Casual industry board organizes at first meeting

Cinde W. Ingram -- Casual Living, 3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

The International Casual Furnishings Association’s board of directors held its first meeting last month in Las Vegas.

Joe Logan, executive director of ICFA’s precursor the Summer and Casual Furniture Manufacturers Association, expected the new board to move through an ambitious agenda during the meeting.

“We’ll have an extensive organizational discussion regarding bylaws, officers, committees and essentially how the new ICFA wants to do business, going forward,” Logan said before the meeting, held the day this issue went to press. “We’ll also be incorporating a strategic planning session to formalize and discuss our objectives, projects and goals for 2008 and beyond.”

The organization’s proposed mission is “creating the demand for and promoting the awareness of high quality casual furnishings worldwide.” Membership is open to all key partners within the casual furnishings industry.

While the SCFMA board consisted of 20 furniture manufacturers, the ICFA board includes 15 manufacturers and 10 retailers plus a manufacturing sales rep, mail order catalog and fabric supplier.

Telescope Casual Furniture President Henry Vanderminden IV, who is among the ICFA board members and brings experience as past president of SCFMA, noted the manufacturers’ group is part of the American Home Furnishings Alliance and has nearly 50 years of history.

Vanderminden described it as “an old association with new ideas that is proactive and changing. We have casual furnishing roots that go very deep and a history that is very rich.”

Other members of the first ICFA board of directors include: Ron Ball, Ball Casual Sales Inc., Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Bill Brown, Brown Jordan International, Birmingham, Ala.; Ken Burrows, Terra Furniture, City of Industry, Calif.; Dougan Clarke, The Ultimate Umbrella Company Inc., Miami; Steve Cohen, Season’s Leisure, Atherton, Calif.; Bill Echols, Tommy Bahama, Palm City, Fla.; Gary Ecoff, Carls Patio, Coconut Creek, Fla.; Dean Engelage, Woodard Inc., Chicago; Dudley Flanders, Lloyd/Flanders Inds., Fort Smith, Ark.; Petey Fleischut, Casual Marketplace, Hockessin, Del.; Karen Galindo, Greenhouse Mall, Austin, Texas; Mike Hartley, The Patio Shop, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Bill Logan, Logan Gardens, Atlanta.

Also, Oliver Ma, Treasure Garden, Baldwin Park, Calif.; Phil Mitchell, Park Place, Washington, D.C.; John Mulholland, RW Industries Ltd., Oakville, Ontario, Canada; Doug Peppler, Agio International USA, Rippon, Wisc.; Terri Lee Rogers, O.W. Lee Company, Ontario, Calif.; Russ Sorenson, Hanamint Corp., Greensboro, N.C.; Debbie Stegman, Patio & Hearth Shoppes Inc., Centerville, Ohio; Erin Sullivan, Frontgate, West Chester, Ohio; David Swers, Glen Raven Inc., Glen Raven, N.C.; Art Thompson, Laneventure, Conover, N.C.; Carl Vice, Casual Living and Patio Center, Lexington, Ky.; Butch Wallace, Yard Art Patio and Fireplace, Irving, Texas; Mark Williams, Williams All Seasons, Highland Park, Ill., and Debbie Young, Windham Castings, Plains, Ga.