Tropitone Strengthens Sales Force In Florida

Furniture World Magazine

Tropitone Furniture Co., a leading manufacturer of fine casual furniture, has named a new, two-person sales team to the high volume and strategically located South Florida retail market. According to Mark Gorr, Tropitone's vice president of sales and business development, Ed Brookes and Frank Verna will begin their new assignments in Florida in early January 2005. Brookes will focus primarily on the southeast coast of the territory and Verna will focus on the southwest coast. “As the second largest casual outdoor furniture market in the country and strategically located in the 'backyard' of one of Tropitone's two manufacturing plants, the South Florida market is vital to Tropitone's success - it is a market we plan to dominate. Ed and Frank are the team we believe can achieve this goal,” Gorr said. Brookes has a long-time presence in the patio furniture market with a career that has spanned across retailing, manufacturing and sales. Having managed a chain of retail outdoor furniture stores in Philadelphia, he also served earlier in key sales management and marketing roles at Tropitone. Most recently, as a sales and marketing executive at Brown Jordan, he played an instrumental role in that manufacturer's product development efforts. Because of his extensive experience and expertise, Tropitone expects Brookes to serve as a valuable industry resource as well as a key sales executive. Commenting on his new sales role for Tropitone, Brookes said that he looks forward to the opportunity to move Tropitone into a stronger position in the highly competitive South Florida retail marketplace. “With Tropitone's tradition of offering customers very stylish yet durable casual furniture, Frank Verna and I are both proud and eager to represent these products to Florida retailers. While we will focus on separate geographic areas generally, we will also collaborate geographically, depending on specific market opportunities and needs. “We expect to bring a very complementary and concentrated team effort to this sales territory, with my industry experience and Frank's energy and enthusiasm. The casual outdoor furniture marketplace continues to change in dynamic and exciting ways. Consumers increasingly realize that their outdoor patios are truly another room -- an 'outdoor room' where they can not only dine but entertain with the same elegance as indoors -- or simply enjoy relaxing in the comfort of their own backyards and balcony patios. Tropitone's wide array of selection in casual outdoor products helps today's customers achieve this casual but elegant outdoor living experience. Frank and I look forward to working with Tropitone to gain dominance in this marketplace,” Brookes said. Founded in 1954, Tropitone is based in Irvine, California, and is recognized throughout the casual furniture marketplace for its design leadership as well as its commitment to service and value. The company sells its products to retailers, designers and the hospitality trade under the Tropitone and Basta Sole trademarks. In addition to its headquarters and manufacturing plant in Irvine, the company operates a manufacturing facility in Sarasota, Florida. For more information about the company, visit www.tropitone.com.