Stanley Furniture Company, a leader in the design and manufacturing of premium residential wood furnishings, recently announced several key personnel changes designed to strengthen the organization’s sales, marketing and product development disciplines.
Effective immediately, Ward O’Quinn, an independent sales representative for Stanley Furniture, has assumed the role of Product Manager for the company’s nursery and youth product line, Young America.
With an educational background in psychology from the University of La Verne, O’Quinn joined Stanley Furniture in 1996 as a sales representative for the company’s Southern California territory. In 2001, he transferred to Northern California as one of Stanley Furniture’s most knowledgeable and well-respected sales representatives.
Relocating to North Carolina, O’Quinn now oversees the product development process, product line profitability, quality specifications and service to customers.
"Ward brings a comprehensive perspective to what is now a totally reinvented Young America," said Glenn Prillaman, President and CEO of Stanley Furniture. "His day-to-day experience in the field will be invaluable as we forge a powerful relationship between the Young America brand, our Signature Shop retailers and today’s consumer."
On May 3, 2010, Stanley Furniture also welcomed Neil MacKenzie as the company’s new Director of Marketing.
MacKenzie, a Massachusetts native, received his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and minor in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, N.C. For the past six years, he has served as
the key account manager for The Burris Agency, Inc., leading all aspects of client service including strategy development and implementation. He also has experience managing several well-known brands outside the furniture industry.
For the last two years, MacKenzie has been the day-to-day client contact for Stanley Furniture and Young America. In this role, he has managed marketing initiatives such as web site development, the introduction of the company’s licensed collection, Coastal Living, and the launch of the new Young America brand.
In his new role at Stanley Furniture, MacKenzie is now responsible for setting the strategic direction of marketing initiatives, managing all marketing services at the execution level and assisting product and sales managers in overseeing changes in the marketplace.
"The Director of Marketing position is one that will afford us the ability to structure, initiate and execute the company’s marketing goals in an ever-changing marketplace," said Prillaman. "Neil’s unique third-party perspective combined with first-hand experience of the Stanley Furniture and Young America brands make him the best candidate for this multi-faceted position."
Both Ward O’Quinn and Neil MacKenzie report to President and CEO Glenn Prillaman.
Stanley Furniture also announced that Kevin Bowman has assumed the role of Senior Vice President of Sales & Customer Service.
Reporting directly to Glenn Prillaman, Bowman’s broadened responsibilities include managing the company’s independent sales force and overseeing customer service and all sales-related functions.
A Florida State University alumnus, Bowman joined Stanley Furniture in 2006 as the VP of Sales after an 18-year career in retail, most recently at Thomasville Furniture Industries.
"During a time of great uncertainty for anyone in our industry in sales, Kevin has been our only sales manager for several years now," said Prillaman. "Our company has been planning its operational transformation for some time. This effort has hindered our ability to travel and be in front of our customers face-to-face as we would like and as we traditionally have at Stanley. Kevin is aware of this and excited to build a more customer-centric sales service team in his expanded role."
Finally, effective June 1, 2010, independent sales representatives, Matt O’Hearn and Ted Mischkot now serve as Field Sales Consultants for the eastern and western U.S. territories respectively.
O’Hearn began representing Stanley Furniture’s New England territory in April of 2006. The following year, he was the recipient of the company’s Champion’s Award, which honors the top performing representative and his/her territory.
In March of 2003 Mischkot took on the role as sales representative for Stanley Furniture’s Northwest territory. Prior to that his experience included a sales management role within the company. Ted has also received a number of awards recognizing his exemplary work as a sales representative.
In addition to serving as sales representatives in their respective territories, O’Hearn and Mischkot will provide strategic and tactical sales advice to Stanley Furniture Company and its representatives in the field. Each offers field leadership and support to the sales representatives and retailers in their regions, works directly with the company’s retail partners on product development and customer service initiatives and assists in the development and analysis of strategic growth initiatives.
"I am confident that the talent, experience, and leadership both of these gentlemen possess will prove to be a tremendous asset to our sales force and to our retail partners across the country," said Kevin Bowman.
Both Matt O’Hearn and Ted Mischkot will continue to report to Kevin Bowman, Senior Vice President of Sales & Customer Service.
Established in 1924, Stanley Furniture Company, Inc. is a leading designer and manufacturer of furniture targeted at the accessible segment of the luxury wood residential market. Its common stock is traded on the Nasdaq stock market under the symbol STLY.