Bush Industries, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of reliable and affordable furnishing solutions for work and home, announced today the company has experienced a successful year with its rebranding efforts, new product lines, and new partnership initiatives with kathy ireland Worldwide® (kiWW®) and Christopher Lowell.
Additionally, Bush announced this year the addition of three new team members who have played a pivotal role in the rebranding efforts and will continue to implement the company’s aggressive marketing strategy moving forward. Earlier this year, Mike Chefalo joined as Vice President of Product Management, Commercial Products and Barbara O’Connell joined as Brand Manager. Both Chefalo and O’Connell are responsible for the overall branding, product launches and strategic planning for BBF (Bush Business Furniture). Gail Schwartz also has joined as Director of Merchandising for the Bush Furniture division, specifically focused on programs related to the kiWW® collaboration.
“Despite a challenging economy, Bush Industries has accomplished some significant goals over the past year with our new product launches, partnerships and rebranding efforts,” said Jim Sherbert, CEO of Bush Industries, Inc. “We’re excited to add to our team three talented individuals who will play major roles in our marketing initiatives, strengthening our brands and continuing to establish Bush as a trusted leader in the industry.”
BBF Rebranding
Earlier this year, Bush Industries began the process of rebranding its commercial division as BBF with the intent to create a stronger, contemporary brand that is well positioned for a changing economy, while designing products, services and programs that capture future market growth. BBF is aligned to the transactional requirements of small and mid‐sized businesses, as well as specific market niches such as the serious office‐at‐home professional. Furthermore, BBF has strengthened its focus on the commercial customer through the design of commercial‐grade products that ‘fit’ the market based on customers’ lifestyles, work styles and varying budgets.
Bush Furniture Rebranding
In addition to the rebranding efforts undertaken for Bush’s commercial division, Bush also reorganized its living division this summer to include four main collections: my|space® by Bush Furniture, Bush Furniture Signature, Office Connect and Workplace Solutions. Without sacrificing the quality the Bush brand is known for, my|space® offers a distinct line of furniture designed for those who want attractive furnishings, but may be challenged by smaller spaces and budgets. Bush Furniture Signature consists of a variety of home entertainment and home office styles at a great value for today’s growing family. Office Connect is a configurable line for today’s hard-working, high achieving professional, while Workplace Solutions offers commercial-grade furniture for open and private office settings.
“Reorganizing our living division was a big priority for us this year, as our goal was to provide customers with an easy and practical way to determine the best furniture to fit both their life and work style needs,” said Sherbet. “We’ve redesigned each logo and our bushliving.com website so that collections can be viewed easily and grouped together according to the targeted consumer.”
New Partnerships
In an effort to enhance the company’s consumer division, Bush brought on two key partners, kiWW® and Christopher Lowell, to develop unique home office and entertainment products. kathy ireland Office® by Bush Furniture and kathy ireland Home® by Bush Furniture will be distributed globally and available at retailers across the country, as well as online, beginning as early as Summer 2011. The three new Christopher Lowell lines, manufactured by Bush and now available exclusively at Office Depot, are stylish, modular office collections ideal for small and home-based businesses.
Bush Team Additions
Leading Bush Industries’ BBF division are two senior level executives, Mike Chefalo and Barbara O’Connell. Chefalo brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, brand management, strategic planning and product/program management to the team. Prior to Bush, Chefalo served as Global Product Manager of Reactor Systems for Robbins and Myers, Inc., the premier producer of glasslined processing equipment for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Additionally, he was Product Manager for the international division of Rich Products Corporation, a privately held food manufacturing company, from 2002 to 2006.
O’Connell comes to Bush with more than 30 years of marketing experience. Previously, she was the Founder and President of O'Connell Marketing Group where she focused on branding development for a variety of B2B clients including contract furniture dealers and manufacturers, travel businesses and professional sports teams. Additionally, O’Connell oversaw all marketing programs as Director of Corporate Marketing for Creative Office Pavilion, a $200 million contract furniture company.
Schwartz is a furniture industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. Prior to joining Bush, she was the Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for New Focus Corporation where she developed branding strategies and product lines for today’s leading retail stores. Schwartz also spent
eight years at Office Depot as Director of Merchandising for Furniture where she launched the Christopher Lowell brand – the first time an office superstore utilized a celebrity to brand and market a product.
“With such an experienced and knowledgeable team in place, I’m confident that the success we experienced this past year will carry over into 2011,” added Sherbert.
About Bush Industries, Inc.
Bush Industries, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of case goods and ready-to-assemble furniture designed for office and home applications. The company operates two North American divisions – BBF and Bush Furniture – along with its Rohr division in Germany and its China operations. With a 50-year legacy built on quality, safety, reliability and durability, Bush Industries is the trusted leader in designing furnishing solutions that meet work and home needs. The company is headquartered in Jamestown, N.Y., with manufacturing and distribution facilities located in western New York, Pennsylvania, China and Germany. For more information, visit www.bush.co.