American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation - Furniture History & Heroes

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Sunday, October 17, 2010
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Joe Carroll

In the highly competitive field of trade magazine publishing, Joe Carroll (b 1939) has distinguished himself as a respected furniture leader, highly recognized for his contributions to the industry both here and abroad. As publisher, Mr. Carroll has led Furniture/Today to become the furniture and mattress industry’s leading news publication and definitive source of industry statistics. He also has developed several sister publications, helped organize a global home furnishings publications group, written four books, won prestigious awards, and provided valuable service to the industry and community.

After graduating from the University of Virginia and then earning a master’s degree from Princeton and studying for a year at the Sorbonne in Paris, Mr. Carroll taught at several universities. He joined advertising agency J.P. Hogan in 1969, where he rose to vice president. Mr. Carroll joined Furniture/Today in 1977 and was named publisher in 1985. He was instrumental in developing sister publications, Kids Today and Home Accents Today, as well as a daily e-mail news service. Under his leadership, Furniture/Today and its related publications have expanded the industry’s information base and enhanced industry communications. He also helped organize and chaired the International Alliance of Furnishings Publications, which exchanges valuable industry information.

Mr. Carroll has a remarkable grasp of how the industry works and has shared his knowledge through speeches, television appearances, a newspaper column for the Greensboro News & Record, and four successful tabletop books on home furnishings design. Furniture manufacturers, retailers and importers seek his advice and respect his input and judgment. In 1997, the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association named him the Pillar of the Industry, and in 2006, he was honored with the City of Hope Spirit of Life award.

Mr. Carroll has served as president of the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation and its Legacy Board, and as chairman of the High Point University Home Furnishings Advisory Board. He is chairman elect of the High Point Museum and president of the Piedmont Triad Council for International Visitors. He has served on the boards of the High Point Chamber of Commerce and the String and Splinter Club and is part of the Greensboro “100 Club” of progressive leaders. He also is active in Furnitureland Rotary Club and as a fund raiser for the Newcomer’s School, which helps support foreign children in the Greensboro area.

M. Farooq Kathwari

Farooq Kathwari (b 1944) has been the driving force behind Ethan Allen, a leading manufacturer and retailer of high quality home furnishings and interior design services. As president, chairman and CEO, his distinguished leadership is further demonstrated through his service to the industry, the community and the world.

Mr. Kathwari came to the U.S. from his native Kashmir as a student at age 21. He worked at a printing company while earning his MBA in international marketing from New York University. On the side, he sold hand-crafted decorative accessories from Kashmir. In 1973, Mr. Kathwari and Ethan Allen formed a joint venture company to develop home accessories. The company merged with Ethan Allen in 1980. Mr. Kathwari became president in 1985 and chairman and CEO in 1988. In 1989, he led a management buyout of Ethan Allen and took the company public in 1993.

Under his leadership, Ethan Allen has become a trend-setting, award-winning leader in home furnishings and interior design offering a full-range of furniture and decorative accessories through a network of 290 design centers in the U.S. and abroad. Of those, 159 are company-owned. Ethan Allen operates eight manufacturing facilities, including two sawmills, in the U.S. and one in Mexico. In 2008, Ethan Allen opened its flagship Design Center in Manhattan, and in 2009, launched Ethan Allen Contract.

Throughout his career, Mr. Kathwari has diligently served the home furnishings industry, as well as many humanitarian causes. He is the former chairman of the National Retail Federation and the American Home Furnishings Alliance. He is chairman of Refugees International, as well as chairman and founder of the Kashmir Study Group, which promotes a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, director of the International Rescue Committee, and serves in numerous other humanitarian and university leadership capacities. Among his many honors are the “Outstanding American by Choice Award” from the United States Government, the EPIIC Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal. He received Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the National Retail Federation’s Gold Medal Award, and was named one of Worth magazine’s “Best CEOs in the United States.” Mr. Kathwari also holds two honorary doctorate degrees.

Steven M. Kincaid

Over the course of 40 years, Steve Kincaid has built a successful career and excellent reputation in the furniture industry based on integrity, leadership and innovation. As president of Kincaid Furniture Company and La-Z-Boy Casegoods, he has steered both companies to the forefront of the global economy. His business success is matched by his dedicated service to both the industry and the community.

Mr. Kincaid began his career in 1970 as a sales representative for Kincaid Furniture, the company founded by his father in 1946. He advanced through the ranks to the position of president in 1983, the same year Kincaid went public. Building on his father’s success, Mr. Kincaid brought a strong vision for marketing the brand and growing market share, and today Kincaid is a leading manufacturer of solid wood furniture. In 1987, La-Z-Boy purchased Kincaid, and in 2003, Mr. Kincaid was named senior vice president of La-Z-Boy Inc. and president of La-Z-Boy Casegoods, which includes Lea Youth Furniture, Hammary, and American Drew. Kincaid was one of the first companies to partner with a national organization when it introduced the Ducks Unlimited Collection in the mid 90s. Manufacturing both at home and abroad, Mr. Kincaid has led the companies through a pivotal juncture in the industry without losing touch with his roots. He often walks through the Kincaid factory, calling employees by name and recalling events in their lives.

Mr. Kincaid, who leads by example, brings an abiding commitment to serving the home furnishings industry. He is past president and current board member of the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA), and was honored with the AHFA Distinguished Service Award. He is past president and current board member of the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation and past chairman and current board member of the High Point Market Authority. Mr. Kincaid also serves on the boards of the American Furniture Foundation, the International Woodworking Fair and the International Home Furnishings Center Advisory Board.

His devotion to service extends to the community, as well. He has served on the boards of the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, Caldwell Memorial Hospital, the Caldwell Memorial Hospital Foundation, Smart Start/Communities in Schools and Wachovia Bank in Lenoir. He also served in the N.C. National Guard. He is a recipient of the prestigious City of Hope Spirit of Life Award, as well as the Central Carolina Bank “Golden Apple Award.”

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The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., is an international, industry-wide organization founded to research, collect and preserve our cultural, economic and artistic history, as well as to honor those individuals whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the continued growth and development of the U.S. furniture industry.

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American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. | 202 Neal Place | High Point, North Carolina 27262 | 336.882.5900 | info@furniturehalloffame.com