by HIGH POINT — Four influential industry leaders will be inducted into the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame on Oct. 26 during the High Point Market. Joining the current 139 members of the Hall of Fame are Jeffrey S. Child, president, RC Willey Home Furnishings; William A. Hinks, founder and chairman, Furniture Mart USA; Stanley F. Pauley, former CEO and chairman, Carpenter Co.; and Norman Waxman, Norman Waxman Consulting.
“This year’s class of inductees represents the core values of superior accomplishments and enduring excellence by two retailers, a manufacturer and a supplier,” said Satya Tiwari, president of the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Board of Directors. “Each has impacted the industry with innovation, and each represents high personal character and ethical standards. They inspire all of us and have been found worthy of the industry’s most prestigious honor.”
A seven-member selection committee, composed of representatives from diverse segments of the industry, chose this year’s inductees based on their contributions to the growth and development of the home furnishings industry in the U.S. The committee uses a points-based evaluation system grounded on four foundations: enduring excellence, superior accomplishments, innovation and creativity, and philanthropic generosity. The anonymous committee has spent five months carefully vetting each candidate. In determining this year’s slate, they noted the following about their worthiness to be inducted.
Child has grown the Top 10 retailer fivefold in his 24-year tenure as president of RC Willey Home Furnishings, a Berkshire Hathaway company based in Salt Lake City. He began working in the family business when he was 14 waxing the warehouse floors and then working his way up as a sales associate, buyer and merchandise manager where he developed his great love for furnishings. Under his leadership a fully integrated supply chain has enhanced its competitive edge by providing exceptional flexibility, efficiency and innovation. Known for sharing strategies for success not just within his company but also with other retailers, the retailer of furnishings, appliances, electronics and flooring operates 10 stores and three distribution centers in Utah, Nevada, Idaho and California.
Hinks of Furniture Mart USA started selling used furniture in 1977, becoming a serial entrepreneur who provides consumers in rural markets with the access to a wide range of brands typically only found in metropolitan stores. The Top 40 retailer offers a holistic solution in six Midwestern states including furnishings, flooring and design services supported by an in-stock, rapid delivery network. With a mission to transform “houses into homes, employees into family and customers into friends,” the three-generation family business based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, owns most of its 60 storefront and warehouse properties. The Priority Sales program partners with nine Native American Reservations to provide private funding to tribal members, thereby enabling many to buy furniture for the first time.
Pauley became president of Richmond-based Carpenter Co. seven years after E. Rhodes Carpenter was founded in 1950 as a latex foam distributor. Over the next 60-plus years, he built the company into the world’s largest vertically integrated manufacturer of polyurethane foams used for upholstery, bedding, carpet cushioning, furniture and fabrication, and other consumer products. An electrical engineer by education, Pauley possessed an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and creating innovative foam solutions for its customers. He was known for his attention to every detail of the business, always doing things the right way and keeping an eye on reducing waste, promoting sustainability and practicing circularity. The company employs some 7,000 people at its more than 70 production facilities located around the world.
Waxman of Norman Waxman Consulting has been an adviser and mentor to dozens of manufacturers and retailers who have sought his good counsel as an insightful coach. His career began in upholstery sales, expanding into executive management positions for Schnadig Corp., Rowe Furniture Corp., Quaker Fabrics and Corson Furniture Industries. An astute business strategist and team builder, he was an early adopter of merchandising the whole room through correlated groups and developing brands by expanding market share through the export business and engaging with retail customers as partners. He is known for growing talent through executive development based on a foundation of trust as the right way to conduct business. A socially responsible leader and philanthropist, Waxman has always represented the highest ethical standards.
