Grogan Cranks Benartex Decorative Fabrics Line
November 19, 2009
NEW YORK, New York - Joe Grogan is heading up the new home decorative fabrics converting division of Benartex Inc., which is expected to produce $5 to $7 million in sales within a few years for this quilt fabrics converter.
Grogan, with 20 years of fabric sourcing experience behind him was previously with Covington Fabrics in a similar capacity for eight years (2000-2008). "I am a converter's converter,'' he said. ''I want to make value-added product for other converters at a fair price.'' Some of his early introductions include ''Vega'' and ''Avanti,'' high-end washed chenille for $8.95 to the manufacturer and ''Highlander,'' a cotton yarn-dyed woven body cloth also made in China in 15 colors to be followed up with a window pane and stripe design.
Aside from China, he is also working with India, Turkey and Indonesia, where he is producing a colorful batik line for $5.95 a yard. He expects to get three to four years out of each new product line by doing product development with one mill in each country on an exclusive basis. He pointed to millions of yard sellers he has developed in past years like ''Jefferson'' and 10 million yard sellers like ''Exhale'' as the passion of his working life. "I want to continue developing products like these," he said. He also takes credit for developing the industry's first printed chenille and printed matelasse in 2001 for the volume market.
One of his new product lines features body cloth woven in China, dyed in Thailand and machine-guide embroidered in India. "This is an example of what I do best," he said. To help him in this effort, he finds that Benartex provided him with instant infrastructure including an office, a Cranston, RI warehouse and a computer system for order entry and processing, purchasing and finance. His boss is David Lochner, the former banker turned fabric maven who runs the quilted fabrics converting operation at Benartex. The two knew each other for 20 years before Grogan joined him. Lochner, who has been with the company for 15 years, said that Benartex carries its own credit instead of using factors and is owned by Bernina USA, a division of a privately-held, family-owned Swiss sewing machinery manufacturer which bought the company six years ago. Bernina International, the parent company is 100 years old.
Grogan has also assembled a seasoned sales force to work with him including Thomas Leahy, vice president of retail sales (formerly of Waverly) who will call on better retail fabric stores and Bob Ellsweig and Allan Kearns who are calling on the upholstered furniture industry for Benartex. The furniture line is priced at $3.95 to $8.95. Benartex can service China to China orders or ship to the USA depending on what the manufacturer wants.
Colin Fearn is Grogan's vice president of European sales based in the UK. Overseas already produces 20 percent of the business, Grogan said but he thinks he will do even more in the future. The line for decorators and designers is priced at $12.95 to $44.95. Grogan wants to sell product directly to interior designers with orders that might be as small as five yards at a time in favor of servicing the jobbers the way most converters traditionally have done. "We have the patience and the will to build our business directly with the designer."
Grogan, with 20 years of fabric sourcing experience behind him was previously with Covington Fabrics in a similar capacity for eight years (2000-2008). "I am a converter's converter,'' he said. ''I want to make value-added product for other converters at a fair price.'' Some of his early introductions include ''Vega'' and ''Avanti,'' high-end washed chenille for $8.95 to the manufacturer and ''Highlander,'' a cotton yarn-dyed woven body cloth also made in China in 15 colors to be followed up with a window pane and stripe design.
Aside from China, he is also working with India, Turkey and Indonesia, where he is producing a colorful batik line for $5.95 a yard. He expects to get three to four years out of each new product line by doing product development with one mill in each country on an exclusive basis. He pointed to millions of yard sellers he has developed in past years like ''Jefferson'' and 10 million yard sellers like ''Exhale'' as the passion of his working life. "I want to continue developing products like these," he said. He also takes credit for developing the industry's first printed chenille and printed matelasse in 2001 for the volume market.
One of his new product lines features body cloth woven in China, dyed in Thailand and machine-guide embroidered in India. "This is an example of what I do best," he said. To help him in this effort, he finds that Benartex provided him with instant infrastructure including an office, a Cranston, RI warehouse and a computer system for order entry and processing, purchasing and finance. His boss is David Lochner, the former banker turned fabric maven who runs the quilted fabrics converting operation at Benartex. The two knew each other for 20 years before Grogan joined him. Lochner, who has been with the company for 15 years, said that Benartex carries its own credit instead of using factors and is owned by Bernina USA, a division of a privately-held, family-owned Swiss sewing machinery manufacturer which bought the company six years ago. Bernina International, the parent company is 100 years old.
Grogan has also assembled a seasoned sales force to work with him including Thomas Leahy, vice president of retail sales (formerly of Waverly) who will call on better retail fabric stores and Bob Ellsweig and Allan Kearns who are calling on the upholstered furniture industry for Benartex. The furniture line is priced at $3.95 to $8.95. Benartex can service China to China orders or ship to the USA depending on what the manufacturer wants.
Colin Fearn is Grogan's vice president of European sales based in the UK. Overseas already produces 20 percent of the business, Grogan said but he thinks he will do even more in the future. The line for decorators and designers is priced at $12.95 to $44.95. Grogan wants to sell product directly to interior designers with orders that might be as small as five yards at a time in favor of servicing the jobbers the way most converters traditionally have done. "We have the patience and the will to build our business directly with the designer."
