La-Z-Boy Incorporated Reorganizes International Division

Furniture World Magazine

La-Z-Boy Incorporated announced that it is reorganizing its international division, beginning with the appointment of Michael T. Kelly to the position of general manager. In this newly created position, Kelly will report to the executive committee and have general management and administrative responsibilities for the companyís corporate international business. Additionally, La-Z-Boy has promoted Colleen Fogle to director, international sales administration. In her new position, Fogle will report to Kelly. Kelly will direct international sales and operations support for all La-Z-Boy subsidiaries and divisions. The current La-Z-Boy international sales force is now part of the international division and will report directly to Kelly.Mike has the kind of experience and vision that are necessary for developing an international sales organization capable of meeting the needs of all our companies," said Patrick H. Norton, chairman of La-Z-Boy Incorporated. "Under his skilled direction, our international division will strengthen and expand our presence in the worldwide market." Kelly has focused on international business throughout his career. He joined La-Z-Boy from Quaker Fabric Corporation in Fall River, Mass., where he was the credit manager. Before that, he held the position of export credit manager, responsible for strategic growth and financing initiatives on the international level. Prior to Quaker, Kelly was in the Global Trade Group at BankBoston, where he oversaw financing for a high-volume import desk. Additionally, Kelly was an adjunct professor of international business at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. Kelly earned his bachelorís degree in economics from the University of Rhode Island in 1988 and his masterís degree in international business from Johnson & Wales University in 1996. Additionally, he has studied international business at the Ealing College of Higher Education in London. Kelly relocated from North Attleboro, Mass., to Canton, Mich., with his wife Christine and their two children, Brendan and Sean. In her expanded role, Fogle will be responsible for managing and overseeing the service functions related to the entire La-Z-Boy export customer base. She also will analyze the process of incorporating the export customer service functions from all of the La-Z-Boy companies into the international division. She will look closely at the procedures for each subsidiary to identify strengths and synergies that all of the companies may capitalize on in their business. Additionally, Colleen will be responsible for the coordination and consolidation of orders from across the various companies. Fogle began her career with La-Z-Boy in 1988 in the consumer services department. In her 12 years with the company, she has advanced steadily, with a promotion to manager, dealer services in 1991 that led to becoming export manager in 1993. Immediately prior to her newest promotion, Fogle held the position of international sales and service administration manager. "With her background in operations and customer service management, Colleen is the ideal candidate for this positionî, said Michael T. Kelly. ìHer promotion to director, international sales administration is well-deserved and we are sure she will continue to make valuable contributions to the company." Fogle lives in Perrysburg, Ohio, with her husband, David and their two sons, Adam and Ryan. Headquartered in Monroe, Mich., La-Z-Boy Incorporated is the nationís largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture and the worldís leading producer of reclining chairs. With annual sales in excess of $2 billion, the company employs approximately 21,000 people, has 57 manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada and Europe, and operates through eleven independent divisions: La-Z-Boy Residential, La-Z-Boy Business Furniture Group, Hammary Furniture Company, Kincaid Furniture Company, Alexvale Furniture, Inc., England/Corsair, Inc., La-Z-Boy Canada, Centurion Furniture PLC, Sam Moore Furniture Industries, Bauhaus USA Inc. and LADD Furniture, Inc. Shares of La-Z-Boy Incorporated common stock are traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Pacific Stock Exchange under the symbol LZB.