People Page
August 6, 2002
Kennerly Sells Lucia Cassa
Indianapolis, Ind. (USA) - In an effort to upgrade its line, Mayer Fabrics has purchased Lucia Cassa textiles, a contract distributor in High Point.
''This acquisition gives us a new marketing division at the upper end of the contract market,'' a Mayer spokesman said. Lucia Kennerly, principal and president of Lucia Cassa will continue to manage the newly acquired division as a separate, independent entity under the Mayer Fabrics Group.
''We have introduced 250 SKUs of new fabrics for the designer in the $30-$60 range in the Lucia line,'' said Rob Mayer, vice president of sales and marketing. ''We expect this new division of Lucia''s to be a $3 million business,'' Mayer said.
Kass Resigns From Robert Allen Group
New York - Robert Allen Group CEO Ron Kass announced his resignation in April. In an inter-office memo, Kass told employees he was going to pursue his personal goal of working with a major private equity firm to pursue acquisitions in the home and office furnishings industries and related industries.
Kass, who joined the company in 1994, told employees that he would help transition Robert Allen to new ownership. Corber Corporation, the investment firm which bought Robert Allen in February, said it will not hire a replacement. Instead Ron Cordover, chairman and CEO, and Jeff Cordover, vice chairman, will lead the Robert Allen Group.
Derketsch Becomes Independent Consultant
Mindy Derketsch has left her position as Kravet''s director of licensing to work as an independent textile consultant. She has formed MJD TexStyles to provide design, color and merchandising services. Derketsch runs the business out of an office in Allendale, New Jersey.
In six and a half years at Kravet, she also held the title of design director. Prior to that, she worked at Weave Corporation for ten years.
DuPont Promotes Peiper
DuPont Ink Jet has named Brad Peiper global sales and service manager.
Peiper will be responsible for developing woldwide sales and service strategies for the DuPont textile and ink segments, as well as adapting business strategies to accommodate global customer needs.
Previously, Peiper served as business manager of the DuPont Ink Jet desktop segment where he managed the development and launch of new product lines and intiated technology symposiums between DuPont and key customer companies to generate new business.
''Brad has proven to be a valuable asset to DuPont Ink Jet''s sales efforts,'' said Rick Baird, vice president and director of DuPont Ink Jet. ''As global sales and service manager, his continued hard work and dedication will undoubtedly enhance the international presence of DuPont.''
Kaufmann Names Fabreka
Ron Kneitel has formed a textile sales and consulting firm under the name Fabreka.
He was previously president of Chris Stone & Associates and had been associated with that converter/printer for over 20 years.
In his new effort, Kneitel will represent P. Kaufmann Inc. as an agent, representing Braemore, Bloomcraft and P. Kaufmann upholstery lines to American furniture manufacturers on the West Coast. Mike Willoughby previously handled this line in that region.
Rosenberg Turns 70 in Grindelwald, Switzerland
Australian ace Bert Rosenberg turned 70 this year. A group of his friends joined the fabric agent in Grindelwald, Switzerland right after Heimtextil Europe for some skiing and imbibing.
Schumacher Names North and Fiorilli
F. Schumacher & Co. has appointed two people to positions in its Interior Design Group. Rosemarie Fiorilli was hired as senior vice president, general manager, design & marketing. Susan North takes a position as vice president, design, reporting to Fiorilli.
North joined Schumacher in 1997 as the director of design for Greeff, one of Schumacher''s fabric and wallcovering lines.
In that role, North was largely responsible for reviving Greeff and returning it to a prominent position in the marketplace. ''By using the archives and analyzing Greeff''s past, we were able to find the way to take Greeff forward,'' North said.
In her new role, North will direct the design staff for Schumacher, Greeff and the newly acquired Decorators Walk, overseeing the development of wovens, printed fabrics and wallcoverings for each label. ''Our challenge is to position and maintain each brand with a separate, distinct look. I'm planning to begin the same way I did at Greeff, by working with both the Schumacher and Decorators Walk archives, which are an incredible resource and which provide a guidebook to what has made F. Schumacher & Co. successful and unique. These brands have great legacies.
''Part of going forward with each of them is to find the looks that they were known for, and to reinterpret them into looks that work in today''s market for today''s designers.'' To that end she hopes to reissue some of Schumacher's spectacular historic designs, particularly those dating to the turn of the 20th century. North is currently reviewing the Decorators Walk archives.
North, holds a BFA with a concentration in textile design from Montclair State College. She was a designer at several New York firms, including John Wolf Decorative Fabrics, prior to joining F. Schumacher & Co. She rose through the ranks of designers at Covington Industries, where she was responsible for developing both fabric and wallcovering collections.
Senior VP, general manager, design & marketing Rosemarie Fiorilli will oversee the design, marketing, advertising, and finance functions of the Schumacher Interior Design Group, which includes fabrics and wallcoverings in the Schumacher, Greeff and Decorators Walk lines. In addition to assuming day-to-day management responsibilities, Fiorilli will also develop the marketing strategy.
''Our plan is to enhance and refine the business strategies behind these great brand equities so that we can grow them profitably,'' Fiorilli said. ''We want to ensure that Schumacher, Greeff and Decorators Walk carry their vibrant traditions forward, so that the coming generations of designers will know and use them as their predecessors have.''
Fiorilli comes to F. Schumacher & Co. from a successful career in strategy and finance most recently at Chanel, Inc. where she was executive director, financial and strategic planning for its U.S. affiliate. Prior to joining Chanel, Fiorilli held both finance and strategic planning positions with Nabisco and Nestlè. She holds an MBA in administration in finance and strategic planning from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Indianapolis, Ind. (USA) - In an effort to upgrade its line, Mayer Fabrics has purchased Lucia Cassa textiles, a contract distributor in High Point.
