Four Hands Announces New Leadership Roles

Furniture World News Desk on 7/27/2022

Four Hands recently announced leadership updates, including the promotions of Candace Bridges to its first-ever Chief People Officer role, and Rick Lovegrove as its first-ever President of Upholstery. Both members of the executive team joined Four Hands in 2014 and have been critical to the firm establishment of their respective departments.

“As we continue to grow, it is especially important to recognize people that have been cornerstones of our success,” said Matthew Briggs, Four Hands President and CEO. “These promotions celebrate Candace’s instrumental role in recruiting, retaining, and engaging top talent, and Rick’s leadership in making Upholstery our most successful product category. With Rick, Candace, and the whole executive team, we will continue to carve a forward-looking future for our business.”

 Candace Bridges was brought in to develop the HR function within Four Hands as the Human Resources Manager and was quickly promoted to Director of Human Resources in 2017 and Vice President in 2019. In 2021, she led the rebranding and revitalization of the HR function as People and Culture, formalizing and expanding Bridges’ humanitarian approach. Over a period of exponential growth for the company, from just over 100 employees to more than 500, Bridges’ tenure has been marked by developing a clear and compelling employer value proposition, fostering a dynamic culture, designing infrastructure for professional growth, and promoting talent from within the company alongside making strategic external hires. Under her leadership, Four Hands was recently honored as one of Austin American-Statesman’s Austin’s Top Workplaces.

“I could not be prouder of the amazing team we’ve thoughtfully and strategically crafted at Four Hands. The rising trajectory of our employer brand is emblematic of the team’s exceptional talent, results-driven work, and commitment to our core values. I look forward to the opportunities that this new role empowers to continue to enhance the employee experience, from recruitment to retirement, and contribute to the business’s overall growth and success,” said Candace Bridges, Chief People Officer.

As Chief People Officer, Bridges will reinforce people and culture as a primary focus of Four Hands and spearhead new initiatives to continue to navigate contemporary needs of corporate culture and the changing needs of the workplace, including a renewed focus on social responsibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and managing a global footprint. 

 Rick Lovegrove initially joined Four Hands as a consultant with expertise in upholstery manufacturing and design and quickly moved in-house in 2015 as the first permanent employee in Upholstery. He was brought in to reinvent and firmly establish the identity of the Upholstery program at Four Hands and has simultaneously built out a best-in-class upholstery team. Under his leadership, this sector of the business increased tenfold, from $12 million in revenue annually to $120 million, making Upholstery the highest revenue driving product category at Four Hands today. Rising to Vice President of Upholstery, Lovegrove works closely with the design team to launch 150 new Upholstery collections annually, firmly establishing Four Hands as a trendsetter for the biggest retail brands and industry at large. Lovegrove is also responsible for the vendor and supplier ecosystem and has attracted superior manufacturers, established strong partnerships with more than 50 mills and tanneries, cultivated exclusive cross-promotional opportunities and material launches, and trained factory partners in best practices. In partnership with a design partner, he opened an upholstery shop in the Philippines, an innovative move that brought prototype development in-house.

“Designing the Upholstery program at Four Hands from the ground up allowed me to disrupt the industry and take advantage of the company’s unique strengths and capabilities. We have paved an innovative path forward that projects continued exponential growth and becoming an unrivaled leader in upholstery,” added Rick Lovegrove, President of Upholstery.

As President of Upholstery, Lovegrove will lead initiatives to keep Four Hands at the forefront of upholstery innovation, advancing performance fabrics, sustainability, on-shoring, and trend-setting designs.

About Four Hands

Based in Austin, Texas, Four Hands is the leading global designer and wholesaler of trendsetting lifestyle home furnishings. They have earned a reputation for expertly blending styles, materials, and textures from diverse corners of the world to create distinct pieces for the home. Receiving numerous recognitions and accolades for their business acumen, including one of Austin American-Statesman’s 2021 Austin’s Top Workplaces and ranking in the Inc. 5000 list 13 times, Four Hands is one of the most dynamic companies in the furniture industry today. Founded in Austin in 1996, the business has grown to include offices in China, India, Vietnam, Mexico, Indonesia, and the United States, with showrooms in High Point, North Carolina, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Austin, Texas. Through their international presence, Four Hands has a finger on the pulse of how the world is shaping the way we decorate our dwellings. The company enthusiastically supports the growing needs of large retail chains, as well as independent regional stores and interior designers. Introducing more than 2,000 styles yearly across multiple categories, customers have access to more than 5,600 design-forward products from over 50 collections, spanning all home furnishing categories—from living and dining room, to art and lighting, and everything in between. For more information, visit www.fourhands.com.