by Company board of directors names Dennis Camp interim president, long-time President Caroline Hipple assumes temporary role as brand adviser and creative director
NORWALK, Ohio — Custom upholstery manufacturer Norwalk Furniture has announced key management changes at the company.
Dennis Camp, owner and vice president of consulting firm Payne Nickles & Co., has been named interim president while Caroline Hipple, who has been Norwalk’s president since 2016, will assume a temporary role as brand adviser and creative director to support the executive team and the company during this transition.
Camp was instrumental in helping raise the working capital that allowed Norwalk to begin its reinvention in 2008 after shutting down that same year.
For the eight years prior to being named as Norwalk’s president, Hipple’s successful brand consultancy firm, HB2, formed 17 years ago with partner Dixon Bartlett, was a key partner to Norwalk, providing strategic counsel, creative direction, product development and fabric curation.
Dan White, chairman of the board at Norwalk, expressed his gratitude for Hipple’s contributions, stating, “We are immensely thankful to Caroline. Her legacy will continue to inspire us.”
After helping Norwalk during this transition period, Hipple will be rejoining Bartlett and HB2 Resources.
Hipple said, “Leading the strategic reinvention of the Norwalk brand and its team has been the privilege of a career. In 2008, Dixon Bartlett and I were engaged to help the newly formed company with reinvention strategy, industry relations and merchandising plans.”
In 2016, Norwalk hired Hipple as president and under her leadership, she and her team burnished the brand, empowered the culture and broadened the design talent with partners like Chris Chapin with Company C and Kim Salmela.
During her tenure, Hipple also devised a multiple-channel strategy that has brought balance to the company and put it on a firm foundation.
“We also identified and achieved the necessary sales and profits to allow for multiple exit strategies for the shareholders, and while building a culture empowered by its employees has been incredibly rewarding, the ultimate reward has been to create an ESOP which both rewarded the generous investors for saving the company and the employees for creating success so we could do so,” Hipple added.
Hipple also noted that as Norwalk enters this phase of transition, “I am pleased to say that we are on a strong financial footing, with both record sales and earnings. While I am excited about the beautiful things we’ve planned, I look forward to rejoining Dixon in my role as partner in our consultancy, HB2 Resources, and to supporting the remarkable community of vendors, customers and teammates of Norwalk Furniture, whom I have come to cherish.”
The executive team at Norwalk Furniture includes Scot Kanaly, vice president of sales; Dixon Bartlett, chief creative officer; Sheila Buckingham, vice president of marketing; Troy Pittenger, vice president of finance; and Tim Hallock, vice president of manufacturing.
Camp said he is honored to step into the role of interim president at Norwalk Furniture.
“This is an exciting opportunity to work with a dynamic, skilled team and continue the company’s growth trajectory. I am committed to upholding the values and vision that have made Norwalk Furniture a leader in our industry,” he said.
