Contact:

Christine Evans, Executive Director

info@asfd.com

Telephone:  910.576.1273

American Society of Furniture Designers Installs New Board and Elects New Executive Committee

High Point, North Carolina, May 7, 2009 – The American Society of Furniture Designers (www.asfd.com) announces the following newly installed officers and members of its board of directors for 2009-2010.  The board was installed Tuesday during the High Point market.

Executive Committee

Steve Hodges, President, Lexington, NC

Christine Evans, Executive Director, New London, NC

Jack Lewis, Chairman, Grand Rapids, MI

Katie Hatch, VP/President Elect, Santa Barbara, CA

Charles Monaco, Vice President, Huntington, NY

Dudley Moore, Jr., Vice President, High Point, NC

Arto Szabo, Treasurer, Greenwich, CT

Board of Directors

Randy Culler, High Point

Abigail Eaton, High Point

Jena Hall, Phoenix, AZ

Morgan Harris, High Point

Gabriella Huseman, New York

Peter Jacob, Grand Rapids, MI

Susan Leis, Gladwyne, Pa

Carl Muller, Seal Beach, CA

Jason Phillips, High Point

Fred Schubert, Altavista, VA

Greg Sheres, Scottsdale, AZ

Gary Vander Wood, Monroe, MI

“2009 is going to be an exciting year for our association,” incoming president Steve Hodges said.  “We’ve got an imaginative and energetic board with some exciting plans for the months ahead, including a total redesign of our Website that will make available to our membership vital information, including contract templates, a jobs board and much, much more.”

About the American Society of Furniture Designers

Founded in 1981, ASFD is the only international non-profit professional organization dedicated to advancing, improving and supporting the profession of furniture design and its positive impact in the marketplace.  Professional Members specialize in the design of both residential and contract furnishings and accessories.  Membership includes both American and International professional designers, industry affiliates and associates, design schoolteachers and students.  Corporate Members include suppliers of products and services to the industry and furniture manufacturing companies who wish to support the goals and objectives of the Society.

A free Designer Referral system is offered by ASFD for the benefit of both manufacturers and ASFD professional members.  Student members are offered mentorships by participating members and may also compete in the annual ASFD Student Design Contest co-sponsored by Hafele America Co.

ASFD Mission Statement

The American Society of Furniture Designers is dedicated to excellence, innovation, education and originality in the practice of furniture design.  ASFD serves as the unified voice of the furniture design community, advocating professional practice and integrity at all times.  ASFD seeks to demonstrate the value of design to the furnishings industry.

High Point, NC (May 5, 2009)  The American Society of Furniture Designers presented their annual  2009 David Kline Memorial Scholarship contest winners last week during their High Point Spring Market dinner held at Historic Market Square.   Hafele America Co., a supplier  of functional and decorative cabinet, furniture and architectural builders hardware co-sponsored the contest. Contest application kits were sent to colleges across the Country whereas design students were asked to design a piece of furniture utilizing Hafele’s EKU Combino U50 and L40 Hardware.  Steve Hubbard, Hafele's Senior Product Manager-Functional Hardware Group made the formal presentation to the three winning students, all Seniors at Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  

Dudley Moore, Jr., ASFD vice president and Scholarship Chair said, "We appreciate Hafele's continuing support of this worthwhile contest, and congratulate the talented and deserving student winners."

The First Place Award of $3,500 went to Nicholas Blair for his innovative and functional Krieger Desk System. Judges admired his  "cohesive design which was well-executed from design brief to finished product." They appreciated the Krieger Desk System's "clean lines, with no wasted space," and noted his "exceptional use of the functional hardware" specified in the design assignment.

Jillian Stoltz  received $1,000 for Second Place for her versatile and stylish Slider design piece  which can be used either as a desk, or sofa table, or both. Judges liked her "great use of material and color," and noted that it could "fit nicely into a lifestyle catalog today." They noted Slider's "great scale and proportion," and applauded Jillian's "wonderful presentation."

The Third Place $500 Award went to Anastacia Magnuson for her attractive Henrietta sofa table/sideboard. The judges liked Henrietta's "appealing aesthetic," and "attractive mix of modern function with traditional design elements."

The Judges for the Contest included Hafele's Steve Hubbard; Dudley Moore, Jr., from the design firm Otto & Moore and ASFD Vice President; Lesli Chastain, Freelance Designer; and  Dr. Richard Bennington,  Professor Marketing, Home Furnishings Programs, High Point University. 

The ASFD annual scholarship contest was named in honor of the late David Kline, who was a West Coast designer and former ASFD president during the late nineties.  Hafele America Co. is  a Corporate Member of ASFD and this is the fifth year of their contest co-sponsorship.

