Eleven Industry Leaders Nominated for Induction Into American Furniture Hall Of Fame

Furniture World Magazine

The new members of the American Furniture Hall of Fame for 2004 will be selected from eleven nominated industry leaders. Nominees inducted into the AFHF will be honored at a banquet gala to be held on October 14, 2004, the opening night of the High Point market. The nominees include: Myrtle Hayworth Barthmaier (1891 - 1980) was president and CEO of Myrtle and Alma Desk Companies and Hayworth Roll and Panel from 1930 to 1950, following the death of her husband, Charles E. Hayworth, Sr. With six children, she struggled through the depression gaining the industry’s respect while building her business. The companies expanded to 3000 employees to become one of the largest manufacturers of quality office furniture in the United States. Wogan S. Badcock, Sr. (1898 - 1987) purchased his first furniture store from his father in 1920 and built it into a chain of over 240 stores. The slogan "Badcock Will Treat You Right" has been the company motto since 1904. He was a true pioneer in both the wholesale furniture distribution business and at retail. Badcock also pioneered the franchise concept for retail stores. Paul Hunt Broyhill (1924) past chairman of Broyhill Furniture Industries, worked in the family plants from an early age. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina, and served for three years in the U.S. Army. Under his direction, six million square feet of modern manufacturing facilities were built. He developed an internal "Broyhill University", and an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). Paul was a marketing innovator seeking exposure through national game shows, shelter magazines, and personal appearances at Broyhill Showcase Galleries. Bobby Wesley “Bob” Bush, Sr, (1931) is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Furniture Hall of Fame and retired vice president of sales of the Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company. Over his 50 years of service, Mr. Bush built his family company into a business known for its quality, innovation and value. During the formative period of the Southern furniture industry, Bob played a vital role by working to meet the needs of manufacturers by recognizing the role of proximity to timely delivery and installed a just-in-time delivery program in the 1960s Julian Thomas Buxton, (1898 - 1982) became president of Williams Furniture Corp. in 1952. Under his direction the company to become possibly the most vertically integrated furniture manufacturer in the country by owning and processing most of the raw maaterials and components used to produce the highly successful Williams' line of bedroom and dining room furniture. George B. Cartledge, Sr., (1910 - 1997) was chairman of Grand Piano and Furniture in Roanoke, Virginia, a Top 100 furniture chain with 23 stores in 16 cities across Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, and South Carolina. George demanded perfect honesty and consideration for customers, associates and suppliers. In 1959 he originated the custom of offering a frosty bottle of Coke™ to everyone who walked in his store. In 1998, one million Cokes were given to people, who never will forget Grand's hospitality. Sherwin Glass (1926) chairman/CEO, founded Farmers Furniture in 1911 with a stock of used furniture valued at $1,110 in the small rural town of Soperton, Georgia. By 1974 there were ten retail locations. Today there are 140 stores in five Southeastern states with more than 1,300 employees. In a ten-year span, the company purchased more than $600,000,000 in product from the furniture, appliance and electronic industries. Charles A. Greene, (1938) CEO and president of Classic Gallery, founded his company to fill a void in the way furniture was marketed and sold to design shops and showrooms. He built a sales force tailored to his specific needs. Charlie worked for a number of retailers, Dun and Bradstreet, as well as KayLyn Furniture throughout his highly successful career in the furniture and design industry. Jacob "Jake" Jabs, (1930) is a founding owner, president, and CEO of American Furniture Warehouse of Englewood, Colorado. Jake also owns and manages multi-store retail businesses in Denver, Colorado. He operates ten regional warehouse furniture stores, each boasting in excess of 100,000 square feet of showroom space. The crown jewel of the empire is a new showroom complex of almost 635,000 feet on 17 acres. One building is a quarter mile long. Since 1979, American Furniture Warehouse has grown from $17 million in sales to a projected $310 million in 2004. Richard J. Udouj, Sr., (1936) joined Riverside Furniture, then a two million dollar company, in 1959. Over the next thirty years, Dick worked his way up the ladder to become president and chief executive officer. Under his guidance, Riverside pioneered a computer roll top desk which became a staple on retail floors across the country. Under his leadership, Riverside was transformed from a regional manufacturer to, a nationally recognized company. Upon his retirement in 1989, he left Riverside with a top-level management team in place and annual sales approaching 90 million dollars. Plato S. Wilson, B. (1925) Plato Wilson’s career in sales began when he sold Henry Wilson of Henredon two pages of advertising in Morganton's high school yearbook. Later, when Plato graduated from Duke University, Mr. Wilson, who attended the graduation ceremonies offered him a job selling for Henredon, plus a brand-new car. That was the first of only two jobs in Plato's career. The other was with Henkel-Harris. He is known for his hard work and for helping to educate his retail salespeople so well that they overwhelmed the competition. He produced several ten-million-dollar years and even scored a one million-dollar-day, in a comparatively quiet southern territory. The American Furniture Hall of Fame is an all-industry effort organized to honor those individuals whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the continued growth and development of the American manufactured furniture industry. The AFHF also researches, collects and preserve its cultural, economic and artistic history. For more information call (336) 882-5900 or visit the AFHF website at www.historyandheroes.com.