New members of the American Furniture Hall of Fame for 2005 will be selected from six nominated industry leaders. Nominees inducted will be honored at a banquet gala to be held on October 20, 2005, the opening night of the High Point market. The nominees include:
Bobby Wesley “Bob” Bush, Sr. (1931) is a member of the Board of Directors and retired vice president of sales of the Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company. Over his 50 years of service, Mr. Bush built his family company into a business known for its quality, innovation and value. During the formative period of the Southern furniture industry, Bob played a vital role by working with manufacturers, North and South, in terms of location, supply, design, credit and marketing to ensure their success. He freely gives his time and has served as a board member on many industry organizations including the AFHF, Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library, AFMA Supplier Division, ISPA and PFA.
Arnold Dwight England (1929 -1995) founded England/Corsair Upholstery Manufacturing Co. in 1964 to create an employment base in his hometown of Tazewell, Tennessee. During his first year, his father and brother hired two people and ended with a net loss of $82. In 1983 he devised and implemented the "Quadrant Delivery Program" in which customers were guaranteed delivery every four weeks and truckload delivery in two weeks. By 1991 England was the largest employer in the county. England/Corsair Upholstery was purchased by La-Z-Boy in 1995.
Charles A. Greene (1938), CEO and president of Classic Gallery, founded the company to fill a void in the way furniture was marketed and sold to design shops and showrooms. He built a sales force tailored to his specific needs. Charlie has served as officer and board member on AFMA, UFAC, Furniture Discovery Center, High Point University’s Advisory Board and the NCFEC.
Rawson Haverty, Sr. (1925) worked his way up in Haverty’s Furniture, the family business, bringing about positive changes. Chief among these was to instill a sense of fairness and integrity throughout the company. Through his vision, leadership, and executive ability he elevated his Haverty’s growth rate and performance. The name Haverty's became familiar to American households and synonymous with good retail value. He is well renown for his generosity to industry and education, including High Point University.
Jacob “Jake” Jabs (1930) is a founding owner, president, and CEO of American Furniture Warehouse of Englewood, Colorado. Jake also owns and manages multi-store retail businesses in Denver, CO. He has ten regional warehouse furniture stores, each of them with at least 100,000 square feet of showroom space. In 1979, the company did $17 million worth of business. The company now does well over $300 million.
Robert H. Spilman (1927) retired president, chairman, and CEO of Bassett Furniture, began his career at Cannon Mills before joining Bassett. He rose rapidly within Bassett becoming president in the early 1970's and remaining at the helm into the 1990's. He led one of the industry's most prosperous businesses for decades in a period of dramatic change. Under his guidance Bassett became a full line manufacturer adding recliners, motion, home office, as well as youth and infant bedding and furniture.
The American Furniture Hall of Fame was organized to honor those individuals whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the continued growth and development of the American furniture industry. The AFHF also researches, collects and preserves its cultural, economic and artistic history. For more information call (336) 882-5900 or visit www.furniturehalloffame.com.