NEWS
MAKERS
KASS MOVES FROM ROBERT ALLEN TO HUNTER DOUGLAS
Ron Kass has been named president of the Hunter Douglas Design Products
Group, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
The newly formed Design Products Group includes Carole Fabrics,
headquartered in Augusta, GA; Hunter Douglas Designer Shades, based
in Bessemer City, NC; the new Alustra™ Collection, based in
Colorado; and Paris Texas Hardware, headquartered in Dallas, TX.
The Design Products Group was created to increase the company’s
focus on popular design-driven product categories and integrated
collections, according to Marv Hopkins, president and CEO of Hunter
Douglas, Inc. Kass will be involved in cross-divisional initiatives
and work with Hopkins on strategic business development.
Prior to joining Hunter Douglas, Kass served as president and CEO
of The Robert Allen Group, a leading designer, marketer and manufacturer
of home furnishings products with brands that include Robert Allen,
Beacon Hill and Ametex. Before that he held a variety of positions
at leading office and residential furnishings manufacturer Knoll,
including vice president of product management, senior vice president
of marketing and president of Knoll Europe.
HEAD RETIRES FROM TURNILS
Mickey Head, an industry veteran of 41 years, retired from Turnils
North America in May. During the span of his career, Head held various
sales and management positions with Sears, Graber, Sani and Turnils.
Head had been with Turnils for the past 11 years, where he most
recently held the position of Business Unit Manager for its Sani
USA division. “Over the years, Mickey made significant contributions
to Turnils as well as the window coverings industry, and we wish
him all the best in retirement,” said Doug Barr, general manager
of Turnils North America.
During retirement, Head plans to spend more time with his family
and fishing from his boat.
ELMAR STRENGTHENS REGIONAL SALES TEAM
Elmar Window Fashions® announces the promotions of Lynn Cruice
and Alan Fox to Regional Sales Managers, joining Bob Watt, Regional
Sales Manager for the Mid-Atlantic region. The sales team is further
strengthened by the arrival of Diane Bates for the South Jersey
territory and Al Meder for the Mid-Atlantic territory.
Cruice joined Elmar in the late ’90s to build and lead the
customer support division. A move into sales saw her managing the
growth of one the largest window covering territories where she
quickly became a top sales consultant. With more than 15 years in
the business and a solid knowledge of Hunter Douglas Window Fashions,
Cruice’s promotion to Northeast Regional Sales Manager will
see her responsible for some of Elmar’s largest retail accounts.
Fox was responsible for building the company’s strong sales
presence in the western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio markets. With
more than 18 years in the window coverings industry and a talent
for attracting new business partnerships to Elmar, Fox becomes Southeast
Regional Sales Manager. He will work out of Elmar’s Sales &
Service Center located in Charlotte, NC.
Bates started out her career with eight years as a third-grade schoolteacher.
With a window coverings business in the family, she decided to set
up her own shop-at-home business while raising her two sons. For
18 years Bates was responsible for designing, measuring, ordering
and assisting with installations of custom window treatments and
draperies. She brings her wealth of experience to Elmar’s South
Jersey sales territory.
Meder owned his own window fashions retail business for 18 years.
As a top Elmar priority dealer, he was enticed by the opportunity
to lead the Mid-Atlantic sales territory. Meder’s specialties
include shutters, soft shadings, blinds and shades and he has an
extensive knowledge and passion for the business.
NEW REGIONAL SALES MANAGERS JOIN DRAPER
Draper, Inc., Spiceland, IN, has announced the addition of two new
regional sales managers.
Matt Schultz will be responsible for sales of all Draper products
to the contract market in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South
Carolina. Schultz has been with Draper since 2004, serving as an
inside contract salesperson.
Randy Johnson takes over as Draper regional sales manager in the
northwestern section of North America. Johnson has more than 17
years of sales management experience, most recently with Thyssen/Krupp.
He will oversee all Draper sales efforts in Alaska, northern California,
northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Canada.
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