(L to R)  Nicholas Blair, lst place winner; Dudley Moore, Jr., ASFD V.P.; Jillian Stoltz, 2nd place; Anastacia Magnuson, 3rd Place; Steve Hubbard, Hafele America Co.

Nicholas Blair, lst Place winner; Steve Hubbard, Hafele

Steve Hubbard, Hafele; Jillian Stoltz, 2nd Place Winner

Steve Hubbard, Hafele America Co. & Anastacia Magnuson, 3rd Place

CONTACT: 

Christine Evans, Executive Director
American Society of Furniture Designers
Phone: (910) 576-1273
Fax: (910) 576-1573
E-mail:  info@asfd.com
Web:     www.asfd.com

ASFD Now Accepting Submissions for the 2009 Pinnacle™ Awards

New London, North Carolina, 18 February 2009 – Celebrating its 14th year, the Pinnacle™ Awards are the Home Furnishings Industry equivalent of the Academy Awards honoring excellence in design. Pinnacle™ Award finalists and winners are recognized industry wide for their stylish and innovative designs.

The American Society of Furniture Designers is now accepting submissions for the 2009 Pinnacle™ Awards. The Annual Pinnacle™ Awards dinner each Fall High Point Market honors the manufacturers and designers who strive for aesthetic and functional product innovation.

Furniture designer Katie Hatch, ASFD Vice-President and Chair of the 2009 Pinnacles™ references a recent article of Business Week entitled Creative and Innovation Driving Business. “Innovation today is ‘much more than new products.’ Innovation is also “reinventing business processes and building entirely new markets that meet untapped customer needs…. Innovation is then “selecting and executing the right ideas and bringing them to market in record time.”  She asserts “I strongly believe that through support of innovative design we can make breakthroughs similar to the I-Pod and which will revitalize our industry similar to the astronomical success of the Ipod for Apple. The Pinnacle™ Awards really celebrate and promote companies that strive for this kind of innovation.”

Open worldwide to any designer or manufacturer, the Pinnacle™ Awards are not limited to ASFD members.

The deadline for submissions is June 1st.  Finalists will be announced in a full page ad in Furniture/Today following the Judging in June; and winners will be awarded October 19th during a cocktail and dinner in the IHFC Ballroom in High Point, NC.

Furniture/Today is the major underwriter of the awards. Additional support and sponsorship is generously provided by AkzoNobel, Appalachian Hardwoods, Elmo Leather, Furniture Design Studios, Häfele America Co., High Point Market Authority, Home Lighting and Accessories, Hickory Springs Mfg. Co., Home Furnishings Business, IHFC and Leggett & Platt Inc.

Information regarding entries can be found at www.asfd.com or contact Christine Evans at tel (910) 576-1273, info@asfd.com.

About the Pinnacle™ Design Achievement Award

The Pinnacle™ Design Achievement awards were created in April 1995 by the Board of Directors of ASFD to promote better design quality and encourage the recognition of furniture designers within the retail home furnishings industry. As such the awards are intended to celebrate designs that are produced in large numbers for sale to customers through retail stores.

HIGH POINT, NC
For Immediate Release - November 14, 2008
Christine Evans Returns as Executive Director of the American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD)

The American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD) announced today that Christine Evans is returning as Executive Director of ASFD following the resignation of Jane Matteson several weeks ago to pursue other industry opportunities.  Evans will resume her duties immediately.

Current ASFD President Jack Lewis and incoming President Steve Hodges said, “we are very grateful to Jane for the hard work and vision she brought to our organization and wish her the best in her industry endeavors.  We are very fortunate that Christine was in a position to step in at this critical time for ASFD.  The skills and experience she brings to the position should make for a seamless transition.”

For further information, contact Christine Evans at info@asfd.com or 910-576-1273.

Los Angeles, CA, December 1, 2008 -- Richard Frinier has been designing for the home furnishings industries for over 30 years and continues to make contributions with his unique designs through partnerships around the world. Equally important to Frinier and his wife and business partner, Catherine, is their desire to support students of design, as illustrated in their ongoing support of scholarship programs including the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), the American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD), and Women in the Home Industries Today (WITHIT).

In these challenging times of low and no-growth strategies, slowing retail sales and the industry generally adapting to the nation’s new economic reality, Richard and Catherine Frinier continue to support furniture industry organizations and other programs best known for their commitment and quest to create a better tomorrow for all. In kind, they recently announced a contribution of $10,000.00 to the internationally reknown City of Hope Research Center in California.

