Change is in the air for the design industry this month—several organizations have elected new board members, while a number of firms welcomed new members and promoted from within. Read on for Business of Home’s monthly roundup of arrivals and departures in design, manufacturing, media and more.
To the Trade
Universal Furniture has made two new additions to its corporate sales management team, bringing on AJ Filloy and Drew Ward as regional vice presidents. Taking on the Northern region for Universal, Filloy joins the company after serving in the same role at Chateau d’Ax U.S.A. Ward first joined Universal in 2017 as a sales trainee, and has since been named the company’s 2020 Salesperson of the Year; in his new role, he will handle the Southern region from the company’s High Point office.
Nemo Tile + Stone has promoted Matthew Coburger to director of purchasing, a role he steps into after serving for more than four years as the company’s director of product merchandising. In total, Coburger has more than 12 years of experience in the tile industry, and will produce new options for value engineering along with managing Nemo’s existing purchasing department in his new position.
Food52 has appointed five new executives to its team, including two new C-level additions with Jason Chatterjee, formerly a partner at Boston Consulting Group, joining as chief financial officer and head of corporate development, and Ben Gerst coming on as chief product and technology officer following a most recent role as CTO for the Los Angeles Times. Elsewhere, the company welcomes Jieh Greeney as the company’s first senior vice president of retail, David Cole as senior vice president of integration and strategic initiatives and Elizabeth Spiridakis Olson as vice president of creative.
Hooker Furnishings has promoted Matt Cowan as executive vice president of sales for Hooker Legacy Brands. Cowan’s journey with the company began in 1990, when he was hired in the role of sales representative before rising through the ranks to his most recent position as vice president of sales for Hooker Furniture.
Luxury outdoor furniture company Brown Jordan has announced the appointment of four new team members. Jessica Garzilli has stepped into the role of vice president of product management; she joins the company from Janus et Cie, where she served for more than five years as director of product development. Aimee Sheeran has been appointed vice president of Brown Jordan Commercial, also joining from Janus et Cie, where she worked for more than 14 years, most recently as key account manager and hospitality sales specialist. Additionally, Tara Saylor joins the company as regional sales manager for the New York metropolitan area, overseeing direct sales within the architecture and design communities and building upon more than 15 years of experience in the furniture and textiles industry. Finally, Heather Wood will step into the role of brand marketing manager, bringing more than a decade of luxury marketing experience including a most recent role as marketing manager for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.
Luxury hardware brand Modern Matter has hired Meredith Gray as the company’s new head of marketing. Gray most recently served as director of communications for the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, along with previous marketing manager roles for tech startup Welligent and global shipping company Maersk Line, Limited.
Design & Architecture
Architecture, interior design, procurement and project management firm Premier has expanded its team with the addition of several new hires to the company’s project management team. John M. Irvin, former principal architect for Irvin & Associates, has been promoted to senior project manager, while Derek D. Weaver, Tanner Powell, Harvey G. Acevedo, Luis Enzo Izquierdo, Ivo Pavlov and Daniel L. Sedlock have all been promoted to project manager. In other company news, regional vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean Franklin Pinerua has been appointed chief commercial officer, offering more than 15 years of combined sales and operational experience.
Olson Kundig has announced a round of staff promotions within the firm, as Justin Helmbrecht and Jordan Leppert have been appointed to principal positions, while Megan Adams, Clay Anderson, Jeff Busby, Amanda Chenoweth and Claudia Maggiani have been promoted to the associate level.
GTM Architects has welcomed Steven Sorrell as the firm’s vice president. Sorrell has more than 19 years of experience in the industry, including the 2015 founding of Sorrell Design. Several former employees of the boutique firm will be making the transition to GTM alongside Sorrell, as Shaina Figueroa, Alexandra Ruiz and Brennan Everson join as architectural designers.
Jeffrey Beers International has announced that Ira Imerlishvili has joined the studio as principal, bringing with him a wealth of experience including projects such as the St. Regis resort in Abu Dhabi and the Peninsula Branded Apartments in Myanmar.
Texas–based firm Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has promoted Maija Kreishman as principal alongside founder Michael Hsu, marking the first time a team member has been elevated to a role on Hsu’s level since he founded the firm in 2005. In the new role, Kreishman will continue to grow the firm’s presence in Houston and Denver, along with providing executive oversight and design vision across the group’s projects. Additionally, the firm has promoted four firm leaders to partner, including Jeff Clarke, Justin Gesch, Tracie Gesch and Ken Johnson.
Also in Texas, architecture firm Clayton Korte is growing its leadership team with the appointment of a new partner and six associates. George Wilcox has been promoted to partner, building on two decades of experience as an architect. Meanwhile, several other employees have been advanced to the associate level, including Charlotte Baham, Sky Currie, Camden Greenlee, Travis Greig, Erica Quinones and Germán Spiller.
SB Architects has announced the appointment of Richard Collings to the role of vice president, to which he brings more than two decades of experience in the field of architecture, with a focus on mixed-use projects and master planning.
CLB Architects has promoted three staff members—Sam Ankeny, Sarah Kennedy and Bryan James—from associate to principal. Ankeny originally joined the firm in 2009, and currently leads its Bozeman, Montana studio and heads design operations with a focus on information and technology, while Kennedy heads up CLB’s ten-person interior design department as well as the firm’s Developing Design Leadership Committee. James, meanwhile, oversees CLB’s architectural staffing and heads the firm’s mentor program as well as its Developing Design Leadership Group.
