Bernard D. Moray

Gorman’s Home Furnishings & Interior Design Chairman Bernard “Bernie” Moray, who calls himself a modernist with a love for contemporary furniture, recognized the potential future of high-end contemporary design long before it became mainstream.

Mr. Moray began his career at Robinson’s Furniture in his native Detroit in 1949 after serving in the Air Force Reserves. When he purchased Gorman’s in 1965, he set out to create not just one of the best contemporary furniture stores in the Detroit area, but in the nation. Considered one of the most impactful fashion retailers with a keen eye for fashion, he is intent upon making his stores a destination offering truly unique home furnishings.

His mantras are that there is only one policy at Gorman’s and that is to “make it right” and that the fiber of the entire organization must be based on quality – in product, service, people and execution. A style leader offering full interior design services, Mr. Moray and his team are aggressive marketers, introducing campaigns to encourage consumers to compare the best 100 Brands™ and INTRO™ for first-time buyers seeking outstanding design at affordable prices. Gorman’s was among the first single line furniture stores to open three Drexel-Heritage Home Inspiration stores.

Mr. Moray has served as president of the National Home Furnishings Association, as an executive committee member of the Interior Design Society, and as chairman of the Allied Jewish Campaign’s furniture division. He was awarded NHFA Retailer of the Year in 1993 and was honored as a Furniture Today Master of the Game in 2013. Gorman’s has been named one of the 100 Best Workplaces in Michigan. Mr. Moray serves on the Visitors Board of Wayne State University Business School. Through Gorman’s, he has raised millions of dollars for such groups as Children’s Hospital of Michigan, American Cancer Society, Arc of Oakland County and Kent County, and Toys for Tots.

Donald H. Flanders Sr.

Donald H. Flanders, cofounder and former chairman of Lloyd Flanders Ind., transformed outdoor furniture in 1985 when he introduced consumers to weather-resistant furniture that looked like traditional natural wicker. He acquired a Lloyd Loom factory, which weaves natural fiber made of twisted cellulose (paper) reinforced with aluminum stakes, and added a weatherproof coating, thus launching a new category that would become a backbone of the casual outdoor furnishings industry.

After serving in World War II in the U.S. Navy, he and his wife, Phala, founded Flanders Manufacturing Co. in 1954 with just two employees. When the company was sold in 1969 to Riverside Furniture Corp., its more than 350 employees made it one of the largest case goods firms in the Southwest. Mr. Flanders turned to outdoor when he founded Flanders Industries, acquired the assets of the Lloyd division of Heywood Wakefield Co. in 1982 and founded Lloyd/Flanders.

Mr. Flanders was a people person, who believed it was important to be a leader of the industry, not just to participate in it. He served as president of the Southwestern Furniture Manufacturers Association (SWFMA), was chairman of the board of governors of the Dallas Market Center, and a longtime director and officer of the Summer and Casual Furniture Manufacturers Association (SCFMA), now the International Casual Furnishings Association.

Mr. Flanders was the first person to receive the SCFMA Lifetime Achievement Award among many honors. His dedication to the Boy Scouts of America started when he was a Cub Scout, earning his Eagle in 1941, and becoming the first in Arkansas to receive the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout awards. A champion of education, he served on the boards of many institutions, including the United Way, First United Methodist Church, Sparks Health System, and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, where the Don and Phala Flanders Business Center was dedicated in 1993.

Samuel Kuo

Shan Huei “Samuel” Kuo, is cofounder and chairman of the Dongguan, China-based Samson Holding Ltd., a global leader in furniture manufacturing founded in 1995 with his wife, Yi-Mei “Grace” Liu. With more than 10,000 employees worldwide, its more than six million square feet of production and warehouse facilities are located in China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the United States. Today the diversified brand portfolio includes Robb & Stuckey, Universal Furniture, Smartstuff™ by Universal Furniture, Paula Deen Home, Legacy Classic Furniture, Rachel Ray Home, Legacy Classic Kids, Inspirations by Wendy Bellissimo, Craftmaster Furniture, Baker, Milling Road, McGuire, Lacquer Craft Hospitality, Willis & Gambier (UK), Universal Furniture China and AtHome. In addition, the company manufactures OEM products for companies globally.

Mr. Kuo earned a degree in Economics Development from Tamkang University and served two years in the Taiwanese military. He joined his father’s pool cue manufacturing facility in Taichung, Taiwan and began producing dining and occasional furniture under the name Lacquer Craft, now a vertically integrated manufacturing resource for residential and commercial furniture. He opened the first manufacturing facility in mainland China in 1992, encouraging his suppliers to set up operations in China. Mr. Kuo pioneered the consolidated mixed container concept, which enabled small and medium U.S. retailers to import furniture directly from Asia. The company’s automated storage and retrieval (ASRS) warehouse, with a capacity for 4,000 containers, set the gold standard for the industry as the largest fully automated warehouse facility in the world.

Mr. Kuo was instrumental in forming the Taiwan Businessmen’s Association Dongguan, which focuses on education, career development and networking. He also served as chairman of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises. Under his leadership, Samson Holding has contributed time, talents and resources to the Home Furnishings Division of City of Hope, the American Home Furnishings Alliance and the Home Furnishings Division of the Anti-Defamation League, as well as many local charities and causes.

Vladimir Kagan

Vladimir Kagan brought an organic aesthetic to modern furniture design with sensuous curves and sculptural details that ushered in a new look in American upholstery, case goods, occasional pieces and lighting. He started designing furniture in 1946 and by the early ’50s his innovative, curvilinear pieces were considered Modern icons. The New York Times described him as “the creative grandfather of a whole new generation of designers.” Among his quintessential pieces are the Serpentine Sofa (1949), the Barrel Chair (1947) and the Floating Sofa (1952).

Born in Worms on the Rhine, Germany in 1927, Mr. Kagan came to the United States in 1938. After studying architecture at Columbia University, he joined his father, a master cabinetmaker, and opened his own shop in 1948, designing for luminaries in the worlds of art, entertainment and industry. Prolifically creative and ever positive, Mr. Kagan briefly retired in 1988, but by 1990, he began licensing his designs. In 1998, he reintroduced his classic designs at ICFF and reinvented his career. The Vladimir Kagan Design Group, sold through HOLLY HUNT, continues to produce his Classic Collection. On the day he died, at age 88, he was in Palm Beach to attend the unveiling of a new chair design.

Mr. Kagan received the American Society of Furniture Designers Lifetime Achievement Award and was a member of the Interior Designer Hall of Fame. In New York, he was chairman of the Advisory Commission of the School of Art and Design and was active in the Architectural League. A faculty member of New York’s Parsons School of Design, he lectured extensively; helped launch the World Market Center’s Design Icon lecture series; authored his autobiography, The Complete Kagan; and in recent years, wrote a blog.

Mr. Kagan’s furniture is found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Vitra Design Museum, among many others.