LAS VEGAS–World Market Center Las Vegas has named Jamie Drake its 2012 Design Icon.

The award, which recognizes an interior or furniture designer who has made a significant contribution to the industry, will be presented at the upcoming Winter 2012 Las Vegas Market, Jan. 30-Feb. 3.

PETALUMA, Calif.–Heirloom quality rug maker emma gardner design, llc, has appointed of 12 new sales representatives, who will cover more than 21 states to reach existing accounts and new customers. The company will also open new dealers to complement the company’s current network of 20 showrooms.

“We are entering a new exciting phase in the distribution of our special collection,” said Patrick McDarrah, president, emma gardner design. “The team we have assembled will take us to the next level and make it easier for trade and consumers alike to buy our rugs.”

HIGH POINT, N.C. and LAS VEGAS-International Market Centers has promoted four members of its High Point- and Las Vegas-based leasing teams.

Julie Messner, Craig Staack, Lee Hershberg and Margaret Powers were promoted to vice presidents, responsible for advancing new business opportunities.

DALLAS–Loloi Rugs has appointed Austin Craley to the new position of vice president of sales, where he will manage the company’s sales team. Reporting directly to Amir and Steven Loloi, founder/president and principal, respectively, Craley will be based in New Jersey.

With more than 26 years of experience in the rug industry, Craley was most recently vice president of sales at Momeni Rugs, where he was for 10 years. Prior to that, he held the same position at Kas Rugs, and has also been a buyer for handmade and machine-made rugs at Macy’s.

DALLAS–John Whorton has joined Feizy Rugs as regional sales manager for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico. Reporting to Dale Sweary, Feizy’s vice president of sales, Whorton succeeds Bethanye Nicholson, who is taking a different position within the company.

CALHOUN, Ga.–Surya has appointed Eva Di Adamo as head of its product development team.

Di Adamo has 20 years of product development and merchandising experience with the home accessories and fashion industries. She succeeds Al Mortensen, who is leaving the company.

ANDERSON, S.C.–Orian Rugs has appointed Brandon Culpepper vice president of sales and business development, a new position. Reporting to Wim De Pape, chief operating officer, Culpepper will be responsible for building Orian’s account base and growing its existing business.

“Brandon will thrive in this new position,” said De Pape. “His industry knowledge, relationships and expertise will play a vital role in the future growth and development of our company.”

TROY, N.C.–Capel Rugs has named Dave Calderwood regional sales manager for its Midwest marketing area. Calderwood formerly served as manager of area rug sales for a large Ohio furniture retailer and was a key sales and product developer for a large importer of handknotted and tufted rugs, the company said.

Calderwood is based in Akron, Ohio and will manage Capel sales in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania.

DALLAS, Texas–Loloi Rugs has appointed Shawn Johnson-Burns to the position sales manager for rep groups, where she will be responsible for building Loloi’s account base and growing existing business.

“We are thrilled to have Shawn as a member of our team,” said Amir Loloi, owner. “Her practical retail and wholesale sales experience will be assets to us on many levels as we continue to move Loloi to the next level.”

FRANKFURT, Germany—Messe Frankfurt has appointed Yvonne Engelmann as director for the Tendence and Ambiente team, as of Sept.  1.

 Reporting to Nicolette Naumann, vice president for Ambiente and Tendence, Engelmann will take over the Giving section and assume responsibility for organizing that part of the show, revolving around individual gift ideas, trendy lifestyle products and high-end jewelry.

DALLAS–Dale Sweary has joined Feizy Rugs as vice president of sales, responsible for coordinating the efforts of and overseeing the growth of Feizy’s national account base.

 Sweary succeeds Cameron Feizy, who was named senior vice president. Sweary reports to Cameron Feizy.

Sweary began his career in the industry with Shaw in 1989 and has a strong retail background as well, according to the company. He later served as regional manager and group director for Shaw

PAWTUCKET, R.I.–Braided rug manufacturer cmi (Colonial Mills, Inc.) has added Kirsten Haynes as national accounts manager. She previously served as a Kentucky and Southern Ohio territory manager with both Rizzy Home and cmi, and will now continue to service these territories for cmi, as well as target key potential accounts for the company, from brick-and-mortar stores to online retailers and catalogs.

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.–Safavieh has named industry veteran John Vlahopoulos to the position of senior sales executive. This comes as part of the company’s restructuring and planned expansion of its sales force to target independent rug retailers and trade showrooms in major markets nationwide.

DALTON, Ga.—Sphinx by Oriental Weavers has named Ricky Delise and Chistopher Bushurr as sales representatives for northern California for area rugs and rug pads, and Sphinx broadloom, respectively. They both report to Monica Battles, western regional vice president of sales.

HIGH POINT, N.C.–Capel Rugs has appointed Ron Bristow showroom manager of its High Point showroom, located in Market Square Space 112. Previously in sales management with Capel, Bristow reports to Allen Robertson, vice president of sales.

