Two things compelled Randy Wells, an industry veteran with an extensive furniture background, to accept the job of president of Park Hill in June: its reputation as a well-run family business that put its customers first, and the opportunity to expand the brand in new directions.
Plus, there is what Wells considers Park Hill’s signature strength: its ability to portray a design aesthetic so well that customers can go to market, immediately understand a story and work with a salesperson to apply that aesthetic to their store in a way that’s right for their customers.
“We are extremely good at that,” said Wells, who sat down with Home Accents Today during the recent Atlanta Market to talk about his new role at the home décor company, which was acquired by The Gerson Company in February.
Wells started his career in home furnishings at Bassett Furniture in the mid 90’s. He later worked at Century Furniture in its outdoor division; led product and creative design for Stanley Furniture; ran Valtekz, a synthetic leather company; served as vice president of Las Vegas Design Center; and most recently served as senior vice president and creative director at Casa Ispirata, a brand of Italian-designed furniture scaled for American Homes that he helped build and introduce to a U.S. audience.
“When we launched our search for a new president after our recent acquisition of Park Hill, we aligned that we were looking for an individual who had a proven track record in brand strategy, product development and sales,” said Gerson VP Jacob Gerson at the time of Wells’ appointment. “Randy checks all of those boxes and we can’t wait to see this new chapter of Park Hill’s future unfold under his leadership.”
Wells said he was impressed with what he called Park Hill’s “extraordinary heritage of Americana,” on which its farmhouse aesthetic is built. “But the team and their competencies run much deeper than that,” said Wells. He envisions the brand harnessing that in-house talent to stretch in new style directions.
The company’s three biggest product categories in terms of volume are furniture; home décor and accessories by the container; and holiday décor, a category that is new to Wells.
Wells relocated from his home in Florida to Little Rock, Ark., for what he called the “unbelievable people” and strong values at Park Hill and at parent company Gerson.
Park Hill is known for being customer-first, according to Wells. “That’s a hard thing to teach. Our company already has that.”
Naturally those customers have questions, Wells said, about Park Hill’s new ownership and its new president. When asked what he has been hearing from retail customers, Wells replied, “They want to see us take a leadership position in design — for that next big thing that would be unique to their area. I think they want to see us put an emphasis on home furnishings —namely, furniture. Our customers have an affinity for Park Hill and want to know how the new company [ownership] will impact business, and how to continue growth in a slowing economy.
“They want to see us focus on service — we have a strong reputation for taking care of our customers — so the service part is a big deal.”
Facing what many experts believe will be a slower economy in the near future, Wells had a simple response for long-term success: “We can’t control the economy, so that doesn’t keep me up at night. It’s a matter of being a good manager.”
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Source: homeaccentstoday.com