by ROSEVILLE, Calif. — The Home Furnishings Assn., is honoring City Furniture and Room to Room Furniture as 2022 Retailers of the Year.
Also NFM Chairman Irv Blumkin is the winner of HFA’s Trailblazer award; Eric Beiter, general manager of Beiter’s Home Center in Williamsport, Pa., is the Emerging Star honoree; and Podium won Partner of the Year for outstanding value to HFA members.
The industry retailer association announced the winners at its annual membership meeting held virtually Tuesday. HFA said it will be working with the winners to plan celebrations in the coming months.
Tamarac, Fla.-based City, led by CEO Andrew Koenig won Retailer of the Year in the category of retailers with 50 or more employees. Tupelo, Miss.-based Room to Room, owned by Lisa Hawkins, won for retailers with fewer than 50 employees.
In a release HFA CEO Mark Schumacher said the top honors “were unbelievably competitive this year as we had more nominees than in recent memory. The numbers reflect just how much incredible work is being done by retailers even in the face of Covid-related challenges. Those receiving a 2022 award stood out in this deep pool of talent for their exemplary level of agility, innovation, and excellence.”
Retailer of the Year criteria include value to customers, recruitment and development of staff, company culture, achievements, social responsibility and innovation.
The Trailblazer award recognizes lifetime achievement in the retail furniture business based on factors such as contributions to the industry, philanthropy, mentoring, social responsibility and overcoming challenges.The Emerging Star award recognizes an outstanding professional who has been in the retail furniture business for less than five years. Beiter was chosen for his accomplishments in several categories, including overcoming challenges, company culture, achievements, social responsibility and innovation. And Partner of the Year criteria includes HFA member value, company culture, marketing, social responsibility, future initiatives and innovation.