In his new role, he will be responsible for sales and visual merchandising of the showroom and will work closely with interior designers to help them select rugs. Before joining Capel, he was with Hendricks Furniture Group.

CALHOUN, Ga.–Surya has appointed Kurt Von De Bur vice president of national accounts.

Von De Bur has assumed responsibility for the development and growth of existing national accounts, and with formulating new business relationships. He is part of Surya’s newly formed national accounts division, which is headed by Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of national accounts.

Before joining Surya, Von De Bur was vice president of sales for Orian Rugs, and before that was Eastern regional manager for United Weavers.

CALHOUN, Ga.–Paul Sullivan has been appointed senior vice president, sales/national accounts, at Surya, responsible for developing and growing the company’s national accounts in its home accessories division.

“He will develop a product line aimed at national accounts and will build a team of independent sales representatives specializing in this market segment,” said Satya Tiwari, president, Surya. “With Sullivan’s appointment, Surya is taking a much more aggressive stance to penetrate the mass market channel.”

TROY, N.C.–Capel Rugs has named Tami Watras vice president-product and creative director, a new position. Reporting to John Magee, president and chief executive officer, Watras will oversee media messaging and advertising for Capel, as well as the overall creative direction for the company. She will continue to oversee product development and Capel’s import division, which she manages in conjunction with import division general manager John Harrison.

ATLANTA-Kim Walker has been named sales associate at Capel Rugs’ AmericasMart showroom, in space 6F2 of the Merchandise Mart.

Reporting to Allen Robertson, vice president of sales, Walker will develop new marketing initiatives to increase designer attendance and sales.

“We are excited to welcome Kim to our Atlanta team,” said Robertson. “Interior designers are an increasingly important source of sales for Capel, and Kim’s experience in the design world will help us guarantee we are meeting the needs of designers as customers.”

NEW YORK—Kelli Turner, chief financial officer for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, will leave the company in the near future, according to the company.

An MSLO statement said Turner will “join a private company in the near future,” although it did not specify which company. MSLO has also begun a search for a new chief financial officer.

During the search, Allison Jacques, the company’s controller, will serve as MSLO’s principal financial and accounting officer.

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.–Tiffany Yaraghi has been promoted to the new position of executive account manager, licensing, at Safavieh. Having joined the company earlier this year, she has worked in a variety of merchandising capacities, including development of home accent product line extensions that will be launched in 2011.

TROY, N.C.–Lorie Arthur has been named senior designer, a new position, at Capel Rugs. She will report to Tami Watras, director of merchandising.

Arthur has more than 20 years experience in textile design, product development, merchandising and sourcing, and previously served as director of product development and design for Artisan Design Group and Springs Industries.

“Lorie is incredibly talented and has a great eye for what works,” Watras said. “Her energy, passion and enthusiasm are exactly what we wanted to help propel us forward.”

TROY, N.C.–Capel Rugs recently named Jim Spangler as southwest regional sales manager. He will cover the sales territory of Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

“Jim is a valuable addition to the Capel sales force, having experience in wholesale and retail sales,” said Allen Robertson, Capel Rugs’ vice president of sales. “We aim to ensure top-level service and support for customers and dealers by continuing to add top-level sales representatives to the Capel family, and Jim defines this mission.”

CALHOUN, Ga.–Stephanie Tyus has joined Surya as director of marketing, a new position.

Reporting to Seth King, vice president, sales and marketing, Tyus will focus on building and extending the Surya brand, as well as creating and executing a marketing plan, which includes print, media, web, collateral and catalog development.

Tyus has more than 18 years of experience in the textiles and carpet industries, having held positions with Milliken, Interface, Mohawk Industries and Tencate Mills.

CALHOUN, Ga.–Surya has appointed Pat Douglass as vice president of its printed rug division, a category the company has been growing.

Douglass will work with Surya’s printed rug factories on development, production and distribution, as well as develop relationships with retailers and wholesalers.

“Pat brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our company,” said Satya Tiwari, president. “With Pat’s help we are now ready to grow this category even further by appealing to more and more customers with fashionable colors and designs.”

TROY, N.C.–Capel Rugs has appointed John Harrison general manager of the company’s import division, reporting to Tami Watras, director of merchandising. Now responsible for the company’s planning and purchasing strategies as well as inventory control and vendor management, he first joined Capel in 1994 as import purchasing manager.

CARLSTADT, N.J.–Momeni has named Blake Dennard to the newly created position of Southeast regional manager, responsible for managing the sales and sales agents in 10 Southeastern states.

Based in Chattanooga, Tenn., Dennard will report to Stephen Hoberman, national accounts manager.

Dennard joined Momeni in early 2009 as a sales representative. Prior to joining the company, he was a vice president at both Kaleen and Oriental Weavers USA. 

