Wolf-Gordon appointed Harold Wolfson to Chief Operating Officer and Marybeth Shaw as Chief Creative Officer. At Fort Street Studio, principals Janis Provisor and Brad Davis announced the appointment of Paul Melo as Senior Vice President.
Wolfson will be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of Wolf-Gordon’s sales, marketing, licensing and business development, and will report directly to the firm’s President and CEO, Rick Wolf.
“I welcome Harold to Wolf-Gordon and look forward to ensuring a smooth transition as he works with me to guide the company into our next phase of success,” stated Rick Wolf. “He will be leading the finest group of sales and marketing professionalsin the contract design industry.”Wolfson joins Wolf-Gordon after 18 years in the consumer lighting industry, with such companies as Murray Feiss, Royce Lighting, and Generation Brands. At Generation Brands, he served as Senior Vice President of Product Development, a role in which he worked directly with internationaGl suppliers, lighting designers, and the product development team to create and market products for their various channels of distribution. This included overseeing and ensuring the profitability of over 3,500 SKU’s. Prior to Generation Brands, Wolfson was President of Royce Lighting, a division of Murray Feiss and a leading supplier of residential lighting.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to translate my 20 years of overall management experience to commercial wallcoverings, fabrics, and paints. Together, with Rick and the great team at Wolf-Gordon, we’ll be able to further the success the company has enjoyed as a leading brand in the design industry,” Wolfson said.
Ms. Shaw will oversee all aspects of branding, design, and marketing of the company’s wallcoverings,fabrics, paint, and dry-erase coatings. In announcing the position, Rick Wolf, Wolf-Gordon’s CEO, stated, “We’re looking forward to Marybeth bringing her vision and expertise to the firm, and once again helping to promote our expanded product line and highly-skilled resources.”
Ms. Shaw served as Creative Director of Wolf-Gordon from 1997–2003, during which time she enhanced all aspects of the company’s branding and communications, from graphics and advertising to presentation tools and showroom design. She launched licensed design collections by Laurinda Spear, Karim Rashid, and Petra Blaisse that showcased the most innovative designs seen in commercial wallcovering in decades. Her efforts resulted in significantly increased brand recognition for Wolf-Gordon,transforming it into a go-to source for serious design. In January 2004, Shaw started her own design studio in Baltimore, Maryland—Shaw Jelveh Design—that allowed her to offer comprehensive branding and creative strategies to a wider range of clients. Shaw art directed her award-winning studio in graphic identity design, interactive design, environmental graphics, interiors, advertising, and product design. Among the commercial design companies she re-branded are: Cambridge Architectural Mesh, Stone Source, Moore & Giles, and Banker Wire. Shaw also designed the award-winning collection of architectural resins currently marketed under the VeritasTM brand name by 3form. Prior to her tenure at Wolf Gordon, Ms. Shaw worked for Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects; Richard Meier & Partners Architects; Formica Corporation; and the Architectural League of New York. She holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the Ecole d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville, a Master’s degree in City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Government from Smith College.
Ms. Shaw is a LEED Accredited Professional in Interior Design and Construction. She holds three design patents in the United States and the European Union for SAC à BAGUETTETM, a fresh market tote system that she designed and markets. She is a member of the AIGA and the Architectural League of New York.
Fort Street Studio announced the appointment of Paul Melo as Senior Vice President, a role in which he will lead the company’s global marketing, production and general operations, and will be member of the senior management team.
“We’re very excited that Paul is joining Fort Street Studio,” said principals Janis Provisor and Brad Davis. “His extensive experience in the luxury home furnishing world and understanding of where the industry is headed will help us to expand our operations and bring us to a new level of productivity and success."
As Senior Vice President, Mr. Melo will lead the day-to-day operations of the company, including oversight of the activities of the sales force and showrooms, carpet production, and expansion of the Fort Street Studio brand into new markets.
Mr. Melo has more than two decades experience in the design industry. Prior to joining Fort Street Studio, Mr. Melo served for 13 years at Odegard, most recently as the company’s executive vice president, where he led foreign market expansion, product development, sales management and development, showroom operations, and marketing and public relations campaigns. Prior to Odegard, he was for several years in sales and production management for the D& D Building-based textile brands Quadrille and Roger Arlington. A native New Yorker, Mr. Melo earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at New York University, and his MBA in Marketing and International Business from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business.
“I’m thrilled to join Fort Street Studio and to work alongside such visionary people as Janis and Brad,” said Mr. Melo. “It’s a really exciting time in world of interior design – there are, of course, many challenges that we face. But there’s also an extraordinary amount of opportunity in the global market and I believe that Fort Street is at the forefront of this new era in our industry.”
