LA-Z-BOY ANNOUNCES TWO NEW MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENTS; ANDREW AND DARROW

Furniture World Magazine

La-Z-Boy Incorporated, the nation's largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture, announced two new appointments as a result of increased sales and expanded growth opportunities. Effective immediately, Kurt R. Darrow, vice president of sales for La-Z-Boy, takes on an expanded role responsible for both the domestic and international sales efforts. David Andrew has been promoted to the newly created position of national sales manager. Formerly the company's eastern regional sales manager, Andrew assumes responsibility for managing the field efforts of the entire U.S. residential sales force, along with heading La-Z-Boy's team of regional sales managers. "We feel we have tremendous growth opportunities both nationally and internationally and I look forward to playing an active role as we continue to expand our reach," said Darrow. " I am particularly excited to have Dave on board in his new position. Based on our plans for growth, we felt we needed someone dedicated to managing our domestic sales effort. Dave's enthusiasm and proven track record as an effective communicator and manager made him an ideal choice." Darrow began his career with La-Z-Boy in 1979. He has served as vice president of sales for the past ten years. Andrew joined La-Z-Boy in 1993 as southeastern regional sales manager and for the past two years has been the eastern regional sales manager. Prior to joining La-Z-Boy, he managed contract furniture sales in the west for Thomasville Furniture. The repositioning of both Darrow and Andrew is part of an effort by La-Z-Boy to expand its reach internationally while continuing to increase domestic sales. La-Z-Boy plans to organize a team of sales people to represent the company in the overseas markets, with the responsibility of selling the company's entire furniture program, including La-Z-Boy, Kincaid, Hammary and England/Corsair. "We feel with this coordinated sales effort, there is great opportunity for future growth in the international arena," said Darrow. " These changes will help us continue to move forward in expanding our overall business." Headquartered in Monroe, Mich., La-Z-Boy is the nation's largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture and the world's leading producer of reclining chairs. E-mail link: cwinkler@la-z-boy.com