Home Furnishings Industry to Salute NHFA 2012 Retailers of the Year Belfort Furniture & Lawrance Furniture

SAN DIEGO, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Belfort Furniture in Dulles, Virginia, led by Mike Huber, and Lawrance Furniture in San Diego, California, led by Howard Haimsohn, are National Home Furnishings Association's Retailers of the Year for 2012.  

NHFA's prestigious Retailer of the Year Awards are presented annually at the Spring High Point Market Furniture Industry Awards Gala.  This year's Gala will be held on Monday, April 23, at 6:00 p.m. in the IHFC Ballroom, 11th Floor, Green Wing.  Candidates must be nominated by active members of the home furnishings industry.  The recipients are selected for their outstanding contributions to the home furnishings industry, exemplary service to the community, and personal business achievements.  The award, signified by a crystal obelisk, is the highest honor that the 93-year old trade association can bestow upon a member.

Belfort Furniture
Belfort Furniture is a family owned business that originated in Germany in 1969.  The company as it is known today was founded by Mike and Kristi Huber when they opened the first store in 1987 in an industrial park with a lone employee.  Within 5 years Belfort employed 25 team members.  By 1992, the 35,000 sq. ft. Belfort Galleries opened in Dulles, VA, situated in one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S.  Belfort Basics opened in 2003, followed by Belfort Mattress & Kids in 2004, Belfort Interiors in 2005, and in 2006 Huber created a new state-of-the-art 83,000 sq. ft. warehouse.

Mike was elected to the NHFA Board of Directors in 2012.  He is an Advisory Board Member at Middleburg Bank, a member of Loudoun County CEO Cabinet, an Honorary Board Member of the Loudoun Education Foundation, and is recognized as a Top 100 Smart CEO by Washington, DC SmartCEO, and a Top 20 CEO by NOVA Executive.

Belfort has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to worthy charitable causes over the years, including City of Hope's Walk for Hope, Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter, Embry Rucker Shelter, the American Cancer Society, Avon Breast Cancer Walk and Doctors Without Borders.  Belfort Furniture is the Corporate Sponsor of the YMCA Loudoun County Charity Golf Tournament, which has raised over $300,000 to date to send less fortunate children to camp.  Belfort was named 2008 Corporate Sponsor of the Year by the Loudoun County YMCA, and awarded the 2010 Corporate Partnership Award by the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington.

Lawrance Furniture
The company was originally founded as Modern Furniture Company in 1937 by Howard's grandfather, Herman Haimsohn and a friend, and was located in downtown San Diego.  In the mid-1950's Howard's father Ed took over the family business and changed the merchandising strategy from a general furniture store to a modern specialty retailer.  In 1976, Howard became the 3rd generation of the family to work in the business.  In 1986 Ed turned over the reins of the business to Howard, making him President.  Today Howard and his wife Julie manage Lawrance Furniture as the leading retailer of modern and contemporary home furnishings in San Diego County, with locations in San Diego and Encinitas.

After serving on the Board of the Western Home Furnishings Association, in 1990 Howard was asked to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Home Furnishings Association.  He was elected President of NHFA in 2002, and served a total of 14 years on the NHFA Board.

Howard and his father Ed founded the Contemporary Design Group in 1983.  Howard currently serves as President of this organization, which has 20 member companies across the country.

Howard and his wife Julie, along with Lawrance Furniture, are active in their local community, supporting Rady's Childrens Hospital, Congregation Beth Israel Hunger Project which provides 1,000 meals a year to the homeless and needy, City of Hope cancer research, Susan B. Komen for the Cure, Seacrest Village senior housing and healthcare, Helen Woodward Animal Center, and Center for Community Solutions for the prevention of sexual assault and domestic violence.

National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) serves home furnishings retailers in all 50 of the U.S. states, Canada and overseas.  Its membership represents over 8,500 stores.  The mission of NHFA is to provide the products and services that enable retailers to operate their businesses more efficiently and profitably.

SOURCE Lawrance Furniture