The design industry is ever-evolving with new and changing faces in manufacturing and retail, marketing and publishing, interior design and architecture and design organizations. Editor at Large is keeping tabs on who’s coming and going in this monthly column.
Marketing/Media
The Decorative Center Houston has tapped Christy Abercrombie as its new Director of Marketing. Abercrombie has more than 20 years of experience in marketing for retailers including Gap, Pier 1 Imports and Neiman Marcus.
Elizabeth McGann is the new Marketing Manager at Lillian August. McGann had previously been doing freelance public relations and marketing for clients including Cindy Rinfret.
Rebecca Edmondson stepped down as the Director of Public Relations and Partnerships at Housing Works. Her replacement has not yet been named.
Kelly Reade and Kimberly Veley have joined the sales team at Cottages & Gardens as Senior Account Manager and Account Manager, respectively. Previously, Reade was with DWELL Media, where she was the Sponsorship Sales Manager for Dwell on Design for the last two years. Veley was most recently at the Scout Guide California where she was Director of Sales and Marketing. The San Francisco-based pair will be responsible for selling all titles to national accounts and SFC&G to regional accounts.
Becca Thomas is the new Marketing Coordinator at ALT for Living. Previously, Thomas worked as a personal assistant at Parakelo, a non-profit organization. She has an interior design degree from the University of Georgia.
Becky Birdwell of RH Birdwell has taken on a new role for the Design Leadership Network reinforcing the framework for membership communications and programming objectives throughout the year. She will also help cultivate member connectivity and ensure the needs of members are met.
Interior Designers/Architects
Moser Contract has added architect Chloe Kregling to its team. Most recently, she worked for AKDO Intertrade in the company’s New York City, Boston and Greater New England markets. At Moser Contract, she has a key role in assisting on project design and product specifications as well as collaborating with Thos. Moser’s new award-winning Director of Design & Product Development, Adam Rogers.
Industrial designer Enric Vial Roig has joined Carbon Design Group. A native of Barcelona, Roig has more than seven years of experience in corporate design and consultancies.
Lauren Hanson has been appointed hospitality designer at Lubner Group, which provides design and purchasing services for shared ownership, commercial and residential projects. Hanson was most recently the Project Manager and Interior Designer for Aumen Asner.
Barbara Rumpel has joined the designer center of Gorman’s Home Furnishings And Interior Design as an interior designer. In this position, she is responsible for working with homeowners to select furniture and accessories; providing in-home design counsel, including floor plans, furniture placement and room designs; and selling home furnishings.
Huntsman Architectural Group has named Sascha Wagner President and CEO. He will be responsible for developing strategy, partnerships and new business opportunities in the company’s San Francisco and New York offices. Wagner has spearheaded projects for many of the firm’s portfolio clients including Pixar and Google.
Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) has added three new design professionals to the firm’s interior design team, including Richard Tepp, AIA, LEED AP; Kate Slate, AIA, IIDA; and Chiara Santini AIA, LEED GA.
Design Organizations
Victoria Hagan, principal of Victoria Hagan Interiors, has been elected as the new President of the Decorator's Club.
The American Society of Interior Designers has announced that Gary Wheeler, FASID, FIIDA and the former president of ASID, has been elected to the board of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI).
The Smithsonian Institution’s board of regents recently appointed to the board of trustees of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Jon Iwata, Senior VP, Marketing and Communications, IBM; Avi Reichental, President and CEO, 3D Systems; and Todd Waterbury, Senior VP, Executive Creative Director, Marketing, Target Corporation.
David Koehler, CEO of Johnny Janosik Furniture, was appointed to a two-year term as president of the Furniture Marketing Group at the buying group’s annual membership meeting in High Point in April.
Manufacturing/Retail
Marc Szafran has been promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Michael Smith Inc. and Jasper. For the last two years, he was Managing Director there, and prior to that he was President of Thom Filicia Inc.
One King’s Lane has appointed Dinesh Lathi as CEO and member of the board. Lathi previously held the position of Chief Operating and Financial Officer. Since joining One Kings Lane in 2011, Lathi has played a central role in strategic and operational initiatives, including the launch of One Kings Lane proprietary brands, finance and pricing, inventory management, and customer and vendor operations.
Wayfair has promoted eight of its team members to Vice President roles: Nancy Go, VP of Brand Marketing; Mike Henriques, VP of International, Australia; John Kim, VP of Pricing; Gregory Konicki, VP of Warehousing; Joel Stevenson, VP of Financial Planning & Analysis; Brian Thornfeldt, VP of Lifestyle Brands; Paul Toms, VP of Strategic Initiatives and Joss & Main North America; and Sarah Whitman, VP of category management, AllModern.
Ryan Ranzino has been promoted from National Sales Manager to VP of Sales for Crystorama. During his time with Crystorama, Ranzino helped build brand awareness and grow the company’s offerings as well as secure a partnership with interior designer Libby Langdon.
Darius Jankauskas, who was previously doing freelance work for Baroncelli, has been named the Showroom Manager of its D&D Building location.
Adele Paula Royce has joined Innovant as the New York-based Senior Account Executive. Royce has more than a decade of experience in the commercial real estate and construction industry, previously working at companies including Donnelly Mechanical Corp and Haworth.
Hayneedle, an online retailer of home furnishings, promoted Jon Barker from President to CEO. He assumes the title from Doug Nielsen, who will remain Chairman of the Board.
Orian Rugs has re-hired Kurt Von De Bur, who returns to the company as its VP of Sales for National Accounts. Von De Bur was previously with Surya, where he was VP of National Accounts. Prior to that, he was with Orian Rugs as its VP of Sales.
Comings and goings we missed? Drop us a line at ssnowden@editoratlarge.com and let us know!
