by LOS ANGELES — Three leaders from two of the industry’s top furniture manufacturers will be honored with the 2024 Spirit of Life Awards, announced the International Home Furnishings Industry group (IHFI) and City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States.
The honorees will be formally introduced at the Spirit of Life kick-off event during the upcoming High Point Market on from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, October 13 at the Flexsteel showroom, IHFC-Commerce, 6th floor.
IHFI and City of Hope continue their valuable partnership of hosting events and campaigns to accelerate cancer research discovery and broaden access to leading-edge care. The Spirit of Life Celebration is one of the industry’s flagship fundraisers. The annual awards dinner will be held during the 2024 April High Point Market in North Carolina on Sunday, April 14, 2024 and for this upcoming season recognizes these outstanding individuals from Flexsteel and Kuka Home.
+ Jerry Dittmer, president and chief executive officer at Flexsteel, has led the 130-year-old company through critical times with rapid changes to transform into a true omnichannel organization. Under his leadership, Flexsteel has become a top 10 US manufacturer and marketer of residential furniture under the Flexsteel and homestyle brands. His experience and demonstrated success in guiding organizational transformations and complex, customer-focused businesses have helped this iconic furniture company accelerate growth while contributing to a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable future for all. He is also a past City of Hope National Business
Products Industry Hall of Famer.
+ Tim Newlin, vice president, strategic business development at Flexsteel, is a 30-year veteran of the furniture industry with a 26-year tenure at Flexsteel serving in key roles. His vast knowledge of the organization and broad experience in retail, sales and product management shape his leadership and management efforts at Flexsteel to expand its business model, brands, products and channels into profitable and fast-growing areas of the market.
+ Matt Harrison, president of Kuka Home North America, has successfully navigated the company through some of the most challenging times in the industry in recent years, including tariffs and the pandemic. He’s played a pivotal role in expanding Kuka Home’s manufacturing plants into Vietnam and Mexico, further solidifying the company’s global presence and increasing production capacity, in addition to expanding product offerings and enhancing its e-commerce business to meet the evolving needs of North American customers and transforming the brand for future growth.
