Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
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The 40 employees will move into Thomasville Furniture’s corporate offices on East Main Street.
“It is fantastic,” Thomasville Chamber of Commerce President Doug Croft said of the move. “I think it is a great use of their space with the wonderful headquarters Thomasville Furniture has here. I think it shows as much as anything that Furniture Brands has made an investment in this community”
According to a news release, the employees will operate under the direction of Ed Teplitz, president of Thomasville Furniture, and will share its direct-to-consumer strategy.
Most of the jobs are in general management, finance, sales, marketing and merchandise, the release stated.
Thomasville Mayor Joe Bennett is pleased with the announcement.
“First off, let me say a cordial welcome to those 40 employees who are moving from High Point to the Thomasville office,” Bennett said. “In the proximity of where these folks have been working in High Point and possibly where they live in the High Point area, there will probably be commuters coming into Thomasville for their jobs Monday through Friday.”
“Possibly, one or two will see the advantage of living here,” Bennett continued. “We have a good selection of homes on the market in Thomasville.”
In the shuffle, the announcement did not indicate any layoffs would take place.
“We hope that the group will be in Thomasville for many years,” the mayor said. “But the way business and things happen today, it might be here today and gone in two years. I hope not, but we are celebrating that 40 jobs will be locating in Thomasville soon.”
The move should be complete in time for the High Point Market wholesale trade show.
The main office of Henredon is also being relocated. Henredon is part of the St. Louis-based Furniture Brands’ “Designer Group” of companies focused on furniture for high-end customers and interior designers.
Furniture Brands will sell the office building on Eastchester Drive, which served as the joint headquarters for Henredon and Drexel Heritage.
“These latest moves support two of our strategic initiatives, winning with customers and delivering operational excellence,” said Ralph P. Scozzafava, chief executive officer of Furniture Brands, in a news release. “In the case of Thomasville and the Drexel Heritage teams, both brands have tailored marketing and product development strategies for each separate business that leverage the distinct brand promise for each franchise to put the right products in front of the consumer. The Drexel Heritage headquarters move will enable us to streamline operations and eliminate the expense of surplus assets.”
An attempt to reach Rick Millen, vice president of human resources for Thomasville Furniture, was unsuccessful Wednesday afternoon.
Staff Writer Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 231, or ignasiak@tvilletimes.com.