by HIGH POINT – The American Home Furnishings Alliance has hired industry veteran Michael Padjen as vice president, membership and associate member relations.
He fills a position formerly held by Mary O’Keefe, who left the AHFA this past fall for a job as director, operations at Unbreakable Leadership in Greenville County, S.C.
In his new position, Padjen will help oversee various divisions of the AHFA including Specialized Furniture Carriers, Solutions Partners and AHFA Membership, which includes membership recruiting and retention and developing new member benefits.
He was formerly vice president, operations at Samuel Lawrence Hospitality and before that was vice president, international sales at Klaussner Home Furnishings. Before that he was director of the Furniture Export Office, a division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce International Trade Division and before that was senior vice president, operations at American of Martinsville. He also previously was chief operating officer for Wellborn Forest Products and was vice president, operations at La-Z-Boy Global.
“Mike’s wealth of knowledge and experience will allow him to hit the ground running,” said Andy Counts, CEO of the AHFA. “We are excited to have him on board. His past experience in the industry and his knowledge of all the players will be a huge help to us.”
