Leadership Changes Announced at Agio, USA

Furniture World News Desk on 6/1/2020

Bob Gaylord (left) and Doug Peppler (right).

Agio, USA announced that current executive Vice President Doug Peppler, will become Agio’s new president as part of a long-planned management succession arrangement at the casual furniture leader.  He succeeds Bob Gaylord, Agio’s visionary co-founder who will move into a newly created position, Executive Committee Chairman. 

In his new role, Gaylord will step aside from daily operations into a strategic advisory position.   

Peppler is a company partner and has been with Agio for nearly 20 years, rising through Agio’s senior management positions from Vice President, Senior Vice President and Executive VP.  In his latest position, Peppler managed and oversaw Agio’s key account business.   He has also been active in ICFA for many years, including serving on the association’s board of directors.  In 2018, Peppler succeeded John Oppenheimer, Agio’s executive vice president and partner for over 20 years before his retirement.  

Peppler conceived and launched Agio’s “Reserve Program,” a warehousing option that introduced many single dealers or small chains to direct-shipping by “reserving” certain collections to be mixed and matched into a single container for importing.  Another career highlight is his leadership to reintroduce traditional furniture retailers or acquaint first-time furniture merchants with selling outdoor furniture.   

“Over the years, Agio, USA has brought together some of the best product managers, designers, R&D, and merchandisers in the industry,” Peppler stated.  “Working with such a great group of people has made my career here extremely fulfilling and rewarding.” 

Outdoor Industry “Pioneer”

Gaylord, who is recognized in all corners of the Outdoor Furniture Industry as an innovator and visionary, won’t technically retire but moves on to a new role.  While no longer involved in day-to-day company management, as Executive Committee Chair he will continue to provide guidance and cultivate industry relations he’s built up over the past five decades. 

From a career filled with firsts and trends-set, Gaylord lists a number of highlights – Agio’s leadership in outdoor fire elements and the portable gas fire pit in particular; the move away from glass-top tables to higher quality tops, investing in actionable trend research and hiring fresh designers, and the overall embrace of “The Outdoor Room” concept.   But Gaylord believes the greatest impact was his pioneering role in building longstanding manufacturing relationships in China and his unabashed boosterism of the Outdoor category within the furniture industry and with the modern homeowner. 

“The relationships we established as the company grew have mutually benefitted not only furniture retailers of all stripes – specialty, traditional, dot-com, clubs – but consumers perhaps most of all from quality goods at accessible price points,” Gaylord said.   “I’m really proud of the way we operate,” he explained.  “We’re one ownership group, with multiple designers and campuses to pull from.  That’s the secret to Agio’s ability to deliver quality goods on time.”

“Doug’s industry knowledge on multiple fronts and his lengthy tenure with Agio makes him the perfect choice for this position,” said Bob Gaylord, president of Agio USA.  “He has a tremendous amount of experience in each of the markets that we serve.  I could not think of a better candidate than Doug.” 

On Bob, Doug states, “Bob’s handing over the reins of a pretty well-run company to me, so I have some huge shoes to fill.  Best of all he’ll continue to be involved with the company so our team can still draw upon his knowledge and instincts that helped Agio become the outdoor leader we are today”.

About Agio: The distinctive designs by Agio are a merger of beauty, exceptional quality, and affordability for homeowners who seek out the pure enjoyment of the company of friends and family in their outdoor rooms. Derived from the Italian word for “leisure,” Agio embodies the art of living well and offers innovative outdoor designs. The quality and durability of Agio stems from years of mastering the perfect balance of craftsmanship and innovative materials. Make yourself, and your guests, at home with Agio. For more information, visit www.agio-usa.com.