Weathervane Hill Partner Stevens To Depart After Three Years
July 20, 2000
South Norwalk, Conn. - Meri Stevens said she has amicably ended her three-year tenure with Weathervane Hill, as president and partner with Tom Roth. Meri will leave in September ''with no plans to retire.''
''We were successful in building a niche company that is on very solid footing. We have reliable suppliers and a loyal customer base in an economic environment that has been perfect for a small boutique textile company'' said Stevens. ''I thought with a good strategic plan we could build this business many times its original size in five years. I was wrong: we were able to achieve the results in three years. It seems a good time to move on,'' she said.
The former president and creative director of Waverly Fabrics, where she worked for 16 years is now considering several possibilities within the home furnishings industry. ''I will definitely do something else. It's true that I enjoyed being in Connecticut close to the office and being able to spend more time at our house in Montana, but I still love the design business. I think my strengths are as an 'architect' in the business sense, and not a 'maintenance engineer.' It will be up to my partners to decide what's next for the company that has experienced record growth and visibility in the marketplace.''
Tom Roth and partners, Reuben Lentz and John Tompkins will continue to run the business from their South Norwalk, Conn., offices. Lentz, vice president of Sales for Weathervane Hill joined Stevens in the business after 23 years at Waverly as VP Sales. ''It will seem strange not working with Reuben after twenty years doing our 'dog and pony show,''' said Stevens.
Stevens wants to work on her terms at this point in her career. She'll be back home in Connecticut after August in Montana, finish up at the South Norwalk office and then hopes to make the decision of what she'll do next. ''I won't be taking a 9 to 5 job. The time is still ripe for the small entrepreneurial effort. I'll develop the plan and then make it happen again.''
''We were successful in building a niche company that is on very solid footing. We have reliable suppliers and a loyal customer base in an economic environment that has been perfect for a small boutique textile company'' said Stevens. ''I thought with a good strategic plan we could build this business many times its original size in five years. I was wrong: we were able to achieve the results in three years. It seems a good time to move on,'' she said.
The former president and creative director of Waverly Fabrics, where she worked for 16 years is now considering several possibilities within the home furnishings industry. ''I will definitely do something else. It's true that I enjoyed being in Connecticut close to the office and being able to spend more time at our house in Montana, but I still love the design business. I think my strengths are as an 'architect' in the business sense, and not a 'maintenance engineer.' It will be up to my partners to decide what's next for the company that has experienced record growth and visibility in the marketplace.''
Tom Roth and partners, Reuben Lentz and John Tompkins will continue to run the business from their South Norwalk, Conn., offices. Lentz, vice president of Sales for Weathervane Hill joined Stevens in the business after 23 years at Waverly as VP Sales. ''It will seem strange not working with Reuben after twenty years doing our 'dog and pony show,''' said Stevens.
Stevens wants to work on her terms at this point in her career. She'll be back home in Connecticut after August in Montana, finish up at the South Norwalk office and then hopes to make the decision of what she'll do next. ''I won't be taking a 9 to 5 job. The time is still ripe for the small entrepreneurial effort. I'll develop the plan and then make it happen again.''