WorkPlace Furnishings Members Celebrate 2007 Successes and Lay the Groundwork For Continued Growth at Annual Meeting CINCINNATI, OH—“Building a More Successful Dealership” was the theme adopted by the WorkPlace Furnishings dealer group for their 2008 Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, March 17-19 and WPF members found plenty of opportunities during the three-day event to do just that. As they’ve done repeatedly in recent years, WorkPlace Furnishings dealers once again outperformed the industry in general, posting a 10.7 percent sales increase in 2007, compared to the 4.4 percent gain reported by BIFMA for the industry overall, reported WPF Vice President of Marketing Victor Maffe. “WPF dealers are market leaders who have consistently demonstrated the ability to outperform their competition by successfully blending contract and non-contract products to win more business, increase margins and respond effectively to changing customer demands,” Maffe told WPF dealers and their supplier partners at the meeting. He encouraged WPF members to focus on becoming a resource for their customers as a way of building long-term business relationships rather than simply trying to generate a stream of stand-alone transactions and said WPF is working hard to bring new value to its members by adding supplier partners in key product segments and expanding the services and support it offers to strengthen dealer operations on several key levels. Highlights from this year’s meeting included: Introduction of new vendor partners Dar/Ran Furniture Industries and Berco Inc., and enhancements to WPF’s Transitions private label systems product. Expansion of the group’s architectural products offering, with the addition of custom millwork manufacturer Neocase and WFA Flooring Products, a provider of value-priced raised flooring solutions. Expansion of the WorkPlace Furnishings portfolio of dealer-specific consultants and service providers to provide new support on business succession planning and productivity and profitability enhancement. “This was a fabulous meeting for me,” commented first-time attendee Greg Pohlmann of Memphis Business Interiors. “The various presentations and dealer workshops were outstanding and the one-on-one sessions with the WPF manufacturers provided an exceptional opportunity to learn more about their programs and identify new growth opportunities for our dealership.” While this year’s meeting offered plenty to celebrate, it also had a distinctly bittersweet dimension, as the organization commemorated the untimely death last year of its President and CEO Dennis J. Insogna. To honor his many contributions to the organization, WPF presented a new award, The Dennis J. Insogna Dealer of the Year Award, at the meeting. This first-time award went to The Phillips Group, Middletown, PA, to recognize their outstanding support of the organization over the past year. The group also honored Insogna by awarding him posthumously its highest individual honor, the Nathan M. Loth Award. Also recognized at the meeting as Supplier of the Year was Global – The Total Office, Marlton, NJ. “WPF dealers have enjoyed multiple years of continued growth with Global products and the support they provide in the field has been truly outstanding,” commented Maffe. “We are honored to have been recognized as WorkPlace Furnishings 2007 Supplier of the Year,” said Alan Breslow, Executive Vice President, Sales - GLOBAL USA. “It is a tribute to the close relationship we have forged with the dealer members that comprise this exceptional organization. On behalf of the entire Global Group, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the WPF staff and members for recognizing our mutual accomplishments.”
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