Vanguard Promotes Harriet Miller to Vice President of Merchandising

Furniture World News Desk on 8/15/2016

Pictured Above: Harriet Miller, Liz Oliver and Randy Sigmon

Vanguard Furniture announced that it has promoted Harriet Miller to the position of Vice President of Merchandising, reporting to Andy Bray, President. Miller will be responsible for the development and execution of the merchandising of upholstery design, textiles, and visual presentation.

“As one of the most talented professionals in the industry, Harriet brings 30+ years of merchandising experience developing salable correlated groups of case goods and upholstery,” said Bray. “She has been a primary driver for our explosive growth in upholstery with a gift for translating fashion, color and style trends into distinctive upholstery. She is highly respected by dealers and within our organization,” he added.

In other moves, Liz Oliver was appointed Director of Case Goods Product Development and Randy Sigmon was hired as Case Goods Quality Manager.

Prior to joining Vanguard, Oliver held the position of purchasing and outsourced quality management at Bernhardt. She has worked extensively with Product Development, BIFMA standard testing, and overseas vendor relations. “Oliver brings a wealth of experience and knowledge and is a welcome member of our team,” said Bray. She will oversee new product design and development.

Sigmon, a 30+ year veteran of the industry was hired as Case Goods Quality Manager and has held similar positions at Hickory Chair Company and Bernhardt Furniture. He has travelled extensively, and has pioneered techniques, systems and procedures to improve both domestic and international quality control. “Our case goods business is growing quickly, and we needed the experience and professionalism of someone the caliber of Randy to uphold the high standards expected of upper end furniture,” said Bray. “90% of management is getting the right people and putting them in the right places. We now have the best team in the industry and our growth reflects that.”

About Vanguard Furniture: Vanguard Furniture is a manufacturer and marketer of case goods and upholstery. It is a family held company, employing 575 associates and operates out of six manufacturing buildings in Hickory, North Carolina, and a 40,000 square foot showroom in High Point, NC and its newest manufacturing location in Hillsville, Virginia. Its mission is to lead home furnishings in style, value and service with a vision to enrich lives through custom-crafted furniture. Vanguard is a founding member of the Sustainable Furniture Council and its green initiatives include recycling 95% of all post manufacturing waste; recycling paper, fabric scraps, metal, wood scrap, plastic and corrugated products. The showroom is located at 301 N Hamilton St, in High Point. For more information, see www.vanguardfurniture.com