AWFS names five new board members
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ANAHEIM, CA - Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers recently welcomed five new members to their board of directors, for the 2016– 2018 term.

Mark Alster, Regional Manager, Leitz Tooling Systems, has been with Leitz since 1995, and currently serves as regional manager for the thirteen state Central-North Region. Mark first entered the woodworking tooling industry in 1986 as a machinist for Michigan Knife/Simonds Industries.

Brian Joyce, Sales and Marketing Manager, Blum, Inc., joins the board with over 35 years in the woodworking industry. He began his career as a cabinetmaker and later joined Louis and Company, a distributor of hardware and surfacing, as an outside sales representative. Prior to joining Blum, Inc., Brian was employed by Holz-Her USA as a Regional Sales Manager.

Steve Rangoussis Chief Sales Officer, Festool USA/Canada, joins the AWFS Board with 19 years of woodworking industry experience. He began as an independent sales representative in Southern California, representing woodworking product lines such as Jet, Powermatic, and American Tool Co. among others.

George Ayotte, General Manager, Kemp Hardware, is a long-time AWFS volunteer, having formerly served on the Scholarship, Web, Member Services and Golf committees, as well as serving as a director, treasurer and president for Young Furniture Associates (YFA). Responsible for operations at Kemp Hardware, George began in the furniture industry in 1978 and has been with Kemp Hardware for the past 33 years.

Joel Boyles,Vice President of Sales, Marketing, & Customer Service, Decore-ative Specialties, joins the AWFS Board of Directors with 20 years of experience in the custom cabinet components industry. He began his career with Decore-ative Specialties in 1996 as an inside sales representative at their Monroe, North Carolina, Since that time, he has held several positions in sales and management throughout the United States. He has also held leadership positions in marketing and customer service. To learn more, visit www.awfs.org.

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Karl Forth

Karl D. Forth is online editor for CCI Media. He also writes news and feature stories in FDMC Magazine, in addition to newsletters and custom publishing projects. He is also involved in event organization, and compiles the annual FDM 300 list of industry leaders. He can be reached at [email protected].