Cortina Leathers Announces Plans to Expand
Business growth is leading to major expansion for Cortina Leathers—both in terms of physical operating space and personnel.
This past May, the manufacturer announced a major expansion to its leather finishing plant in Ohio. The $2 million project is currently in the design and permitting phase and will nearly double the footprint of its existing building to 81,250 square feet. The additional space will be used to house more finishing equipment and finished leather inventory to meet the growing market demands for quality leather.
“Cortina has experienced phenomenal growth recently—we have doubled in the past 3 years. To keep up with the increasing demands on our business, we will be creating more manufacturing, warehouse and office space at our leather finishing plant. This exciting expansion will allow us to keep up with demand and position us for even more growth,” says President Jack Prause. The expansion is set to break ground soon with plans to be completed by June 2019.
NEW HIRES AND PROMOTIONS
Cortina’s presence in Ohio continues to have a positive impact in the region’s jobs, as well. “In the past 3 years, we have grown from 30 to 55 employees at our headquarters, and we have added five more in New York City.” Prause says.
One New York City position is being filled by executive Jana Weill, who joined Cortina Leathers in May as the company’s first Marketing Director. Weill brings more than 12 years’ industry experience to Cortina, and most recently served as Director of Events and Communications for the Robert Allen Duralee Group. She will be leading Cortina’s marketing and communication efforts across all market sectors with a focus on the A&D market.
In addition, Cortina Leathers also announced the promotion of long-time employee JoAnne Gelke to the newly created role of Vice President Sales for Traditional Markets on the executive team. Gelke joined the company in 1998 and has been instrumental in the success and growth of the company. As Vice President of Sales for Traditional Markets, she will be based in Conneaut, Ohio, and will oversee sales concentrating on Cortina’s office furniture and manufacturing client base.
ABOUT CORTINA LEATHERS
Since 1903, Cortina Leathers has been the premier source of fine leathers for the Office Furniture and interior design community worldwide. While they continue to manufacture leather at their original factory location in Ohio, they now employ an international network of artisanal tanneries, showrooms and sales representatives to offer designers limitless custom leather possibilities. A core belief in the timeless beauty and unmatched quality of genuine leather inspires every Cortina project.
