DUDLEY FLANDERS AND BUZZ HOMSY have been named by the International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA) as the 2015 recipients of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Flanders founded Lloyd Flanders with his father, Don, in 1982, and Homsy is co-owner and founder of California Backyard (Sacramento, California), a five-store retail operation.

Flanders started working for Flanders Manufacturing (Fort Smith, Arkansas) immediately following his graduation from college, in 1974. The case-goods company was founded by his parents in 1954 and sold to Riverside Furniture in 1969. A year later, they founded Flanders Industries, after purchasing a company that manufactured metal outdoor and commercial furniture. I

n 1982, Flanders and his father acquired the Lloyd division of Heywood Wakefield Company, which produced wicker furniture on the unique Lloyd Loom, patented by Marshall B. Lloyd in 1917. They founded Lloyd Flanders, which would become one of the country’s leading producers of casual furniture. Flanders has served as president of the company since 1983 and as CEO since 1991.

Flanders served as chair of the Summer and Casual Furniture Manufacturers Association (SCFMA) from 2002 to 2004 and chaired the committee that helped oversee the organization’s transition to ICFA in 2008. He then served as ICFA’s first chair, from 2008 to 2010, and he remained on the board of directors through 2013. He also served on nearly every committee within the SCFMA and ICFA. In all, Flanders served on the SCFMA and ICFA boards for more than 10 years.

Outside the industry, Flanders is a dedicated volunteer, having served on the United Way board, the Cancer Support Foundation board, the Employers’ Health Coalition, the Boy Scouts of America Westark Area Council, and the board of trustees for Lyon College. He is also a founding board member for Arkansas Valley Habitat for Humanity, and under his leadership, 100 houses were built in his community.

Homsy operates four stores in Northern California and one in Nevada. The operation, which offers outdoor furniture, barbecues, hot tubs, and seasonal merchandise, began with a single store in Roseville, California, in 1989. Prior to California Backyard, Homsy operated Pool, Patio ‘n Things, a chain of eight stores (plus several franchises) throughout Northern California, Oregon, and Colorado.

In the early 1980s, Homsy was among the founding members of the Casual Furniture Retailers Association, which merged with the SCFMA as part of the transition to ICFA. He also created the Casual Classics Group, a retail buying group that now has members representing more than 150 stores. Homsy’s passion for collaboration and for sharing ideas to serve consumers better continues, today, through ICFA’s retail round tables. Flanders and Homsy will be honored during the ICFA awards gala at the Field Museum on September 18, during Casual Market Chicago.