Summer is almost here, and as we get ready to ring in the new season, a litany of industry names are welcoming their new hires. Read on for Business of Home’s monthly roundup of arrivals and departures in design, manufacturing, media and more.
To the Trade
Jonathan Olivares has joined Zeeland, Michigan–based MillerKnoll as Knoll’s new senior vice president of design. Olivares’s prolific career has consisted of commercial, residential and product design, including Kvadrat’s New York flagship showroom and his eponymous Olivares aluminum chair design for Knoll. As SVP, Olivares will oversee the development of future designs for the company.
Fabric manufacturer Crypton has promoted Elise Gabrielson to vice president of marketing. Gabrielson joined the company in 2015 as marketing director and will now succeed Julia Gillespie to lead Crypton’s marketing efforts.
Miami-based outdoor furnishings company Pavilion Furniture has appointed Jay Chapman as president. Most recently, Chapman served as the vice president of product design at Clayton, North Carolina–based Studio TK, having also held various product roles at the Herman Miller–owned office furniture manufacturer Geiger. As president, he will lead Pavilion into its next stage of growth in the outdoor furnishings industry.
Hickory, North Carolina–based Sherrill Furniture has announced two new hires in its marketing division: Sydney Wells is now director of marketing and Jim Morgan is the new art director for marketing. Wells joins Sherrill from furniture manufacturer Theodore Alexander, where she acted as director of marketing. At Sherrill, she will report to vice president of marketing Dax Allen as she steers the company toward a greater digital presence and develops its content strategy. Morgan comes to the position from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, where he worked as its senior creative director. As art director for marketing, he will be responsible for the design and execution of marketing communications across the company.
Performance aluminum outdoor furniture manufacturer McKinnon and Harris has announced the promotion of Ken Dail to president. Dail joined the company in 2010 as vice president of operations before stepping up as COO in 2013. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Dail will now lead all day-to-day operations at McKinnon and Harris.
Kitchen and bathroom brand Native Trails has named Lauren Rademacher as its new eastern regional manager. Rademacher brings more than 12 years of industry experience to the position, most recently working at wholesale plumbing company Futura Sales as a territory manager.
Native Trails has also announced the promotion of Stan Artman from director of sales, east, to vice president of sales. With more than 35 years of experience in kitchen and bath industry sales, Artman will now continue to strive for company growth in new and existing channels.
Design & Architecture
Gabrielle Savoie is the new editorial director at The Expert, the platform connecting design professionals with clients. Most recently, Savoie worked as a contributing editor at Domino. In the new position, she will oversee all editorial content for The Expert and strategize new digital content.
Interior design, procurement, capital management and project management firm Premier has named Paul Morrell as its new chief operating officer. Morrell joins the Dallas-based company with 25 years of experience in the global supply chain industry. As COO, he will oversee all corporate operations for Premier, develop and manage business plans and ensure collaboration between the operations and business development teams.
Global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will welcomes Dan Thomas as its new health principal at its Dallas studio. Thomas’s more than 28 years of experience in health care design, research and planning will guide him as he applies it to the company’s Southwest client base.
New York–based architecture and design firm Gabellini Sheppard Associates LLP has hired Chardonnay Pickard-Fares as its new marketing and business development director. Pickard-Fares’s 15-year career in the design industry has seen her working with such clients as designers Ken Fulk, Clodagh and Barry Goralnick. Most recently, she served as the business and marketing manager for design studio Rainlight. At Gabellini Sheppard, Pickard-Fares will take responsibility for the company’s communications and business development strategy.
Artaic, the Boston-based manufacturer that uses robotic technology to create custom tile mosaics, has appointed Damian Di Maio as commercial sales manager. Di Maio brings more than 20 years of commercial sales experience to the role, where he will assume responsibility for Artaic’s national sales and identifying new sales channels.
Longtime hospitality designer Lela Richardson has stepped up as principal at DesignOne’s Atlanta studio, where she will lead the interior design team. Richardson’s two decades of experience consist of design for both boutique and corporate hotel brands, including Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton, Hilton and more.