''This acquisition gives us a new marketing division at the upper end of the contract market,'' a Mayer spokesman said. Lucia Kennerly, principal and president of Lucia Cassa will continue to manage the newly acquired division as a separate, independent entity under the Mayer Fabrics Group.
''We have introduced 250 SKUs of new fabrics for the designer in the $30-$60 range in the Lucia line,'' said Rob Mayer, vice president of sales and marketing. ''We expect this new division of Lucia''s to be a $3 million business,'' Mayer said.
Kass Resigns From Robert Allen Group
New York - Robert Allen Group CEO Ron Kass announced his resignation in April. In an inter-office memo, Kass told employees he was going to pursue his personal goal of working with a major private equity firm to pursue acquisitions in the home and office furnishings industries and related industries.
Kass, who joined the company in 1994, told employees that he would help transition Robert Allen to new ownership. Corber Corporation, the investment firm which bought Robert Allen in February, said it will not hire a replacement. Instead Ron Cordover, chairman and CEO, and Jeff Cordover, vice chairman, will lead the Robert Allen Group.
Derketsch Becomes Independent Consultant
Mindy Derketsch has left her position as Kravet''s director of licensing to work as an independent textile consultant. She has formed MJD TexStyles to provide design, color and merchandising services. Derketsch runs the business out of an office in Allendale, New Jersey.
In six and a half years at Kravet, she also held the title of design director. Prior to that, she worked at Weave Corporation for ten years.
DuPont Promotes Peiper
DuPont Ink Jet has named Brad Peiper global sales and service manager.
Peiper will be responsible for developing woldwide sales and service strategies for the DuPont textile and ink segments, as well as adapting business strategies to accommodate global customer needs.
Previously, Peiper served as business manager of the DuPont Ink Jet desktop segment where he managed the development and launch of new product lines and intiated technology symposiums between DuPont and key customer companies to generate new business.
''Brad has proven to be a valuable asset to DuPont Ink Jet''s sales efforts,'' said Rick Baird, vice president and director of DuPont Ink Jet. ''As global sales and service manager, his continued hard work and dedication will undoubtedly enhance the international presence of DuPont.''
Kaufmann Names Fabreka
Ron Kneitel has formed a textile sales and consulting firm under the name Fabreka.
He was previously president of Chris Stone & Associates and had been associated with that converter/printer for over 20 years.
In his new effort, Kneitel will represent P. Kaufmann Inc. as an agent, representing Braemore, Bloomcraft and P. Kaufmann upholstery lines to American furniture manufacturers on the West Coast. Mike Willoughby previously handled this line in that region.
Rosenberg Turns 70 in Grindelwald, Switzerland
Australian ace Bert Rosenberg turned 70 this year. A group of his friends joined the fabric agent in Grindelwald, Switzerland right after Heimtextil Europe for some skiing and imbibing.
Schumacher Names North and Fiorilli
F. Schumacher & Co. has appointed two people to positions in its Interior Design Group. Rosemarie Fiorilli was hired as senior vice president, general manager, design & marketing. Susan North takes a position as vice president, design, reporting to Fiorilli.
North joined Schumacher in 1997 as the director of design for Greeff, one of Schumacher''s fabric and wallcovering lines.
In that role, North was largely responsible for reviving Greeff and returning it to a prominent position in the marketplace. ''By using the archives and analyzing Greeff''s past, we were able to find the way to take Greeff forward,'' North said.
In her new role, North will direct the design staff for Schumacher, Greeff and the newly acquired Decorators Walk, overseeing the development of wovens, printed fabrics and wallcoverings for each label. ''Our challenge is to position and maintain each brand with a separate, distinct look. I'm planning to begin the same way I did at Greeff, by working with both the Schumacher and Decorators Walk archives, which are an incredible resource and which provide a guidebook to what has made F. Schumacher & Co. successful and unique. These brands have great legacies.
''Part of going forward with each of them is to find the looks that they were known for, and to reinterpret them into looks that work in today''s market for today''s designers.'' To that end she hopes to reissue some of Schumacher's spectacular historic designs, particularly those dating to the turn of the 20th century. North is currently reviewing the Decorators Walk archives.
North, holds a BFA with a concentration in textile design from Montclair State College. She was a designer at several New York firms, including John Wolf Decorative Fabrics, prior to joining F. Schumacher & Co. She rose through the ranks of designers at Covington Industries, where she was responsible for developing both fabric and wallcovering collections.
Senior VP, general manager, design & marketing Rosemarie Fiorilli will oversee the design, marketing, advertising, and finance functions of the Schumacher Interior Design Group, which includes fabrics and wallcoverings in the Schumacher, Greeff and Decorators Walk lines. In addition to assuming day-to-day management responsibilities, Fiorilli will also develop the marketing strategy.
''Our plan is to enhance and refine the business strategies behind these great brand equities so that we can grow them profitably,'' Fiorilli said. ''We want to ensure that Schumacher, Greeff and Decorators Walk carry their vibrant traditions forward, so that the coming generations of designers will know and use them as their predecessors have.''
Fiorilli comes to F. Schumacher & Co. from a successful career in strategy and finance most recently at Chanel, Inc. where she was executive director, financial and strategic planning for its U.S. affiliate. Prior to joining Chanel, Fiorilli held both finance and strategic planning positions with Nabisco and Nestlè. She holds an MBA in administration in finance and strategic planning from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