New York–based firm TPG Architecture has promoted Ken Tracey to the role of managing executive. Tracey has served the firm since 2011, working on prestigious projects for clients such as Barclays, Polen Capital and Tommy John, along with leading IEX Group’s relocation to 3 WTC—a project that received the CoreNet Award for project of the year in 2019.
Architecture and design firm Perkins & Will’s Austin studio has promoted two principals to lead its interiors practice. Matt Taylor will step into the role of corporate interiors practice leader, while Joe Gowing will become director of business development for interiors, both based in the firm’s Austin studio.
Architecture, design and strategy firm Nelson Worldwide has announced Blaik Ritchie as the firm’s vice president and mixed-use business leader. With more than three decades of industry experience, Ritchie will work on the operational side of the firm’s mixed-use practice, assisting various Nelson offices in streamlining project management and planning.
Media & PR
Steinreich Communications Group Inc. has appointed Kimberly Wray as the public relations firm’s senior vice president and leader of home furnishings practice. Wray has three decades of experience in the industry as both a journalist and a public relations professional, and has been leading her own consultancy for the past 12 years, before which she served as vice president of marketing and communications for High Point Market Authority and held the role of editorial director and furniture group editor of Fairchild Publications. In other company news, the firm has also tapped Heather Carter, former chief editor at TILE Magazine, to serve as content manager, in which she’ll create narratives for the firm’s home furnishings clients while providing mentorship to junior staff on writing and strategic trade media placement.
The Consultancy PR has brought on two new hires, welcoming James Hagenberg and Claudia Yanez, both in the role of PR coordinator in the firm’s New York office. Hagenberg comes to the role after previously working at Blue Sky Communications. Yanez formerly worked as an account coordinator at Fusion Public Relations. Elsewhere at the firm, several existing employees have been promoted to new roles, including Savannah Davis and Jacob McLean both stepping into the role of account executive, Dani Shouhed as senior account executive and Jill Mediatore as account manager.
Retail & Manufacturing
Gail Conroy has joined Caesarstone as the company’s new vice president of marketing for the Americas. Conroy brings more than two decades of experience in corporate and agency integrated marketing communications and brand management experience, including a most recent role as head of marketing with LG Home Appliances in addition to previous senior leadership roles with Unilever, Samsung Electronics, IRI Worldwide and Kraft Foods.
Alvic USA, a manufacturer of cabinet doors and panels for residential and commercial projects, has announced the appointment of Tobias Pagel as the company’s first chief executive officer. Prior to joining Alvic, Pagel held numerous positions in the construction materials, logistics and heavy equipment training industries, along with starting his own company. In his new position, Pagel will focus on furthering the Alvic USA brand as it grows alongside its Spanish parent company Grupo Alvic.
Tech furniture rental company Inhabitr has welcomed several new additions at the executive level, with Elisa Martinez joining as senior vice president and head of supply chain—a position to which she brings more than 20 years of operations management experience, including most recently as a manufacturing practice expert for McKinsey & Company. Peri Kadaster also joins Inhabitr from Mckinsey & Company, where she departs a role leading global marketing for digital labs to step into the position of vice president of B2B sales and marketing. Finally, Gambhir Kaushek has stepped into the role of chief revenue officer, bringing more than 25 years of experience leading investment, development and asset management efforts for a variety of real estate investment organizations.
Industry Organizations
The board of directors for the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Inc. has elected a new slate of officers and members for 2022. Re-elected leaders include Caroline Hipple, president of Norwalk Furniture, who will stay on as board president; Scott Eckman, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of International Market Centers, who stays on as first vice president; and David Gebhart, CEO of Global Views, who remains secretary-treasurer. Additionally, Steve Rusing, executive vice president of Tempur Sealy International, has been elected as second vice president, while Palecek president David Beld, Springs Creative CEO Derick Close, and Surya president Satya Tiwari have all been newly appointed as directors. Board members who have been re-elected to another three-year term include Jeff Child, president of RC Willey, Amir Loloi, founder and president of Loloi Rugs, Mark Phillips, president and CEO of Phillips Collection, and David Swers, president and COO of Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC.
The International Society of Furniture Designers has announced that Liz Moore from Otto & Moore will serve as the new 2022 chairman of the board, replacing chairman Tim O’Hare from Hooker Furnishings as Steve Wilcox from Furnishings Design Inc. steps into Moore’s former role of board president. Additionally, the board voted to add six new directors, including Catina Roscoe, a freelance furniture designer and founder of Catina Unlimited Design, Inc; Laura Nieve, a senior designer at Otto & More; Justin Stabb, owner and principal of Stabb Designs; Jaye Anna Mize, vice president of creative for Fashion Snoops; Dr. Bryle Henderson Hatch, executive director of the Minority Entrepreneurship Initiative with the National Institute for Minority Economic Development; and Nicole Resetar, a strategy and financial management associate for the Concierge LOB at Compass, Inc.
Affordable Art Fair has appointed Erin Schuppert to the role of New York fair director ahead of the event’s 2022 Spring edition. Schuppert joins the team with eight years of experience in the New York art market, including recent positions with organizations such as Menconi & Schoelkopf, Phillips and Christie’s in both financial and operational capacities.
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