Architecture, design and strategy firm Nelson Worldwide has appointed Sean McCorry as vice president, national business leader in the retail practice. With more than 25 years of experience in global retail management, McCorry will lead the firm’s retail efforts across the U.S., working with both leadership and junior staff to improve architectural and design practices within Nelson Worldwide’s retail studio.
Multidisciplinary design firm //3877 has hired Noelani Brannon as an interior designer at its Washington, D.C., studio. Brannon’s more than seven years of experience will now see her leading projects from initial design and space planning to construction administration.
Ann Arbor, Michigan– and Athens, Georgia–based design studio Cloth & Kind has named Jessica Everhart as chief operating officer. Everhart joins the company at its Ann Arbor studio from licensing strategy firm Kate Verner + Associates, where for six years she acted as director of business. As COO, Everhart will oversee all operations for Cloth & Kind between its interior design services and textile design business.
Multidisciplinary design firm Raymond Nicolas welcomes Antonio Rodriguez as a junior interior designer. Rodriguez joins the team from Miami International University of Art & Design and will now work between the architecture and interior design teams to create design presentations, source and price various materials and draft digital models for the studio’s projects.
Designer Samantha Steiner Budlow has joined holiday home real estate company Pacaso as an interior designer. For more than eight years, Budlow has worked in the design industry, having held positions at Holly Hunt, Room and most recently, Kathy Kuo Home.
Digitally native landscaping platform Yardzen has announced Betsy Mell as its new chief marketing officer, an appointment that follows the company’s national expansion announcement earlier this year. Mell comes to the company from health and wellness brand Sakara, where for five years she served as CMO. At Yardzen, she will oversee all performance and brand marketing.
Media & PR
House Beautiful has announced two new hires. Nicolas Neubeck has been named creative director, where he will manage all facets of creative across the shelter magazine’s content channels, including print, digital, video and social, and Olivia Hosken has been named deputy managing editor, managing day-to-day content operations and planning editorial initiatives. Neubeck was previously creative director at HearstMade, Hearst’s branded content division, having also held leadership roles at Hearst Digital Media and luxury e-commerce brand Gilt Groupe. Hosken joins HB with more than 10 years of experience in design media, most recently working as the style and interiors writer at Town & Country.
After more than five years as an account director at Nylon Consulting, Meaghan Shanley has founded Evergreen PR Consulting, a public relations firm that works exclusively with interior designers.
New York– and Los Angeles–based media relations firm Jennifer Bett Communications has announced two executive-level promotions. Executive vice president Libbey Baumgarten will take on the expanded title of head of growth at the company’s New York office, having joined the company seven years ago. In the new role, Baumgarten will drive strategy around agency expansion and business development. Additionally, former associate vice president Emily Tschirhart has been promoted to vice president, where she will continue to expand JBC’s social impact and healthcare division in Los Angeles.
Retail & Manufacturing
Italian design hub Artemest has announced Rose-Marie Karlsson as its new chief commercial officer. Karlsson joins the company from Italian furniture manufacturer Cassina where for five years she served as the brand’s global retail sales director. As COO at Artemest, Karlsson will leverage two decades of luxury sales experience as she assumes responsibility for global business across all sales channels.
Industry Organizations
Be Original Americas has announced its 2022 officers: Sherri Simko of Carl Hansen & Son will serve as president, Coleman Gutshall of Bernhardt Design will serve as vice president, Paolo Cravedi of Luce Plan will be secretary and Jakob Mose Olesen of Georg Jensen will be treasurer. Together, they will lead the organization in its commitment to supporting original, ethically made design.
The National Kitchen & Bath Association has named Julia Gillespie as its new director of marketing. She comes to the position after five years at trade fabric brand Crypton, where she served as VP of marketing. As director of marketing at NKBA, Gillespie will oversee all marketing initiatives for the organization.
Elizabeth Pash is the new president of the Decorators Club, replacing Anne Foxley. The Decorators Club Inc. is an organization of professional women interior designers, architects, educators, decorative arts specialists, design editors and industry executives in the New York metropolitan area.
SOFA Chicago has named Monica King as its new director of community development. In the role, King will work with exhibitors, partners and collaborators to further the themes and concepts for the show, bringing her more than 20 years of gallery management experience to the arts event.
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