American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Selects Five Paul Broyhill Future Leaders

Furniture World News Desk on 4/4/2024

Pictured Clockwise from top left: Renae Brown, Eric Nyman, Gerardo Ornelas, Andrew Bernard and Shannon Williams.

The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. will recognize five rising young stars with the Paul Broyhill Future Leaders Award during a reception and dinner at the April High Point Market.  

“A core mission of the Hall of Fame is to celebrate extraordinary leadership across the industry, and that includes up-and-coming young leaders who have set their sights high on excellence and achievement,” says Karen McNeill, CEO and chairman of the Hall of Fame Board of Directors. “This year, we honor five more bright emerging leaders who have already made big contributions to their own companies and are likely to be among the groundbreakers who take the home furnishings industry to the next amazing level.”

The Paul Broyhill Future Leaders Award is given annually to five emerging leaders by his son, Hunt Broyhill. Named after one of the industry’s leading families and a company that long focused on executive training, the award features a torch motif, symbolizing the passing of leadership to new generations.

Each Future Leader is under 40 years of age and is selected for their leadership, personal growth, communications skills and commitment to the greater home furnishings industry. The reception and dinner honoring this year’s award winners will be held at the new Hall of Fame building at 311 S. Hamilton in High Point and hosted by ANDMORE. Inducted Hall of Fame members Michael Amini, Irv Blumkin, Neil Goldberg and Kevin O’Connor will attend the dinner and participate in a discussion guided by Steve Pond, founder of Furniture Today.

“Bringing together five inducted members of the Hall of Fame with our five future leaders provides the perfect opportunity for a rich exchange of ideas,” McNeill says. “The discussions that take place are a meaningful blend of new perspectives balanced by the wisdom and experience that can inspire each of us along our own journeys.”

The evening also sets the stage for future interactions, McNeill adds, “which will benefit the industry for many years to come.”

In addition to the award, recipients will receive a framed Certificate of Achievement; the published “Oral History of Paul Hunt Broyhill”; and membership in the Leaders Circle of the Hall of Fame.

This year’s Paul Broyhill Future Leaders are:

• Andrew Bernard, Senior Director of Supply Chain and Customer Service at Glen Raven Materials Solutions Group: As Senior Director of Supply Chain and Customer Service at Glen Raven Materials Solutions Group, producer of Sunbrella fabrics, Bernard leads the customer service, corporate planning and customs compliance teams for the company’s North American and Asian businesses. Since joining Glen Raven in 2008, Bernard has progressed through nine roles of increasing responsibility in 15 years, including Quality Engineer, Research and Development Engineer, Manufacturing Manager, Plant Manager, Business Development Analyst and Commercial Operations Director. In those roles, he has worked on everything from starting a new plant and the creation of new product lines to the development of processes and systems to improve the sales team’s ability to serve customers. His influence within the organization touches all functional areas, including the senior leadership team. After assuming his current supply chain role in 2023, he achieved record lead times for customers’ orders within the first six months.

• Renae Brown, Senior Vice President, Customer Insights, ANDMORE: As Senior Vice President of ANDMORE, Brown oversees the omnichannel wholesale market maker’s Buyer Services and Customer Relations teams. A marketing analytics expert, Brown is making a major impact on the home furnishings industry by using the data ANDMORE collects to enhance the buyer and seller experience. Working cross-departmentally with her teams, Brown has created a 360-degree view of the ANDMORE customer and is using data, including a new, more robust CRM system she implemented, to better manage customer feedback and to better understand marketing channel impact. Her data-driven approach provides ANDMORE with a dashboard of key performance metrics, enabling it to better evaluate the effectiveness of marketing activities and investments. Brown has worked with ANDMORE (previously International Market Centers) for more than 11 years, steadily expanding her role. In addition to buyer services and customer services, Brown also directs the registration process for ANDMORE’s markets in Atlanta, High Point and Las Vegas.

• Eric Nyman, Vice President of Sales-Retail and Design, Surya/Global Views: As Vice President of Sales-Retail and Design, Nyman is responsible for managing the retail and design team, including the outside field team, national account team and inside team, to achieve sales targets. He develops and implements strategies for enhancing sales performance and is constantly striving to find solutions for Surya and Global Views’ customers. He also plays an important role in maintaining key customer relationships to drive the growth of Surya and Global Views. Over the past several years, he has led the company’s transition from independent sales representatives to a team of full-time employees, as well as building the national account team, capturing a larger market share at Top 100 retailers. Nyman also played a vital role in the acquisition of Global Views, working with leadership and the sales team to ensure a smooth transition. Nyman joined Surya in 2008, immediately after graduating from Miami University, and has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility during that time, contributing to the company’s growth and success.

• Gerardo Ornelas, Vice President and General Manager of Joybird.com: Since joining Joybird in 2018, Ornelas has led the strategic integration of the hand-crafted case goods and upholstery producer into La-Z-Boy Inc. Since that acquisition, he has managed to transition Joybird into the La-Z-Boy enterprise while protecting those characteristics that make the Joybird brand unique. Ornelas started with Joybird as Director of Finance, leading key strategic initiatives with an emphasis on improving profitability and leveraging La-Z-Boy’s extensive scale and distribution capabilities. Recently, his focus has been to improve customer reach and brand awareness through innovative marketing and technology applications. In addition, he is leading the expansion of this innovative, digitally oriented brand into brick-and-mortar stores in top markets across the U.S. As VP, Ornelas has full profit-and-loss responsibility for the Joybird business and legal entity. He also is responsible for developing plans for profitable growth of the Joybird brand and business as well as the management and development of its young team.

• Shannon Williams, Chief Operating Officer, Home Furnishings Association: Currently serving as Chief Operating Officer of the Home Furnishings Association, Williams is taking on the role of CEO at the association on June 1 of this year. A dynamic executive with an outstanding record in strategic growth, innovation and change management, Williams oversees operations, performance and strategy for a diverse network of more than 1,500 furniture retailers across North America. From human resources to member solutions, marketing and beyond, Williams’ leadership encompasses a broad spectrum of responsibilities that help ensure organizational success and sustainability. After joining HFA in 2018, Williams executed a five-year organizational restructure of five departments that resulted in a 25% increase in revenue, 30% decrease in expenses, 7% membership growth, 77% increase in net assets and 1,500% increase in member engagement. A committed, lifelong learner, Williams will graduate in August 2024 with a master’s degree in nonprofit and association management.

About The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc.
The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., is an industry-wide organization founded to preserve its history, to celebrate exceptional individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the U.S. home furnishings industry, to inspire the next generation of innovative leaders and to engage the community with the world of home furnishings. Our new home, which opened in April 2023, is a symbol of the Home Furnishings Capital of the World™ where the industry gathers, where we honor our leaders and tell our stories, and where we learn through exhibits, seminars and speakers. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, funds support our history and leadership programming. The organization is based in High Point, North Carolina, at 311 S. Hamilton St., and can be reached at 336.882.5900 or by visiting www.homefurnishingshalloffame.com.