“It has always been important for us to focus on what can be done to make things better. We continue to do this in our work and it is a natural carry over to philanthropic causes. Our contribution to the City of Hope is to support research that will help find answers that will ultimately lead to improved treatments and cures in our lifetime and for the future,” says Catherine Frinier. “In appreciation of our business relationships, we also take care to make our donation in the names of our industry partners and affiliates to whom we are grateful for playing a part in our success story over the years, including: Century Furniture, Dedon, Sunbrella, and Currey & Company.  We also encourage others in the industry to continue to give to their unique charities and causes even in challenging times, because there remains a need to invest in the future."

About Richard Frinier 

American designer and graduate of California State University Long Beach holding a Master of Arts degree, Richard Frinier has been a respected and award-winning product designer in the home industries since 1977 with an emphasis on leisure furniture for the resort-at-home and ultraluxe resort living experience. As the former Chief Creative Officer of Brown Jordan for over 20 years, Frinier is recognized as “the spirit of the leisure industry” and for creating the sophisticated level of outdoor furnishings that removed boundaries in home design, while fueling and elevating the concept of the outdoor room. Since 2002, his own design consultancy has continued to serve an international clientele with licensed and co-branded collections, including indoor/outdoor furniture, accessories, lighting, and hundreds of textile designs.. (www.richardfrinier.com)

About City of Hope  -- 

City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, City of Hope's research and treatment protocols advance care throughout the nation. City of Hope is located in Duarte, Calif., just northeast of Los Angeles, and is ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S.News & World Report. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics. (www.cityofhope.org)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 2008

Contact:
Christine Evans, Executive Director
Tel. (910) 576 1273
Fax (910) 576 1573
Email:  info@asfd.com

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF FURNITURE DESIGNERS ISSUES CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR 2008 PINNACLE AWARDS

GREENSBORO, N.C. ‑ The American Society of Furniture Designers is accepting entries for its annual Pinnacle Design Achievement awards that will be presented at the October 2008 High Point Market. Deadline for entries is July 30.

The Pinnacle awards are open worldwide to any designer or manufacturer; and membership in ASFD is not a requirement for entry.

For the 2008 awards, eligible products must meet the following criteria:

• Generally available to the public in retail stores
• Currently in production
• Introduced since October 2006
• Exhibited at a major retail furniture market or be available in at least 20 retail stores in the United States.

The Pinnacles are given in the following 15 product categories:

• Accessories
• Bedroom
• Casual dining
• Formal dining
• Home entertainment centers
• Home office
• Juvenile furniture
• Leather upholstery
• Lighting
• Major collections
• Motion upholstery
• Occasional storage
• Occasional tables
• Stationary upholstery
• Summer/casual furniture

"I'm really looking forward to the Pinnacle Award process, said Executive Director Jane Matteson, who was named to her position earlier this year. "We are already getting requests for entry forms and feel there will great interest in the 2008 Pinnacle Awards."

The ASFD’s board of directors instituted the Pinnacle Awards in 1995 to promote better design quality and to encourage the recognition of furniture designers among home furnishing retailers. Consequently, the awards are for designs that are produced in large volume for sale to consumers through retail stores, rather than for limited or custom production sold through designers or design showrooms.

Information about the categories, eligibility criteria, entry requirements and the entry for are available online at www.asfdpinnacle.com/downloads or by calling (910) 576 1273 or fax (910) 576 1573.

For the third year, Furniture/Today is the major underwriter of the Pinnacle Awards and will team with ASFD in planning the gala celebration for finalists and winners on opening day of the October market in High Point.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jane Matteson, executive director
Phone (336) 617-3209
Cell (336) 312-7725
Fax (336) 274-9553
Email info@asfd.com
Web www.asfd.com

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF FURNITURE DESIGNERS
NAMES JUDGES FOR 2008 PINNACLE AWARDS

GREENSBORO, N.C., May 15, 2008 – A dozen industry experts have been selected to judge the 2008 Pinnacle Awards for design excellence, which will be presented by the American Society of Furniture Designers at a gala on opening night of the next High Point Market, Monday, Oct. 6.

Entries for the awards will be accepted through July 30; and judging will take place Aug. 5 in High Point. The 2008 judges are:

• Terry Allen – retired furniture veteran. Allen is well-known throughout the furniture industry for his artistry in fabric placement for upholstered furniture. Before retiring in 2007, he was responsible for merchandising at Pearson Co. for almost 30 years. He generously shares his knowledge through American Society of Interior Designers-accredited presentations for students and designers.

