In order to better serve its stockholders with specialized merchandising expertise, Furniture First has recently welcomed three staff members, resulting in a team of seventeen.
Brian Hass, Director of Merchandising
Brian Hass brings more than 20 years of experience in the furnishings industry. He began as store manager for Just Cabinets, a four-store furniture and kitchen cabinet retailer in Pennsylvania. As the business grew he was promoted to Buyer, and ultimately became Vice President. In this role, Brian helped the chain to grow to 21 storefronts, overseeing broad aspects of the business including merchandising, product sourcing, advertising, and logistics management. During his tenure he helped this case goods retailer grow its merchandise mix by adding categories including mattresses, upholstery, electronics, and appliances.
Jamie Broussard, Director of Accents and Accessories
Jamie Broussard has over 20 years of experience in the home furnishings and decorative accessory industry. She has led sales, marketing, product development and sourcing efforts throughout the US, Asia, and Europe. Her career began on the retail sales floor and transitioned into buying, management, and product development. Jamie brings expertise at translating trends into product strategies and formulating innovative merchandising solutions for retailers. Jamie previously served in key executive positions for Dezine Ltd., Fenton Art Glass, Bridges Limited, and Evergreen Enterprises.
Liz McGoldrick, Director of Upholstery and Motion
Liz McGoldrick was selected to fill the newly-created position of Director of Upholstery and Motion. She brings 27 years of experience in upholstery and leather, along with product knowledge training, merchandising expertise, and a strong sales and marketing background. As an industry liaison, she has worked to create solid business partnerships with vendors and retailers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. Her vendor associations include sales and marketing relationships with Brookwood Upholstery, Leather Trend/Leather Mart, Wambold Furniture, and A.R.T. Furniture.
These additions will allow the current merchandising staff, Senior Director of Merchandising & Membership Ron Page and Director of Mattresses Andrew Kauffman, to focus in more depth on new membership and core merchandise categories – case goods and mattresses respectively.
Furniture First is a 20-year-old national “Home Furnishings and Mattress” only buying group serving the over $2 million full line independent retailer, representing $1.6 billion in retail sales. For more information on Furniture First, please call Bill Hartman at 800-411-3477, ext. 123 or email BHartman@FurnitureFirst.com.