People
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 3/1/2001
The International Home Furnishings Center (IHFC), High Point, NC, named Tom Loney vice president of marketing/leasing. He will be responsible for all IHFC marketing activities, and will assume a major role in leasing functions. Tom Lindh was appointed vice president of operations/administration. He will be responsible for IHFC facilities and properties, and direct activities related to providing services to exhibitors and market visitors.
Show producer George Little Management LLC (GLM) of White Plains, NY, promoted Annette Winters to the new position of Value Added Programs manager. The Value Added Program is a corporate initiative launched by GLM in 2000 to help exhibitors enhance their visibility at markets and beyond. Winters will oversee sales for promotions associated with the program. She joined GLM in 1985, and has served as show manager for the Washington and Chicago Gift Shows, as well as customer care manager for GLMmarketplace.com.
Golden Leaf Garden Products Inc., manufacturer and distributor of collectibles, decorative giftware, and home and garden accents, formed a senior management team, with John Parella as vice president of sales and marketing and Steve Maring as vice president of product design, development, and manufacturing. Bobby Ray Cox was named national sales director. Golden Leaf, with marketing headquarters in Atlanta, is a member of The Van Group, Ontario, CA.
Cydney Johnson was named vice president of marketing, consumer retail for Oneida Ltd. of Oneida, NY. She will focus on identifying new business opportunities for the company in consumer markets while creating and implementing action plans to achieve growth and profitability. Johnson will also be involved in product and brand development, and management of inventory. Most recently, she was director of development for the Syracuse University School of Management.
Due to the change in ownership at inspirational gift manufacturer, J-Mar, and the reorganization of its sales management department, sales management duties for the company will now be handled from the corporate headquarters in DeLand, FL. C.M. Nevill, national sales manager for the company, will leave J-Mar. He plans to continue to utilize his sales experience in the industry.
David Schultz, president of Romance Silk Inc. of Egg Harbor Township, NJ, was elected chairman of the American Flower Importers Association (AFIA). His responsibilities will include improving the AFIA's trade fairs at the International Floral Design Center in Dallas, broadening the association's membership, and lobbying the federal government on behalf of the AFIA and the floral industry.
Giftware distributor Enesco Group Inc., Itasca, IL, appointed Jeffrey Lemajeur chief financial officer. He succeeds Allan Keirstead, who left the company at the end of January. Lemajeur has served as the company's treasurer since 1999. Before joining Enesco, he was vice president of finance, CFO, and treasurer of Binks Sames Corp. Lemajeur's new responsibilities include overseeing all financial and investor relations matters for the company.
Alan Katz was named vice president of sales for Display Technologies, a College Point, NY-based manufacturer and designer of retail point-of-purchase displays. Katz will oversee national sales and marketing efforts for the firm's Total Merchandising Group. He will also manage a national sales force and work on new product development. Katz most recently served ten years as vice president of sales for Display Systems Inc.
Gallerie II, Newport News, VA, appointed Jennifer Sheridan national sales manager. She will be responsible for new business development, and will oversee the company's sales force. Gallerie II is a division of C & F Ents.
Crystal Clear Industries, Ridgefield Park, NJ, hired John Rufe as director of sales and marketing for Manhattan Candle Lights. Rufe, who has over 20 years of experience in the tabletop and giftware industry, was most recently national sales manager for Oneida Ltd. Crystal Clear is a manufacturer and importer of crystal and glassware.
Atlanta-based USgift.com appointed Patrick Shannon to serve as senior vice president and CFO. Shannon, who is the former vice president and CFO for AGCO Corp., is charged with developing USgift's financial and operational infrastructure. Daniel Catan was named chief marketing officer for Usgift.com. He will be responsible for managing the company's sales operations across a variety of direct, wholesale, and e-tail channels, as well as managing corporate training, domestic and international business development, new product development, research and competitive intelligence, merchandising, advertising, and public relations. USgift.com provides online wholesale distribution in the gift, garden, and home accessories industries by purchasing products from manufacturers and re-selling them to retailers.
The National Housewares Manufacturers Association (NHMA), of Rosemont, IL, elected two new members to its board of directors. Since 1995, Richard E. Posey is president and CEO of Hamilton Beach/Proctor Silex, Inc. Matthew L Andis, president of Andis Company, was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Thomas Kieckhafer, who recently retired from the West Bend Company. Andis is also a member of NHMA's Industry Education Committee, and a founding member of Chief Officers Reaching Excellence. Vincent A. Naccarato was elected chairman of the board of directors.
Atlanta-based decorative accent rug manufacturer, Homefires, named Dick Pruett national sales manager. Pruett will manage the national sales force and work to grow the business by targeting key accounts. He ran his own sales management firm for 14 years.
Northern Lights Candles, Wellsville, NY, appointed Carrie Bardeen director of public relations. She will be responsible for creating and implementing relationships between the company and the media, as well as working to strengthen employee relationships. Northern Lights also named Gretchen Hanchett sales supervisor. She will manage in-house sales, supervise outside sales groups, and train sales groups.
Obituaries
Robert Oumano, president of Franco-American Novelty Co. Inc., Glendale, NY, died on December 4 after a long illness. He was 77. Oumano was in the novelty business for more than 60 years. He joined Franco-American, which was founded by his father in 1908, after World War II. Initially, he worked as a buyer traveling throughout Europe sourcing for new and unusual products. In 1975, Oumano became president of Franco-American. Donations in Robert Oumano's memory can be sent to the St. Francis Hospital Foundation, in Rosalyn, NY, or to Adults and Children with Learning Disabilities, in Bethpage, NY.
Meyer Cohen, founder of Meyda Tiffany, died of natural causes on December 31. His age was estimated to be between 93 and 98 years. His son, Robert, who has served as owner and president of the firm for the past two decades, will continue to oversee the business. Meyer Cohen designed his first stained glass window for the family dining room in 1974. Later, he and his wife, Ida, established the Meyda Stained Glass Window Studio in Utica, NY. By 1978, they had developed a business making Tiffany lamps for the wholesale market. Cohen is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, and six grandchildren. Meyda Tiffany is now headquartered in Yorkville, NY.
