Samson Marketing Preident & CEO Kevin O'Connor Steps Down

Furniture World News Desk on 7/22/2014

Kevin O’Connor, President and CEO of Samson Marketing, is stepping down as head of the marketing arm of Samson Holding (parent company of Lacquercraft manufacturing).

O’Connor was a founding partner of Legacy Classic Furniture along with Samuel Kuo in March 1999. Under his direction, Legacy Classic pioneered the direct consolidated container concept which expanded direct importing from a few giant retailers in 1999 to hundreds of retailers within a few years, as Legacy Classic became an important case goods resource - growing to $200 million in sales by 2006.

O’Connor became the President and CEO of Samson Marketing when it was formed in late 2007 to oversee the management of Legacy Classic, Universal Furniture and Samson International, as well as to consolidate the “back room” services and warehousing of the operating companies.

Samuel Kuo, Chairman of Samson Holding, stated that O’Connor’s day to day management position would not be continued going forward, but rather “Kevin would be retained as a consultant to the company and would join the Board of Directors of Samson Holding.”

Chairman Kuo went on to say, “Kevin has excelled in every role he has assumed - from his vision of Legacy, marketing and team leadership - to his keen eye for product in the marketplace. Kevin is a great business partner, but most importantly a great friend. He has built a strong team and positioned our companies for continued growth. With his depth of industry knowledge, Kevin will be a valuable asset to serve on the Samson Holding Board.”

O’Connor added, “Working with Samuel and Grace Kuo, Mohamad Amini and his Lacquercraft team, as well as our U.S. marketing teams over the past 15 years has been a rewarding experience. We put together a great team of people, and were in the right place at the right time when direct importing expanded in the early 2000’s.”

“Over the past 7 years we have retooled the management teams of all of our operating companies and created separate divisions, such as Legacy Classic Kids and Lacquercraft Hospitality. The presidents of each operating company are very experienced and capable managers, and will do very well reporting directly to Samuel Kuo and working with Mohamad Amini in the Far East - just as I did when I ran Legacy Classic for the first eight years of its existence.”

The U.S. warehousing and finance operations of Samson Marketing will be managed respectively by Larry Cryan, VP of Operations and Jeffery Chang, Samson Marketing CFO.

Finally, O’Connor added, “My decision to step back at this time is a personal one based on my desire to spend more time with my family, as well as pursue personal outside interests. My time with the company has been phenomenally rewarding, but every leader needs to gauge when to step aside. I am convinced that this is a good time for me to do so.”

Background: Kevin O’Connor enjoyed a 45 year career in the furniture industry. His career began in 1969 as a sales rep with the Baumritter Corp (Ethan Allen Inc). He credits his 11 years alongside two industry giants - Nat Ancell and Pat Norton - for his on the job training to develop his own business principles and leadership skills.