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.–Joseph Moshy has joined Safavieh as territory manager for the Middle Atlantic region as well as California, and is responsible for sales of all of Safavieh’s rug lines in those regions. He reports to Arash Yaraghi, company principal.

Moshy was most recently sales manager at Veratex, a tricot knitter in North Carolina. Previous posts include sales manager for Pande Cameron, national sales manager at Shalom Carpets and territory manager, New England, for Tufenkian Carpets.

ATLANTA–Jaipur has added two people to its executive team: Jason Moody was appointed creative director, and Terry Foltz was named head of Midwest sales.
Moody joined the company last month after a long tenure with Atlanta branding and product development firm Grant Design Collaborative.
Foltz has represented Jaipur in Ohio and the surrounding region as sales manager, and will now manage Jaipur’s expanding roster of sales reps in the central states.

SADDLE BROOK, N.J.–Reorganizing its sales force to be managed from its headquarters here, Nourison has promoted three executives. Gerard O’Keefe has been named vice president, sales, while Joyce Lowe has been appointed national sales director, rugs, and Patrick Malone, national sales manager, broadloom.

DALTON, Ga.–Oriental Weavers has named Pat Muschamp vice president of sales. Muschamp began his sales career in the flooring industry with Oriental Weavers of America in the late 1990s, and was most recently vice president of sales for Nourison. Information who he succeeds in the position was not available.
“We are extremely pleased to have Pat back in the OW family,” said Michael Riley, president. “Pat’s vast experience and knowledge of the area rug business will be instrumental to our future efforts.”

CONCORD, N.H.–Amanda Colby has been named customer service manager at Company C, a promotion from her previous position of customer service account representative. In her new position, she will oversee the customer service department, which manages customer transactions for the wholesale and online divisions, as well as continue to manage the design trade program.

SYOSSET, N.Y.–Fran O’Neill, co-founder and vice president of sales for Antrim, has retired, Stanton Carpet Corp. announced. O’Neill and Dan McGovern founded Antrim Carpets in 1997, and Stanton acquired the company ten years later.
O’Neill was instrumental in transitioning Antrim’s sales staff and continuing to grow the business, the company said in a release. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my almost 40 years in the flooring industry, and I am very grateful for the many terrific friends that I have made over the years,” O’Neill said. “I now look forward to a new phase in my life.”

CALHOUN, Ga.–Surya has named Seth King to vice president, sales and marketing, and Al Mortensen to creative director.
Previously vice president, business development, King will continue to work with overseas factories for production and distribution of product in his new role as well as remain an integral part in developing the company’s accessory lines. In addition, he will continue to cultivate relationships with the company’s retailers and wholesalers, as he expands the marketing department and works on implementing a new strategy for Surya.

CALHOUN, Ga.–Rizzy Rugs has expanded its sales management team with two new regional managers, the company has announced.
Rizzy’s parent corportation, Sheikh Bhullan Carpets, meanwhile, has been awarded ISO 9001: 2000 certification for meeting all requirements associated with dyeing, manufacturing, and exporting handmade carpets and rugs.

SADDLEBROOK, N.J.–Nourison has named Jeff Gonzalez to fill the newly created position of director of furniture store sales, according to Alex Peykar, president of Nourison.
“Jeff has a proven track record in sales and sales management, and he will be an integral component of our sales organization as we continue our growth in furniture-store sales distribution,” Peykar said.

SYOSSET, N.Y.–Stanton Carpet Corp. has named two executives to new posts: Barbara Skelly as director of marketing, and Frank Boucek as Midwestern regional vice president.
Responsible for all strategic and tactical marketing areas, including advertising, public relations, sales promotion and trade shows, Skelly was previously at Designtex, a division of Steelcase. She has also been at F. Schumacher & Co., Imperial Home Decor Group and Maharam Textiles.

MANCHESTER, N.H.–Scott Wheeler has been named chief operating officer of Carpet One Floor & Home.
He steps up to this from his post as vice president of merchandising for the company, a position he has held since joining the company in 2005.

PAWTUCKET, R.I.–CMI has named Roy Evans to the newly created position of vice president of sales and marketing.
Evans comes to the company with three decades experience in the floor covering industry, having served most recently as executive director of national sales at Feizy. He has also worked for Milliken & Co. and Obeetee, among others.
At CMI, Evans will be responsible for the company’s entire sales and marketing function. He will report to Donald Scarlata, president of CMI.

CALHOUN, Ga.–Kelly Moore has been named general manager of Mohawk Home’s Floor Mat Division. The position finds him responsible for product and business development for the floor mat business.
Moore is returning to Mohawk, where he began his career 13 years ago. He has since held positions in sales, product and business development, serving most recently as vice president of Home Centers at Oriental Weavers of America.
Mohawk did not say by press time whether the position was new. Moore will report to Rocky Casteel, vice president and general manager.