HIGH POINT, NC - The International Casual Furnishings Association has begun work on its first educational forum, slated for February 14-16, 2017, at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“ICFA’s 2017 conference ‘Navigating the Future’ will combine giving our members educational content that they can put to work immediately in their businesses and providing networking opportunities across our industry,” said Gary McCray, president of Klaussner Outdoor and 2016 chairman of ICFA. “In keeping with our focus on participation, the event is being planned by our conference committee of retailers, sales representatives, manufacturers and suppliers with an eye towards actionable…

SIMPSONVILLE, KY - With its large portfolio of successful luxury outdoor furniture brands, Brown Jordan International has created a new organizational structure for its two largest brands. Since 1945 and 1954, respectively, the Brown Jordan and Tropitone brands have a heritage of delivering quality products to the discriminating outdoor consumer.

Effective immediately, and to unite the operations behind the brands, Brown Jordan International has promoted John Mattson to group vice president of Contract Sales, and Frank Verna as group vice president of Retail Sales and Marketing. “Brown Jordan and Tropitone are two great complementary brands that cover a broad…

TRIVANTAGE®, THE ONE-STOP SOURCE FOR FABRICATORS in the marine, awning, and furniture industries, has added the durable and versatile shade-sail fabric, Sunbrella® Contour, to its product offering, giving fabricators another option for creating beautiful and functional shade designs. The knit-textured fabric can also be used for canopies, windscreens, casual furniture, and marine applications.

Steve Daegling, industrial-products manager for Trivantage, says, “Striking a balance between style and performance is key for any fabricator. Sunbrella Contour bolsters our already-diverse selection of shade and marine fabrics and hardware, supporting our mission of making ordering quick and simple.”

Sunbrella Contour fits a…

STEVE MANGANO WAS APPOINTED THE new sales representative for the Northeast marketing area (Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Pennsylvania) for Modern Home Products (MHP) and ProFire Grills. Mangano has been involved in the gasgrill, hearth, and patio-furniture industries since the mid-1980s.

He began at Fortunoff, a leading retailer in the grill/patio-furniture arena at the time, where he expanded the sales of gas grills each season. In the early 1990s, he began a relationship with MHP as a co-representative with Darche & Associates. For the past 10 years, Mangano has represented upscale patio-furniture…

IN ADDITION TO EXHIBITING NEXTREMA® grill lids at HPBExpo 2016, SCHOTT displayed a Heat Scope infrared heater (by Munich Home Systems) with a NEXTREMA glass-ceramic insert, which radiates heat evenly to warm outdoor spaces efficiently. Available in six interchangeable transparent, tinted, and opaque glass-ceramic panels of different colors, NEXTREMA features high transmittance of infrared radiation in the short- and medium-wave ranges.

SCHOTT also introduced an outdoor fireplace with a ROBAX® glass ceramic front, as well as panels of ROBAX for indoor fireplaces and wood stoves. The panels are available in different colors and are used to create new reflections…

UNDERLINING THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE and a trust in nature to keep us grounded, Phifer’s Green Scene collection combines delicate neutrals with shades of green and brown reminiscent of nature’s resources. Instilling a sense of wonder and awe, this timeless collection beckons us toward relaxation. The Green Scene collection recreates these images in a selection of cushion and sling outdoorfurniture fabrics, adorned with a variety of traditional and whimsical patterns and sophisticated solids.

Phifer’s designed fabrics (plush, 100% recyclable GeoBella® indoor/outdoor cushion fabrics and sleek, sling Phifertex®outdoor fabrics) are available in an array of intricately woven designs in dobbies,…

PRIDE FAMILY BRANDS, A NEW exhibitor in The Gardens of AmericasMart® (Atlanta, Georgia), participated in the Best of Design Celebration held in conjunction with The Atlanta Spring Gift, Home Furnishings, & Holiday Market in early March.

During the function, winners in the Best of Design categories from across the Atlanta area were acknowledged by exhibitors and attendees at the market, as well as by representatives from across the Atlanta design community. The celebration also commemorated the launch of Modern Luxury/Atlanta Interiors magazine’s Best of Design issue.

To highlight this issue’s theme, the function took place in the Best…

THE HAMMOCK SOURCE has made a $10,000 donation to the American Cancer Society (ACS), toward cancer research, through its Original Pawleys Island division. A formal check presentation was made by the executive team to representatives of the ACS at The Hammock Source’s corporate headquarters.

With 150 employees participating in the event, it was not difficult to find someone in the company who had either directly or indirectly been affected by cancer. In early 2015, The Hammock Source partnered with Making Strides, a division of the ACS, to donate a portion of all Original Pawleys Island furniture sales to cancer…