Beyond Beauty: A Peek Behind the Product Curtain – Bringing Sustainability to Scale with Room & Board Business Interiors May 11
A Peek Behind the Product Curtain – Bringing Sustainability to Scale
Join IFDA-NY Chapter President David Santiago and members from Room & Board and the brand’s commercial arm, Room & Board Business Interiors, over Zoom for an insider’s view of the company’s sustainability and product development practices, including first-of-its-kind Urban Wood Program. Learn how the brand is taking an untapped, undervalued wood supply chain and making furniture on a national scale that’s timeless, enduring, and better yet-sustainable.
Speakers:
- Gene Wilson, Vice President of Merchandising & Vendor Management for Room & Board
- Emily McGarvey, Director of Sustainability for Room & Board,
- Jenon Bailie, Merchandising & Design Director for Room & Board,
- Elise Nicpon, Director of Business Customer Experience for Room & Board Business Interiors
May 11th at NOON EST
Click Here to Register for the Link to Join
Gene Wilson Vice President of Merchandising & Vendor Management for Room & Board
He joined Room & Board in 1998 and has been actively involved in sourcing, merchandising, product design, and business development throughout his career. His passion lies in aligning resources to create value and achieve outcomes for customers, staff, vendor partners and the community. He is one of the pioneering leaders behind the company’s Urban Wood Project – a sustainability and community-based initiative spanning multiple organizations and regions that not only creates products using reclaimed material otherwise destined for landfills, but also provides jobs to underserved communities. Wilson lives in Minnesota.
Emily McGarvey, Director of Sustainability for Room & Board
Emily McGarvey brings 20 years of experience spearheading social and environmental strategies with a focus on product, supply chain, operations, and branding. Leading the sustainability initiatives for Room & Board and Room & Board Business Interiors, the brand’s commercial arm, she is strategically focused on bringing sustainability tot eh forefront of furniture manufacturing. Prior to her role with the company, McGarvey served as a Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Target, where she played an integral role in developing the corporation’s management and transparency policy and their Car Seat Trade-In program. In 2018, she founded Star Impact Consulting, where she provided purpose-driven strategy and branding for-profit and nonprofit business sectors such as Apparel Impact Institute.
Jenon Bailie, Merchandising & Design Director for Room & Board
Jenon Bailie brings 25 years of experience designing in, developing and merchandising products, 18 of which have been with Room & Board. Passionate about leading creative teams to innovate and explore newness in details of material, shape and color while respecting reference to timeless historic element, Bailie has a keen ability to access the opportunities of a business. She intuitively leads new design concepts to solve customer needs to help them create spaces they love. Prior to joining Room & Board, Bailie led a ready-to-wear design team with focus on trend, color, and textile design for the apparel industry.
Elise Nicpon, Director of Business Customer Experience for Room & Board Business Interiors
She brings more than 20 years of retail and direct sales experience to this position. Nicpon has been with Room & Board for 14 years, most recently as National Business Development Manager where she excelled at leading and inspiring focused sales teams. With a passion for finding creative design solutions, Nicpon is dedicated to making the entire experience easy for customers from initial contact through delivery. She believes home and work life can be made better through the craftmanship, beautiful materials and design of the Room & Board assortment. We are please to have Nicpon bring her expertise and in-depth knowledge to the BI brand.
Our Moderator: David Santigo : IFDA NY Chapter President
David Santiago established Casa Santi Interior Design in 2011. He caters to clients who seek the unique, creative details that elevate a project blending his traditional sensibility with the unexpected, known as his signature and trademark “Santified”. His Strictly Santi brand launched a lighting collection with American Brass & Crystal Lighting and a wallpaper collection with Bijou wallcoverings, catering to hospitality and residential markets. David continues give back through the media platforms as a guest designer on “George To The Rescue” and a design and lifestyle correspondent for “The Donna Drake Show.” Fun fact about David: he is an accomplished classical opera singer, and is the Cultural Outreach Officer for Teatro Grattacielo. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the New York City Opera.
ABOUT IFDA
The International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), founded in New York City in 1947 with 11 chapters worldwide, provides a professional forum for communication and interaction among its high-profile members. The IFDA, a not-for-profit volunteer-run association, also promotes career advancement and educational opportunities and is structured to increase public awareness of the furnishings and design industry through specialized programming, networking and service to the community.
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