LOS ANGELES, California—Eran Riban, 37, has been named General Manager of Brooks Fabrics, the commercial division of Ribenks Inc., a converter and importer of upholstery fabrics to the U.S. furniture trade.

Brooks specializes in designing and importing upholstery from China to the U.S. furniture trade. Riban reports to Joseph Moran, principal and founder of Ribenks. Riban’s post is a new one for the company. Eran Riban

Prior to joining Brooks less than a year ago, Riban was CEO of an Israeli newspaper company with offices in Los Angeles and New York. He was with the firm for six years before joining Brooks which reportedly grew sales in double digits in 2013. Riban just logged his second Showtime event in High Point, NC and he said that it “energized him.” As a result of Brooks’ growth this year, Riban is actively looking for additional sales reps in California, Texas and Mississippi to supplement his sales force in Kansas, New York, North Carolina and Texas. 

“This industry changes all of the time challenging us. At Brooks we answer this challenge by coming up with excellent products  to allow a continuous flow and vitality on the retail floor offering new fabrics, designs and colors. The Brooks line includes 2,000 sku’s with about 30 percent turnover of the collection each year, Riban pointed out. The line is mostly all polyester with some blends in linen and rayon as well as polyurethane and leather.

Thanks to a recently completed proprietary software program developed in-house, Riban is able to analyze what the customer buys each month so that a one month supply is warehoused and is available when that customer needs it. Riban said “the stock levels are reliable and solid.” He said he keeps daily communication with the company’s China offices.   

Riban received a B.A. in Economics from Tel Aviv University and was an instructor in the Israeli Air Force prior to coming to the U.S. ten years ago. He lives in Redondo Beach with his wife and two children. He is an avid mountain climber with climbs in Yellow Stone and Yosemite Parks under his belt.