Kincaid Furniture Honors John Beckman With Leo Kahn Award

Furniture World Magazine

Kincaid, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of solid wood furniture, recently honored district sales manager John Beckman as the winner of this year’s Leo Kahn Award for outstanding salesmanship. “John has been with Kincaid for 12 years and has consistently been a leader among our sales force, as well as exemplifying the qualities needed to be a truly successful salesman – knowledge, integrity, entrepreneurship and a commitment to customer service,” said Todd Hady, vice president of sales and marketing for Kincaid. The prestigious award is named for a Kincaid sales legend – Leo Kahn – who began his furniture career on a Pittsburgh retail floor several decades ago, eventually rising through the managerial ranks at Kincaid. Known for his attentive mind and quick sense of humor, Kahn helped institute many of Kincaid’s merchandising programs that remain successful today. He also leveraged his knowledge of national retailers to expand the Kincaid customer base in almost every state. “Leo was one of our industry’s greatest salesmen, who realized that fashion was a large part of marketing furniture,” said Hady. “John appears to be following in his footsteps, and over the past year, has not only achieved his individual sales quota and kept his dealer returns and allowances in check, but also successfully opened new accounts and galleries for Kincaid. Before joining Kincaid over a decade ago, Beckman worked as a wholesale furniture representative, serving retail stores across Montana, Wyoming and Idaho on behalf of furniture lines like Hooker, Barcalounger®, Sealy® and Hammary®. He had previously owned and operated J Beckman Furniture in Belgrade, Mont., with his wife. Beckman, who both works and resides in Thompson Falls, Mont., serves as Kincaid district sales manager for Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, as well as the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada. “The Leo Kahn Award is the highest award a sales representative can receive at Kincaid,” said Beckman. “It was an honor to be chosen as this year's recipient – from among all of Kincaid’s fine reps.” Headquartered in Hudson, N.C., Kincaid is the nation’s largest manufacturer of solid wood furniture and a subsidiary of La-Z-Boy Incorporated, one of the nation’s largest furniture manufacturers and marketers. Founded by George and J. Wade Kincaid in 1946, Kincaid has grown to include more than 20 owner-operated stores and 140 in-store galleries across the country. High quality standards and design innovation continue to be the company’s trademarks.