CDG members recognized by Home Furnishings Business Magazine

As if Contemporary Design Group needed further evidence of being movers and shakers in home furnishings!

CDG is proud to announce that not one, not two, but THREE of our members have been recognized by Home Furnishings Business as being in the top 40 Executives Under 40 Years Old for 2013!

We were fortunate enough to get the opportunity to dig down a little further and interview them about their celebrity status and secrets to success.

Travis Garrish, President of Forma Furniture moved to Fort Collins, CO and saw an opportunity.  When it came to contemporary and Scandinavian home furnishings, the market was wide open.  Together with his wife Dee Ann Garrish, Forma Furniture was founded in 2004, and now serves greater Colorado and Wyoming.

Garrish says his favorite thing about the industry is the people and being in sales.  He sites his ability to adapt and adjust to new ideas and concepts as his biggest strength.  “I wasn’t raised in the industry- my nine years of experience since opening the store is what I am learning from.  I bring a different way of thinking to our store.  I’m willing to try and fail.  But I view failures or mistakes as investments and see the learning potential” he says.

In Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Hillside Furniture President (and oft times “poster boy”), Jeff Selik, grew up in the business—getting is start as a merchandising assistant post college.  Today, he oversees all of Hillside’s operations, including buying, advertising, and sales training.

Described by Home Furnishings Business Magazine’s article as being the “Energizer Bunny” of the furnishings industry, Jeff says that as a kid he wanted to become a stand-up comedian or professional smart-ass. “One out of two isn’t bad,” he notes with a wink.  All kidding aside, Jeff loves the technological evolution of furniture and the creative freedom he gets to explore in Hillside’s advertising.  He “charges his batteries” (pun intended) by doing yoga, eating, and taking pictures of what he’s eating.

As Director of Business Development at Circle Furniture, Jessica Tubman is busy laying groundwork for the future.  A third-generation member of the Circle Furniture clan, Jessica is developing a store private label brand, collaborating with the company’s POS software designer to create new inventory management/budgeting software, and developing a new e-commerce integrated web site for Circle's six store locations in the greater Boston area.

Although there was a point when Jessica says she considered pursuing law school, she’s glad that she ultimately chose to continue in the furniture industry.    Her favorite thing about home furnishings is the constant evolution of style and technology.  In order to stay on trend, she makes a point to keep updated on trends by reading news, blogs, and technology magazines…when she’s not busy attending star-studded galas in celebration of her new 40 Under 40 status, she jokes!

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