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Bernhardt Announces Corporate Reorganization
(June 15, 2009 - LENOIR, NC) Announcement was made recently of a corporate reorganization and several executive promotions at Bernhardt Furniture Company. G. Alex Bernhardt, Sr. said that company operations would be overseen by a three-member Chairman’s Committee of the Board, comprised of himself as Chairman/CEO, Lewis Norman as Vice Chairman, and Anne Bernhardt as Vice Chairman. He also announced several promotions.
J. Rountree Collett Jr. will become President of Bernhardt Ventures, a new entity to oversee the Bernhardt Design contract division as well as the new Bernhardt Hospitality division. He will also take responsibilities for all corporate administrative functions including finance, human resources, the corporate Secretary, corporate and family real estate and other investments, and he will evaluate and pursue new business opportunities. Collett will report to the CEO.
G. Alex Bernhardt Jr. will become President of the Bernhardt Residential division. Reporting to him will be William B. Collett as Executive Vice President, General Manager, Bernhardt Casegoods and Frank Cooper as Executive Vice President, General Manager, Bernhardt Upholstery. Collett and Cooper will assume all duties for product development, sales, marketing and manufacturing\sourcing in their respective areas, and Collett will also continue to oversee the Martha Stewart program.
Jerry G. Helling will become President of Bernhardt Design, the company’s contract division, with overall responsibility for product development, sales, marketing and manufacturing\sourcing for all contract products. He will report to Rountree Collett.
Bernhardt added “Lewis, Anne, and I have collectively over 100 years of service here, and while we plan to stay involved with the business, we believe now is the proper time to step back a bit and to recognize the achievements and talents of these fine younger executives, doing all we can to support and help them to continue their successes.”
Bernhardt Furniture Company, headquartered in Lenoir, N.C., was founded in 1889, and is still privately owned by the founding family. The company employs approximately 1,000 associates at its seven facilities in North Carolina and its five Asian offices. It offers fine furniture for the residential, contract and hospitality industries.