The American Furniture Hall of Fame reported that Hyman Meyers, retired Chairman and CEO of Heilig-Meyers died at the age of 98. Heilig-Meyers was once the largest home furnishing retailer in the US.
His biography on the Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation website www.furniturehalloffame.com states that, "Hyman Meyers (b1911), along with his brother, Sidney, and brother-in-law, Nathaniel Krumbein, pioneered the business strategies and philosophies that guided Heilig- Meyers in becoming one of the most successful publicly held retail furniture companies in the United States. Heilig-Meyers was founded in 1913 by Hyman's father, J. M. and his uncle, W. A. Heilig. In 1934, Hyman became manager of the Wilson, NC store. After receiving the Bronze Star Medal as an Air Force Captain during World War II, he returned to Heilig-Meyers in 1946 as the company's general manager. In 1951, Heilig-Meyers moved its headquarters to Richmond, VA, and in 1965, Mr. Meyers became president of the company.
"Under Hyman's guidance, Heilig-Meyers became a public company in 1972, and in 1983, Heilig-Meyers' stock was listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange. He served as chairman of the Board and chief executive officer until he retired from active employment with the company in 1984. He continues to serve as a member of the board of directors. When Mr. Meyers became president in 1965, sales were approximately $5.3 million with 14 stores. In 1993, sales were approximately $549.7 million with 425 stores.
"Mr. Meyers has been actively involved with various industry related organizations throughout his career. He has been on the boards of the National Retail Furniture Association and the Southern Retail Furniture Association (now the National Home Furnishings Association and the Southern Home Furnishings Association). He also served as president of NRFA, and in 1969, he received the prestigious John Willis, Jr. Award of Merit."
According to his obituary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/aHSYxD), " He was predeceased by his wife, the former Florence Tabakin; and his brother, Sidney. He is survived by a sister, Amy Krumbein of Richmond; two sons, Stanley (Janet S.) and Donald (Prema) of Richmond; and one daughter, Janet Meyers (Mark Pollak) of Bethesda, Md.; and five grandchildren, Brian and Rachael Meyers, and Zoe, Todd and Adina Pollak; as well as nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held Monday, July 5, at 11 a.m., at Bliley's-Central Chapel, 3801 Augusta Ave., Richmond, with interment at Hebrew Cemetery, Richmond. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the VCU Massey Cancer Center, P.O. Box 980037, Richmond, Virginia 23298."