F. Schumacher & Co., one of the nation’s leading design houses and marketers of luxury textiles and decorative interior products, announced that Gerald W. Puschel has been named Chairman of the Board of the company, effective immediately. Until the recent appointment of veteran luxury executive Terri Eagle as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Puschel – a member of the company’s founding family – has held those titles since the year 2000. Throughout his career at F. Schumacher, Mr. Puschel held a variety of other top management positions at the firm including President of the Waverly Division, Executive VP, Corporate Secretary, and President and COO.
Founded in 1889 by Frederic Schumacher, F. Schumacher & Co. has grown from a small showroom on Broadway and 22nd Street in New York City into a leader in the home furnishings industry. Mr. Puschel, a descendant (great, great nephew) of Frederic Schumacher, has carried on the Company legacy as a premiere resource for home furnishings that infuse style, elegance and vitality for today’s public and private spaces. The company’s diverse products are currently marketed under two brands, Schumacher and Patterson, Flynn & Martin, to design professionals worldwide through showrooms as well as through company and third-party sales respectively.
In the past, Mr. Puschel has been named by Home Furnishings News as one of the 100 most influential people in the industry. Prior to joining F. Schumacher & Co., Mr. Puschel served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy from 1964 -1967. In 1964 he received a BA in English Literature from St. Lawrence University, and later in 1972 he earned an MBA from Rutgers University and then in 1973 a BS in Textile Science from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences. Mr. Puschel and his wife, Louise, have two sons, Andrew and Stephen.