CHICAGO - Swedish mobile living expert Dometic is adding to its premium appliance/outdoor living offerings with a new range of outdoor mobile beverage bars. The Dometic MoBar series’ design and functionality are created to entertain. Ideal for residential or hospitality environments, the highly-anticipated product is now available to order in the United States.

The idea for the Dometic MoBar came from an observation that there are no products purposely designed for serving beverages outdoors in a fashionable way. While there are many solutions for food in the market, there is a lack of options in the beverage category.

LEE, MA - Mike Hopsicker, president & CEO of Ray Murray, has elevated two new vice presidents named to the leadership team at RMI. Casey Harvey has been promoted to vice president of Sales, and Scott Porter has assumed the role of vice president of Operations on RMI.

Casey Harvey started with RMI as a regional sales manager in 2008. Prior to RMI, he spent 10 years with Carroll Independent Fuel Company in Baltimore, MD where he was manager of Sales and Marketing after quickly rising through the ranks in various positions of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing.

LEE, MA - Mike Hopsicker has acquired 100% ownership of Ray Murray Inc. (RMI). The partnership between Hopsicker and the Murray family started in 2005 when they began working together on a planned transition of ownership. Prior to RMI, Mike was CEO of Agway Inc., and spent 8 years as the CEO of Agway Energy Products, one of the largest retail marketers of propane and fuel oil in the US.

Over the last several years, the company and its industries certainly faced their share of headwinds and challenges, but ultimately RMI was able to enjoy significant growth and expand its…

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Karen Brams, president of Island Living & Patio in West Palm Beach, Fla., is serving as the 2021 chair of the International Casual Furnishings Association Retail Council following four years as a member.

Collins Stuart, owner of Outdoor Living in St. George, Utah, steps up to Vice Chair after serving on the Retail Council for the past two years.

The ICFA Retail Council represents the approximately 120 outdoor specialty store members nationwide and provides a strong voice in the leadership of the trade association. The Retail Council is the sponsor of the ICFA Industry Roundtables…

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The International Casual Furnishings Association has renewed the Richard Frinier Design Scholarship program initiated four years ago, following cancellation in 2020 due to challenges of the pandemic. At the same time, the renowned designer and his wife and business partner, Catherine, have increased the scholarship award to $2,500.

The annual product design competition was created to inspire and encourage students of design to create innovative outdoor living spaces for residential, contract and hospitality environments. “We wish to encourage the work of young designers and help them to discover the vast opportunities to bring the quality…

HIGH POINT – “Helping our retailer members get back to their level of pre-COVID health is my number one priority,” said Harold Hudson, president of Summer Classics Private Label and incoming chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Casual Furnishings Association. “Our strategic initiatives for 2021 and 2022 will promote their recovery and compel more retailers to join as they recognize the value of this dedicated support. We’ll continue to create and enhance the networking, educational and philanthropic opportunities that make the ICFA so vital to professional success for every segment of our membership.”

Hudson’s industry career includes…

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – If there’s one thing that Nationwide Marketing Group and its community of members and vendor partners learned during the October Virtual PrimeTime show, it’s that, even in the face of a global pandemic, it is possible to pull off an all-digital educational and buying show while driving record-setting engagement.

Nationwide will look to build on that momentum this spring as Virtual PrimeTime returns March 16-18, 2021. “We are highly encouraged by and closely monitoring the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine across the country, and we look forward to finally getting back to face-to-face meetings later this year…

BURLINGTON, N.C. - As part of its ongoing commitment to support its customers and brands, Glen Raven Custom Fabrics announces the latest milestones in a multi-phase global expansion plan.

The first phase, initiated at the end of 2019, includes new and upgraded equipment to support the continuing growth of Sunbrella® fabrics and other Glen Raven textile products in the company’s U.S. and Asia facilities. This highly customized equipment has begun to come online and will continue in stages through the first half of 2021. It will not only increase output, but also reduce energy and water usage,…