• Richard Bennington – professor of business and director of the home furnishings program at High Point University. Bennington coordinates the National Home Furnishings Assn. Management Development Institute and serves on the boards of the Furniture Discovery Center and the Bienenstock Furniture Library. He is a faculty and accreditation board member of the International Home Furnishings Representatives Assn. Certified Home Furnishings Representatives Program.

• Daren Koenig Cronin - manager of the Dianne Davant Academy of Design at Florida-based retailer City Furniture. Cronin created an affordable residential design firm within an already-successful furniture retailer. AOD clients spend an average of four times as much as non-AOD customers at City Furniture.

• Judith Z. Cushman-Hammer – an adjunct lecturer in the Interior Architecture Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Cushman-Hammer specializes in the history of furniture from King Tut to Phillipe Starke. A former Furniture/Today and Home Accents Today editor, Cushman-Hammer also has worked with design-driven home furnishings companies through her consulting firm J.Z. Cushman and Company.

• Gary Evans - a senior editor at trade newspaper Furniture/Today. Evans has been covering the home furnishings industry for nearly 20 years. His assignments have taken him to nine countries and he has served as a design award judge at the Cebu Furniture Show in the Philippines, and at this year’s International Furniture Fair Singapore/Asean Furniture Show.

• Ellen Gefen - home fashion industry spokesperson, hosting Industry Update’s Home Fashion Report at the High Point Market for more than 23 years. Gefen and her husband own Gefen Productions, a media production studio in the Triad region of North Carolina and are known for their work in the home furnishings industry including TV commercials for retailers and manufacturers.

• Jaclyn C. Hirschhaut – vice president of public relations and marketing for the American Home Furnishings Alliance. Hirschhaut directs AHFA’s consumer marketing program and serves as the liaison with media, government agencies and related industry groups. She won the “Golden Thinker Award” from the North American Press Syndicate in 2006.

• Sheila Long O'Mara - editor in chief of Home Furnishings Business magazine. O'Mara has been covering the furniture industry for 12 years for a variety of publications. She lives in Columbia, S.C.

• Max S. Shangle  - a teacher of furniture and industrial design at Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids, Mich. Shangle has served as chair of both the Furniture Design Department and the Division of Design Studies. He also has been managing director
• of the Grand Rapids Area Furniture Manufacturers Assn., and has been an expert witness and case consultant in product liability cases involving furniture products.

• Julie M. Smith – editor of Furniture Style magazine and supplements, Home Fashion Forecast and The Retail Experience. Smith attends home furnishings markets and trade shows in North America, Europe and Asia and has judged other furniture design competitions including CWB magazine's Design Portfolio Awards and the International Woodworking Fair's Design Emphasis Awards.

• Steve Walker – associated with the Furniture Manufacturing and Management Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Walker has more than 20 years of manufacturing management experience with a broad range of furniture companies, including The Hon Company, Ethan Allen Furniture and Thomasville Furniture Inds. 

• Rhonda Wolf – assistant vice president, merchandising, Havertys, Atlanta. Wolf joined Havertys in 1986 and has held management positions including store manager, assistant general manager, merchandise coordinator and regional merchandise manager before joining the corporate merchandising team in her present role in 2002.

Pinnacle Awards are given in 15 categories:

1. Major Collections
2. Stationary Upholstery
3. Motion Furniture
4. Leather Upholstery
5. Bedroom
6. Casual Dining
7. Formal Dining
8. Home Office
9. Juvenile Furniture and Correlates
10. Lighting
11. Accessories
12. Entertainment Centers/Home Theater
13. Occasional Tables
14. Occasional Storage
15. Summer/Casual Furniture

Criteria for judging include the extent to which the design represents value to the consumer at its suggested price point by combining visual appearance and function; the extent to which the design makes the best use of available materials and production technology; and the extent to which the design incorporates the needs of the retail furniture consumer.

Furniture/Today is the major underwriter of the 2008 Pinnacle Awards. Other sponsors include World Market Center, High Point Market, Furniture Style, Weyerhaeuser, Showplace, Appalachian Hardwoods, International Home Furnishings Center, Home Furnishings Business, Home Lighting and Accessories, Merchandise Mart Properties, Leggett & Platt, Elmo Leather, Hickory Springs, Furniture Design Studios Inc.

Entries should be sent to ASFD at 519 Cornwallis Dr., Greensboro, N.C., 29408, in time to arrive by July 30. Entry requirements can be viewed on the ASFD Web site at www.asfd.com or call (336) 617-3209.

