by Months of planning led to timing of company relaunch and the availability of inventory
ZEELAND, Mich. — The revival of the Howard Miller brand announced last week stems from several key factors, including a time-tested line of wall, mantel, tabletop and floor clocks, plus a team of talented engineers and product development specialists that will continue to develop these products moving forward.
At the helm of the organization is Jim O’Keefe, the company’s new president who was previously vice president of sales and marketing. Andrew Christmann, former director of marketing at Howard Miller and Hekman, is director of marketing for Howard Miller, and Robert Seaberg, former director of product development at Howard Miller, also is helping in a consulting role.
In addition, about a dozen former employees also have rejoined the company, bringing both knowledge and their expertise to the line.
For customers, this means that product development, marketing and sales initiatives will be in the hands of those most familiar with the company and its products.
O’Keefe told Home News Now that the company also is using existing China source factories to manufacture the product.
“It is the same factories we have been doing business with since the mid-’70s,” he said, adding, that he recently returned from a trip to China, where the company has reengaged with the same factories. “These are long-standing relationships. It is kind of remarkable. We kept the factories the same.”
The timing of the announcement was so the company was prepared with plenty of inventory to begin shipping customers. On its website, for example, it showcases a wide mix of contemporary and modern grandfather clocks, along with wall and mantel clocks that are in stock and ready to ship.
More products will be added to the mix as they become available, O’Keefe noted.
“We have some old company product that we are still working through and we have some new company product,” he said. “It is sort of all listed together. We wanted to maintain continuity. And more and more of the products that aren’t even listed will start reappearing and we will have product that says coming soon.”
He noted that the deal between him and the other investors to restart the company closed March 9. However, they waited until last week to make the announcement in order to make sure there was enough inventory available to begin selling.
“We wanted to get that message out as soon as possible, but I didn’t want to put the message out and have nothing in stock,” O’Keefe said. “Ideally, I would have waited another month so we had more, but we couldn’t hold off any longer. We were getting too many complaints and too many people were worried we were gone forever.”
The company started with about 70 items in stock, but will continue to add pieces to reach about 230 items in the coming weeks. This product will all be available to ship directly from the company’s Zeeland, Michigan, warehouse.
At this stage, it is too early to say whether the line will extend beyond clocks to include case goods or even the line of traditional grandfather clocks formerly produced in Zeeland. It is also too early to know whether the company will show again in High Point where it had a presence for many years.
“I know there are a lot of people that would want us to,” O’Keefe said, adding, “I think it’s a tall order and commitment but it is a great place to see people.”
For now, O’Keefe is simply glad to restart a brand with a 100-year history. “We are excited,” he said. “We have good people, good product and great customers. We are glad to be back with a lot of energy and a lot of capabilities. And our investment group has a lot of resources where we can really go after it and push to be back in the market in a big way.”
