from Las Vegas where there are definitely some challenges in our industry. Amazingly there was some very upbeat feelings coming out of a pretty good January. I also found some furniture reps taking these challenging times and figuring out how to make something of it. What I plan to do with this blog is to highlight some cool things members of the rep community are doing. My inspiration came from seeing what Chris De Lisa was doing at market.

Chris is a sales executive at Home Line and manages a sales force for them. He is also very active in the Independent Home Furnishings Representative’s Association as the newest member of the IHFRA Executive Committee.

But what really caught my attention is seeing Chris in his own show space at the Las Vegas market. Chris was showing a patent pending electrical device that could change the way all upholstery functions. This device allows consumers to plug a power cord directly into the arm or side of an upholstered piece.

Chris has got his discovery story down about the “Ah-Ha” moment that he came up with the concept for the convenience of having an electrical outlet in the sofa. Just think, a consumer does not have to go looking for plugs behind sofas for the vacuum cleaner, or when a laptop, game boy or IPOD battery loses its charge. You just plug in the cord to the sofa.

The exciting thing about Chris is he didn’t just think it and forget it like most do. Chris thought it, went to work patenting it, hired Kurt Behm to sell it, and then started spending money promoting it. This could very well become the next must have thing that’s added to any upholstery piece and it was developed by a fellow furniture sales rep.

Congratulations Chris on having a great market and best of luck in rolling out the “De Lisa Power System”.

I want to feature as many innovative reps and members of IHFRA from around the country in this blog.

What I would really like is if you can send me innovative ideas you are using to help your retail and design customers or if you are developing a side business. Anything outside of just going in and selling a piece of furniture, I would like to feature.

So if you have a good idea that you are using or pursuing, please email me the idea at meroot@mikeroot.com. I will set up a phone call where we can discuss it. I really want to write about as many reps doing cool things as I can, so please get back to me at your earliest convenience. Thanks

Mike Root

www.furnituretoday.com

Tempur-Pedic donates $500,000 for pancreatic cancer research

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Retailers raise money with sale of special Teddy Bears
David Perry — Furniture Today

 Mark Sarvary, left, Tempur-Pedic, presents a check for $500,000 to Roger Magowitz, Mattress Discounters, Virginia Beach, Va., and Pam Marquardt, Julie Fleshman, Brian Doremus and Jason Kuhn, all of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Tempur-Pedic’s bear mascot was also on hand for the presentation. 

LAS VEGAS — Those cuddly Tempur-Pedic Teddy Bears showed their heart here as the memory foam leader made a $500,000 donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Retailers supported the cause with the sale of a special version of the My Tempur-Pedic Teddy Bears last year. Tempur-Pedic officials announced the gift during the company’s market party here.

“We at Tempur-Pedic have been truly inspired by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the survivors we’ve met and the unbelievable support we’ve received from our participating retailers and consumers,” said Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America. “The money raised will help us get one step closer to finding a cure, and we are pleased to continue supporting this cause in 2010.”

A new limited-edition Teddy Bear will be offered this year, and Tempur-Pedic officials are hoping for another strong year of support for pancreatic cancer research.

Roger Magowitz, president of Virginia Beach, Va.-based Mattress Discounters, a major fund-raiser for pancreatic cancer research, was on hand for the check presentation.

Tempur-Pedic is a major supporter of the Seena Magowitz Golf Classic, the industry-supported fund-raiser held every December. That event was started by Magowitz and by fellow retailer Ray Bojanowski.

“Tempur-Pedic really stepped up to the plate in a major way with its fund-raising efforts,” Magowitz said. “This gift will help make a difference in our collective fight to conquer pancreatic cancer. We salute Tempur-Pedic for its inspiring work on this important issue.”

The donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network will help that group continue to fund research on pancreatic cancer, the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

“Support from corporate champions like Tempur-Pedic is critical to our mission of advancing research, supporting patients and creating hope for those affected by pancreatic cancer, and this will help us to fund innovative research into early detection methods and effective treatment options currently lacking for patients,” said Julie Fleshman, president and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.