HFIA’s Frye Appointed to NFBA Board of Directors

Furniture World Magazine

The National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA) announced the appointment of Mary Frye to its board of directors. The NFBA is expanding the board to include business leaders, furniture industry executives, and senior officers from non-profit organizations. The expansion has been conducted to coincide with the roll out of Help1Up, the furniture industry’s unified charitable effort. Frye is president of Home Furnishings International Association (HFIA), a member owned national furniture trade association. The HFIA is headquartered at the World Trade Center in Dallas, Texas. Phil Van Poetsch, executive director of the NFBA, said that having Frye on the board is like having three furniture industry executives in one. “Mary not only leads one of the most influential associations in the business, but is on the board of other industry groups,” said Van Poetsch. “After 25 years of working with retailers, Mary knows a great deal about them and their businesses.” Frye also serves on the board of Furniture Industry Data Exchange (FIDX), Women in the Home Industry Today (WithIt), and the Bill Cooper Salesman Fund. Asked why she agreed to join the NFBA board during the national roll out of Help1Up, Frye said the program is uniquely designed for the furniture industry and its consumers to help families in need. “This program makes sense. I believe most people would gladly give a few dollars if asked, so that children can have the basic home necessities most of us take for granted. This program facilitates matching up those of us with resources with those among us who have needs. That’s a good thing,” states Frye. Help1Up, the furniture industry’s unified charitable effort, encourages consumers to shop at participating furniture retailers and add a 1% tax-deductible donation to their purchase. Proceeds from Help1Up support furniture banks all across the nation and seed new furniture banks in underserved areas. A broadcast and print consumer awareness campaign is slated for production later this year. A “furniture bank” is a non-profit organization which collects basic home furnishings from the general public and provides them to people in need. Typical clients of furniture banks are women and children escaping domestic violence, families below the poverty line, victims of natural disasters such as fire or floods, and others requiring emergency assistance. Furniture banks keep thousands of tons of used furniture out of incinerators and landfills every year. About the National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA) The NFBA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to create comfortable home environments by providing basic furnishings to those in need. No child in America should have to sleep on the floor. Visit http://www.help1up.org/retailer_info to learn more about becoming a participating Help1Up retailer. About the Home Furnishings International Association (HFIA) Home Furnishings International Association, the choice and voice of independent-thinking home furnishings professionals, offers business tools to members for operating more profitably. Because businesses belong to this trade organization, they receive benefits designed especially for them. These benefits save members money, streamline their operations, enable them to serve their customers better, and keep them better informed about what goes on in our industry. We invite you to join Association members in these endeavors. For more details, visit www.hfia.com.