Gold Further Builds Brands for The Robert Allen Group
August 29, 2005
NEW YORK, New York — Glenn Gold, The Robert Allen Group's marketing executive with extensive packaged goods experience, is pushing the Group to be a more aggressive builder of its brands.
As senior vice president of marketing, Gold's charter is to further endear the well-known brands of Beacon Hill, Robert Allen, Robert Allen @ Home, and Robert Allen Contract as well as the converter division Ametex, to furniture manufacturers and home textile producers.
To help with the effort, Gold has hired Jolie Cross. Cross of Freeman public relations will be based in Robert Allen's New York headquarters.
"We want to increase the public relations level for the company so that it is equal to our market presence," he said.
At the helm together for just three years now, owners Jeff Cordover, president and COO, and his father Ron who focuses on strategic direction, have given their top sales and marketing executives reign to build the brands.
Beacon Hill is the company's strong high-end residential brand. Robert Allen covers piece goods to furniture manufacturers and cut orders to interior designers. Robert Allen Contract, with sales to hospitality and increasingly to the residential market, "is doing well and will pick up further as the U.S. economy grows," Gold said.
In addition to a broad range of fabrics, the Robert Allen Group also sells furniture under the Robert Allen and Beacon Hill brands with some pieces designed exclusively for it by manufacturers such as E.J. Victor, Avery Boardman and Swaim.
Both Paul Sarazin, senior vice president of sales, and Gold, senior vice president of marketing, have consumer brand experience. Sarazin came from Samsonite, the luggage manufacturer, while Gold has 20 years behind him with companies like Colgate and Shiseido Cosmetics. "What I found intriguing about this company is that it had terrific brands; the business is doing well and now we want to expand it on a global basis with aggressive plans to grow our domestic business," said Gold.
Gold confirmed that Robert Allen is strongly entrenched in Europe, the Middle East and Australia, but said he seeks new opportunities and increased market share in those places.
President Jeff Cordover, who handles all day-to-day operations of the giant fabric wholesaler, observed that although China today is important as a source, it will be more important as a consumer of Robert Allen fabrics in the future.
To maintain customer loyalty, Gold stressed that The Robert Allen Group continually upgrades its personnel roster to get the best people available. "The environment here is better and more supportive than anywhere else I have ever worked," he stated, adding that Robert Allen is different because "we are more service and customer-oriented than any other supplier in the contract business today."
Other key Robert Allen players include Andy Pacuk, senior vice president of product development, and Arthur Friedman, vice president of commercial and national account sales, who joined the firm about one year ago with previous experience at Waverly and Covington. Under Pacuk, a complete new design team has been built which suppliers say is leading to more fabric sales for Robert Allen, a positive step for the supplier.
In other improvements, The Robert Allen Group is consolidating its Customer Service, Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology departments from two outdated buildings in Mansfield, Massachusetts, into one purpose-built facility in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The balance of customer service is now in Gaffney, South Carolina at the company's warehouse. The Robert Allen Group also moved its design department from Mansfield to New York under Pacuk's watch, "closer to the center of the design world," Gold pointed out. With the recent physical moves, Robert Allen is now based in New York.
"This business is all about what the customer wants," said Gold. "The tagline of The Robert Allen Group, 'A Beautiful Experience,' reflects our commitment to assuring that our customers (as well as our suppliers and employees) feel that all facets of The Robert Allen Group, from the quality of our product to customer care, exceed expectations. We are fortunate to have strong brands with a loyal following. My primary interest lies in driving our brands forward."
As senior vice president of marketing, Gold's charter is to further endear the well-known brands of Beacon Hill, Robert Allen, Robert Allen @ Home, and Robert Allen Contract as well as the converter division Ametex, to furniture manufacturers and home textile producers.
To help with the effort, Gold has hired Jolie Cross. Cross of Freeman public relations will be based in Robert Allen's New York headquarters.
"We want to increase the public relations level for the company so that it is equal to our market presence," he said.
At the helm together for just three years now, owners Jeff Cordover, president and COO, and his father Ron who focuses on strategic direction, have given their top sales and marketing executives reign to build the brands.
Beacon Hill is the company's strong high-end residential brand. Robert Allen covers piece goods to furniture manufacturers and cut orders to interior designers. Robert Allen Contract, with sales to hospitality and increasingly to the residential market, "is doing well and will pick up further as the U.S. economy grows," Gold said.
In addition to a broad range of fabrics, the Robert Allen Group also sells furniture under the Robert Allen and Beacon Hill brands with some pieces designed exclusively for it by manufacturers such as E.J. Victor, Avery Boardman and Swaim.
Both Paul Sarazin, senior vice president of sales, and Gold, senior vice president of marketing, have consumer brand experience. Sarazin came from Samsonite, the luggage manufacturer, while Gold has 20 years behind him with companies like Colgate and Shiseido Cosmetics. "What I found intriguing about this company is that it had terrific brands; the business is doing well and now we want to expand it on a global basis with aggressive plans to grow our domestic business," said Gold.
Gold confirmed that Robert Allen is strongly entrenched in Europe, the Middle East and Australia, but said he seeks new opportunities and increased market share in those places.
President Jeff Cordover, who handles all day-to-day operations of the giant fabric wholesaler, observed that although China today is important as a source, it will be more important as a consumer of Robert Allen fabrics in the future.
To maintain customer loyalty, Gold stressed that The Robert Allen Group continually upgrades its personnel roster to get the best people available. "The environment here is better and more supportive than anywhere else I have ever worked," he stated, adding that Robert Allen is different because "we are more service and customer-oriented than any other supplier in the contract business today."
Other key Robert Allen players include Andy Pacuk, senior vice president of product development, and Arthur Friedman, vice president of commercial and national account sales, who joined the firm about one year ago with previous experience at Waverly and Covington. Under Pacuk, a complete new design team has been built which suppliers say is leading to more fabric sales for Robert Allen, a positive step for the supplier.
In other improvements, The Robert Allen Group is consolidating its Customer Service, Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology departments from two outdated buildings in Mansfield, Massachusetts, into one purpose-built facility in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The balance of customer service is now in Gaffney, South Carolina at the company's warehouse. The Robert Allen Group also moved its design department from Mansfield to New York under Pacuk's watch, "closer to the center of the design world," Gold pointed out. With the recent physical moves, Robert Allen is now based in New York.
"This business is all about what the customer wants," said Gold. "The tagline of The Robert Allen Group, 'A Beautiful Experience,' reflects our commitment to assuring that our customers (as well as our suppliers and employees) feel that all facets of The Robert Allen Group, from the quality of our product to customer care, exceed expectations. We are fortunate to have strong brands with a loyal following. My primary interest lies in driving our brands forward."
