by Executive brings 41 years of industry experience to the position
ATLANTA — Full line furniture resource Liberty Furniture has hired industry veteran Bryan Edwards as senior vice president of sales.
He comes to the company from Bernhardt, where he was vice president, sales, for residential upholstery and export for the past seven years. Before this, he was president and senior vice president, sales, at A.R.T. Furniture.
He also previously served as vice president of sales at Aspenhome; senior vice president of sales and marketing at Mirador; and national vice president sales and vice president of marketing for Lea and American Drew.
He also was a regional sales manager for Flexsteel Industries and began his furniture industry career as a sales representative at Broyhill Furniture in Arkansas in 1985.
In his new position, he reports to Jonathan Cowles, president of Liberty Furniture. Managing a group of independent reps, he will lead the company’s efforts to grow sales throughout the U.S.
“Bryan is a highly respected, well-rounded executive whose experience and leadership make him an excellent addition to Liberty as we continue to elevate our product offering and introduce a significant number of new collections across the whole home,” Cowles said in a statement. “In a challenging and rapidly changing environment, our retail partners are looking for vendors they can trust to deliver, and Bryan’s deep industry knowledge, strong relationships and understanding of the business will be invaluable. His experience, leadership and mentorship will also be tremendous assets to our talented and energetic sales team as we position Liberty for continued growth.”
Edwards said he is pleased to be joining Liberty, which is well-known for its expansive product line in both upholstery and case goods.
“From motion upholstery to home office and collections, Liberty Furniture is successful across multiple categories that I’ve specialized in throughout my career,” Edwards said. “Their product team has their ear to the ground trend-wise and there is a freshness to the product and finishes and a real value story here. For me, it feels as though everything I’ve accomplished in my career is coming together in one great company with an exceptional supply chain and reputation and I’m just delighted to have the opportunity to leverage my experience and relationships to help them continue to grow.”
He is a graduate of North Carolina State University and comes from a family with multi-generational roots in the furniture business, including his father, sister, son and niece.
Edwards lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his family and donates his time to several regional charitable organizations, including The Barnabas Furniture Bank, United Way of Caldwell County and Rumple Presbyterian Church.
At the upcoming High Point Market, Edwards and the team will be at Liberty’s showroom at Centers for High Point at 401 Manning Street “to collaborate with retail partners, customers and designers.”
For more information, please visit: www.mylibertyfurniture.com.
