The Francis wood chair by Tuohy Furniture made its debut at NeoCon 2026. Celebrated for its master craftsmanship, the hand-sculpted design features elegant, simple lines and an inset seat pad.

Each part is hand-sculpted and carefully fitted together for proportionality and comfort. By utilizing state-of-the-art technology, components are three-dimensionally scanned and the chair is engineered to heirloom quality and commercial durability.

Named for the late CEO, Francis Michael Tuohy, this functional, artistic expression is a culmination of Tuohy’s over 70 years of commitment to unparalleled craft in American furniture, intersecting with designer Mark Goetz’s nearly four decades of seating design expertise. Francis, Goetz said, is exceptionally relevant for contemporary applications and destined to resonate for future generations.

Tuohy was born March 27, 1936, in Rochester, Minnesota, the third of 15 children born to Joseph and Teresa (Snyder) Tuohy. He died Jan. 12, 2025, from prostate cancer.

He briefly attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, before being called home by family in 1955 to run Tuohy Church Furniture. In 1972, he purchased the company from his father and then went from manufacturing furniture for churches to producing high-end office furniture featured in showrooms around the country. His commitment to expanding his company to national prominence brought him to take flight school lessons, where he became a pilot to make regional sales calls more easily.

Among his many business affiliations and leadership roles include president of the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer Association (BIFMA); Minnesota Technology board member; Minnesota Sustainable Development Initiative; Federal Reserve Small Business Advisory Council: Southeastern Minnesota Initiative Fund; President and board member of the Community and Economic Development Association (CEDA); Fillmore County Planning and Zoning; and board of the F & M Community Bank.