###

For further information, Contact:
Jane Matteson
email:  info@asfd.com

(New London, NC)   The American Society of Furniture Designers announces the retirement of Executive Director, Christine Evans who has headed the organization since 1997.  Under her leadership, ASFD has experienced profound growth in membership and participation in the  annual ASFD Pinnacle Awards, the pre-eminent design awards for the Home Furnishings Industry.

Steve Hodges,  ASFD vice-president/president-elect and long time member states that

 “Christine Evans has been the literal heart and soul of ASFD in recent years and has made a great contribution in making the Society both more visible and viable in our industry.   She has been the public face of ASFD and helped us heighten awareness of furniture design within our industry and to the public at large”.

Evans has established ASFD as a primary vehicle for communication, excellence and recognition in the design world and has broadened its influence to include designers, manufacturers, educators and students, retailers and other industry leaders. 

             “The American Society of Furniture Designers is grateful to Christine Evans for the eleven years of unequaled contributions to our society.  She has been the organizational engine of all society programs, events and every day happenings. She deserves our admiration for orchestrating the past eleven Pinnacle Award competitions to its high level of acceptance by our industry and the design community”   

says Arto O. Szabó, ASFD, Treasurer.

In recapping her years in the role of Executive Director with ASFD, Christine says

          "ASFD is an organization that has grown and matured, now reaching a point of equal partnership with other organizations and major players in the furniture industry.  Obviously the creation of the Pinnacle Awards has given a major boost to the organization; and those ASFD leaders who had the imagination and experience to bring it to the level it is today deserve the credit for its current  success.  I have very much enjoyed and am proud of the part I have  played in this process and other ASFD initiatives. The utmost benefit of my position with ASFD has been the amazing  friends and talented people I have had the pleasure to meet and work with over the years, including both  members and a host of others in the industry.”

Jane Matteson, Industry Consultant will take on the role of  Executive Director effective January 15.  She has been active in the furniture industry for the past fifteen years working in design, merchandising, and marketing. Jane brings a strong creative  skill bank to ASFD as it goes into the future.

The new ASFD headquarters are located in Greensboro, N.C.  Matteson can be reached by email at info@asfd.com.

Christine Evans		Jane Matteson

There is a long standing mystery surrounding O.B.'s surname and what it stands for. Rumors have included, Old Badger, Old Boy, Off Broadway, Old Brigadier, Old Beloved, Old Beautiful and many others, but that mystery now becomes legend.

Special thanks to those who cared for him during his illness, including the St. Anne's staff and care giver, Mary Goodwin.

Survived by his wife, Lorraine of Rockford, daughter Susan (James) Patterson of Palm Beach, Fla., grandson, Jack, brother, Marshall (Gert) Solie of Cornell, Wis., nephew, John Solie, niece, Karen Gino) Lambo, sister-in-law, Romelle (Sam) Roth, brothers-in-law, Jim (Jean) Ormson and Gib (Karla) Ormson, and many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by parents and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Mildred and Milo Galvin.

Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 3300 Rural St., Rockford with Rev. Paul Wolff officiating. Entombment in Sunset Mausoleum. Visitation from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Tuesday in the church. Memorials may be sent to American Parkinson Disease Association, 135 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, NY 10305, or Our Savior's Lutheran Church. To share a memory or send a condolence, visit www.olsonfh.com.

Second Annual ASFD President’s Award – Call for Entries

HIGH POINT, North Carolina June 29, 2006 —The American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD) is proud to call for entries for the second annual ASFD 2006 President’s Award. The President's Award is intended to honor talented young furniture designers in conjunction with the Pinnacle Design Achievement Awards which this year will be presented on Monday evening, October 16 at the International Home Furnishings Ballroom in High Point, NC.

This career achievement award was created to honor the memories of the late David Kline, Roger Schneeman and Alan Friedman, all professional furniture designers and former ASFD presidents since 1997.

The ASFD President's Award is open to any staff or freelance furniture designer who will be 35 years of age or younger on October 16, 2006. Portfolios will be judged on designs manufactured for the North American retail home furnishings market.

Candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by an employer, co-worker or client. The criteria for judging will include signs of unusual creativity, exhibited ability to learn and grow; and how much the applicant has contributed already to the furniture industry. A subcommittee of the 2006 Pinnacle Awards Judges will select the President's Award recipient.

The President's Award Entry forms can be downloaded from www.asfdpinnacle.com; by email request info@asfd.com.

The purpose of the ASFD Pinnacle Design Achievement Awards is to generate and support innovative and quality design, while encouraging therecognition of furniture designers within the retail home furnishingsindustry. These discriminating awards honor designs that are produced in large numbers for sale to customers through retail stores.