NEWSMAKERS
WOODWORTH APPOINTED DESIGNER BLINDS
PRESIDENT
Steve Woodworth has been appointed president of Designer Blinds,
an Omaha, NE-based full-line fabricator of Hunter Douglas window
fashions.
Woodworth joined Designer Blinds in 1991 as branch manager of the
company’s Lenexa, KS, facility and as sales manager. In 1996,
he relocated to Omaha where he served as director of sales and marketing
and later as director of operations.
LANE NEW AVENO OPERATOINS MANAGER
Aveno Window Fashions, Inc., Atlanta, GA, has announced the hiring
of Dan Lane as operations manager. He will oversee all aspects of
manufacturing, distribution and customer service at the company’s
headquarters in Atlanta.
Lane comes to Aveno from Tyco Healthcare where has built more than
10 years of operational experience in production and manufacturing.
DECOR & YOU CELEBRATES ANNUAL
AWARDS
Decor & You®, Southbury, CT, celebrated its 2005 Annual
Conference in September by recognizing several designers and regional
directors with awards for outstanding commitment and dedication
to the company’s mission.
The company recognized the following designers and directors at
the four-day long conference: Its highest honor, the nominee for
IFA Franchisee of the Year, went to Amy Boesen, Omaha, NE.
Leadership Award: Regional Director Paul Allegro, Branchburg, NJ;
Decor Designer Amy Boesen, Omaha, NE.
Comfort With Style Design Awards: Best Entry: Paula Zukor, Stormville,
NY; Gail Stanger, Trumbull, CT; Deb Miller, Georgetown, ME; Heather
Dolen, Zanesvile, OH; Anne Garces, Stormville, NY; Amy Boesen, Omaha,
NE. Honorable Mention: Corrine Barone, Southbury, CT; Angela Dodd,
Southfield, MI; Carol Gaeta, Branchburg, NJ; and Judy Yablonski,
Litchfield, CT.
Rising Star Awards: Paul Allegro Unit, Branchburg, NJ; Amy Wolff,
Raritan Township, NJ; and Heather Dolen, Zanesville, OH.
WINDOW FASHIONS INC APPOINTS NEW
SALES REP
Window Fashions, Inc., Cheswick, PA, announces the appointment
of Laura Burke-Mercurio to Sales Representative for Chicago, IL,
and surrounding areas.
For the last 30 years Burke-Mercurio has serviced this territory
for many major fabric companies. She also has an extensive background
in hard window treatments and brings experience as a sales manager
and independent retailer to her new post.
IFDA ANNOUNCES ITS 2006 INTERNATIONAL
BOARD
Mark H. Jeross, former president of the organization’s Michigan
Chapter, has been elected president of the International Furnishings
and Design Association (IFDA) for 2006. Jeross, national sales manager
of Royal Crest, Inc., manufacturer of custom window coverings in
Oak Park, MI, has been an active IFDA member since 1995.
With 15 chapters plus a recently formed unit in China, IFDA draws
professionals from the disparate worlds of design, manufacture,
retailing, marketing, advertising, education and public relations.
The new international president will preside over a board that includes
President-elect Judith Clark-Janofsky, FIFDA, a Northern California
Chapter member who is an interior designer and owner of Design Elements,
a home furnishings/design store in Danville, CA; and Treasurer Sheila
M. Cole, FIFDA, of the Minnesota Chapter, who manages her own interior
design firm, Shecole Inc., in Minneapolis.
New directors at large are: Rose B. Gilbert, FIFDA, member of the
New York Chapter for nearly 30 years and a widely published author
and columnist in architecture and design; Ann Unal, member of the
Washington, D.C., Chapter for the past 10 years and a specialist
in kitchen and bath design; and Karen Wirrig, member of the Arizona
Chapter since 1997 and founder-owner of Phoenix’s Karen Cole
Designs, focusing on commercial as well as residential interior
design.
Returning to the board will be Carolyn B. Meek, FIFDA, of the New
England Chapter, as secretary and chapter liaison; Joan Summers
Croft, FIFDA, of the Northern California Chapter, assigned to membership;
and Mervyn Kaufman, FIFDA, of the New York Chapter, who will oversee
public relations/marketing. Lana Seagren, an Arizona-based interior
designer, will be treasurer-elect. Past President Lee K. Coggin,
FIFDA, of the Georgia Chapter will act as Advisor to the Board.
IN MEMORIAM: TONY VARNEY
Tony Varney, inventor of the Parkhill Royale Swags and Tails System,
died on December 19, 2005. He suffered a brain hemorrhage in August
2002, which left him incapacitated. Varney is survived by his wife,
son, daughter and a grandchild.
Varney started Parkhill Blinds and Curtains in the 1970s, a Venetian
blind business that eventually became Parkhill International, Ltd.
An inventor and entrepreneur, Varney gained notoriety when he developed
a method of making swags and tails through the use of a special
template. Through several style changes this template is known today
as the Parkhill Royale.
“Tony was well known in the window coverings industry especially
here in the United States. Often known as the man with the English
accent, he was a man of integrity, a mentor and friend,” said
Scot Robbins, SRC, distributor for Parkhill in the United States.
Parkhill International is under the new ownership of John Reid,
a longtime friend and colleague with Varney.
IN MEMORIAM: KURT REITHMAYR
Kurt Reithmayr, founder of Kurt’s Decorative Service, Pasco,
WA, died December 12, 2005, at home in Walla Walla, WA. He is survived
by his wife, Alice, four daughters, three sons and 13 grandchildren.
Reithmayr was born in Vienna, Austria, and immigrated to the United
States as a teenager in 1930. He worked various jobs until he was
transferred to the C.C. Anderson store in Boise, ID, where he worked
in the curtain and drapery department.
In 1948 he started out on his own and opened a curtain and drapery
shop in the Davis Kaser furniture store in Walla Walla. As business
prospered he moved to a larger building. A complete workroom was
set up to make custom draperies, curtains, top treatments, Roman
shades and bedspreads along with an upholstery shop.
Eventually, Kurt’s Decorative Service became a complete window
and floor covering store including vinyl, tile and hardwood flooring.
Kurt’s Decorative Service became a household name in western
Washington as Reithmayr remained active in the business along with
his wife until he sold the business in 2001 and retired at the age
of 88.
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