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BOURNE NAMED IFDA TRAILBLAZER San Francisco, CA-based designer Agnes Bourne has been named recipient of the International Furnishings & Design Association's (IFDA) 1999 Trailblazer Award. Bourne was selected from a list of candidates submitted by the 2,000-member organization's chapters. She is the 32nd winner of this honor awarded to a person who has made significant contributions to the furnishings and design industry. Her dedication to community service and environmental issues as well as achievements in interior and product design were cited as reasons for her selection. Bourne has worked in the design profession for more than three decades and has created residential and commercial environments for numerous clients and designed her own line of furniture. In 1996 she was among 101 designers selected by House Beautiful magazine as the most influential interior designers at work at that time. Bourne joins the ranks of such notables as former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, White House curator Clement Conger and international architect and designer Philippe Starck. She was presented with the award and was keynote speaker at a dinner held November 6, 1999, during the three-day IFDA Educational Foundation symposium in San Francisco. NEWELL/KIRSCH PROMOTES SCHUBERT, READ Newell Window Furnishings/Kirsch, Freeport, IL, announces the promotion of two product managers to merchandising manager positions. Drew Schubert was named merchandising manager, basic drapery hardware. He has been with Kirsch for 14 years and most recently was product manager for Kirsch Drapery Hardware. Schubert will be responsible for basic drapery hardware for Kirsch and Newell Window Furnishings. Mike Read has been promoted to merchandising manager, roller shades. In his new role he will be responsible for size-in-store roller shades, size-in-home roller shades and all roller shade brands including Kirsch, Joanna and Spectrim. Read has been with Newell Window Furnishings for four years in various sales and management positions. BRADLEY NAMED ITA SALES DIRECTOR ITA, Inc., St Augustine, FL, has announced the promotion of Tony Bradley to U.S. sales director. He formerly was a regional sales manager for ITA responsible for the southeastern United States. In this new position, Bradley will lead the sales team, presenting new product introductions for ITA's current and future customers. Bradley has been with ITA for the past 12 years. He has more than 18 years of experience in the window coverings industry. LANKFORD APPOINTED VP AT JUKI UNION SPECIAL Rob Lankford has been named vice president of Juki Union Special, Inc., Wayne, NJ, effective December 1, 1999. He has been with the Juki organization for more than 17 years serving in the positions of general manager and sales manager of the southeast and southwest regions. Lankford was instrumental in instituting and operating three Juki and Union Special sales, technical and warehouse facilities located in the Atlanta, GA, area. He was directly responsible for the company's growth in the southern United States.

WINDOW FASHIONS INC. WELCOMES PIERCE Window Fashions, Inc., Cheswick, PA, welcomes Trisha Pierce to its contract department. Pierce brings with her seven years of customer service experience. SNIPES PRESENTED BLONDER AWARD Alice Snipes was named Account Manager of the Year by Blonder Wallcoverings, Cleveland, OH. The presentation was made at a banquet ending Blonder's annual five-day sales meeting held at Quail Hollow Hotel and Conference Center, Painesville, OH. Other honorees included Gary Barr, who was presented with the Regional Manager of the Year award; and Chesapeake Wallcoverings, which garnered the Supplier of the Year award. In addition, Fred Kuehn was cited for "Going the Extra Mile" and Linda Uloth was named Rookie of the Year. A trade fair and sales sessions also were on the agenda. Topics discussed included the state of the wall coverings industry, selling to the design community and how to present products effectively. Eleven suppliers presented their latest collections at the trade fair, and a Casino Night was held with winnings traded for raffle tickets for a chance to win an assortment of prizes. YANG DESIGNS FOR SPECTRUM Jay Yang, a leading name in the textile industry, has joined Spectrum Fabrics, New York, NY, in an exclusive agreement to design printed and woven collections for the Spring 2000 Collection. The first collection was introduced in January at Showtime at High Point, NC. Yang describes the initial collection as "natural, uncontrived . . . colors, patterns and textures have been developed to coordinate." Two collections are to be introduced: The Great Voyage Collection comprises six prints; The United Kingdom Collection consists of six jacquards. STERLING ELECTED WALLPAPER COUNCIL PRESIDENT Frank Sterling, president of Blonder Wallcoverings, Cleveland, OH, has been elected president of the Wallpaper Council, a cooperative marketing organization established in 1997 to increase wall coverings' share of residential markets. Sterling came to the wall covering industry via a circuitous path. Starting out with a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering, he spent three years in Boeing's experimental flight test operation flying and testing helicopters. He followed this experience with an M.B.A. in finance and operations at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, which lead to financial and planning positions in the health care and petroleum industries, then to a partnership and vice presidency of a consulting firm. In 1980 he was recruited by General Instruments Corp. as vice president of corporate planning and development. In 1985 he and his partner, Jack Goldsmith, decided to leave the big company environment and buy Blonder Wallcoverings. The Wallpaper Council consists of 68 member companies representing major manufacturers, distributors and suppliers throughout North America. The council uses advertising and public relations programs to educate consumers about the benefits of wall coverings.