YORKVILLE, N.Y.–Meyda Lighting has appointed Max Cohen to the additional post of New England area sales manager, where he will work closely with lighting showrooms, electrical distributors and specifiers throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. He will service all customers in the region and help create complete custom and decorative lighting programs. He will also continue to serve as sales manager of upstate New York and Meyda’s factory showroom here.

CHINO, Calif.–Rhett Sypher has joined Lite Source as Eastern regional sales manager, reporting to Ed Krasner, vice president of sales.

Sypher was most recently at the lighting company Cyprus Point. Sypher will be based in Atlanta and handle Lite Source’s accounts east of the Mississippi River, while Krasner handles the western side.

PHILADELPHIA–Westinghouse Lighting has named Canaan Lawrence as director of sales - retail, a new position. Previously national business development manager, Lawrence will still report to Jeff Bristol, senior director of sales.

HIGH POINT, N.C.–Brian Casey, High Point Market Authority’s president and chief executive officer is leaving the HPMA, effective April 30.

Casey, who has held the position since 2006, has been named the general manager of the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center, owned by MMPI.
 
The HPMA executive committee said that it is overseeing an immediate search for Casey’s replacement.

ASHEVILLE, N.C.–Biltmore has appointed Donnette Miller as licensing director for home furnishings.

In this role, Miller oversees the Biltmore House’s home-furnishings licensing activities and developing new business within the brand. She reports to Tim Rosebrock, vice president and general manager, and Christy Hodgins, director of marketing. She succeeds Elizabeth Ford, who has moved to Biltmore Inspirations, a new brand developed by the historic site which will include foods and other home products, and which is slated to launch later this year.

GREENVILLE, S.C.—Libbe Milicia recently joined Progress Lighting as director of product development.

 In her new position, Milicia provides creative direction for decorative product designs.  She also researches macro-trends that influence home decor accessories and evaluates Progress Lighting’s current lighting offering.

Milicia most recently served as creative director for Kichler Lighting.

BRONX, N.Y.–With more than 30 years of experience in the lighting industry, Barbara Cote has joined Murray Feiss as product development manager, reporting to Maria Scutaro, vice president of merchandising.

Cote’s background includes positions in sales and merchandising and as a product specialist and showroom manager. At Murray Feiss, she will be responsible for developing new product, studying fashion trends and creating marketing strategies, as well as working closely with the sales force and customer dealer base.

ZIONSVILLEe, Ind.-Jay Boughner has been named to the new position of controller at Fanimation, the manufacturer and marketer of ceiling fans. Boughner will oversee the financial departments, as well as work with the customer service and order entry departments.

Previously, Boughner was vice president, finance, and corporate controller for Long Electric Company, and supervisor of finance for Education Financial Services.

HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif.–Julie Hayes has been named key account and sales force manager for Nova. In this newly created position, Hayes will report to Daniel Edelist, chief executive officer, and will help move the company’s strategy forward to go beyond its lighting roots to incorporate a more complete lifestyle assortment of home accents and furnishings.

WAITSFIELD, Vt.–Lighting company Verilux has appointed Jim Carr vice president of sales, a new position. Reporting to Nicholas Harmon, president, Carr will oversee the company’s growing organization of sales representatives.
“Jim’s sales expertise and strong relationships with national chain and mass merchant retailers will be instrumental in helping us continue to grow our business,” Harmon said.

GARDEN CITY, N.Y.–WAC Lighting has named Shelly Wang president. Wang will oversee operations at WAC Lighting North America and W2 Architectural Lighting. She will also coordinate sales, marketing and development in conjunction with the firm’s manufacturing campus in China.
Wang succeeds her father Tony Wang, who is now chairman and chief executive officer.

KINGSTON, N.Y.–Nancy Meyer, the former senior editor of furniture, lighting and home decor for HFN, has been named editor of New York House, a monthly magazine covering residential real estate, construction, design and green living in New York.
Meyer will oversee repositioning New York House for growth in green and sustainable home building, design and furnishings, as well as enhancing its home furnishings coverage.
She reports to Jonathan Schein, publisher of New York House and president and chief executive officer of ScheinMedia.

LAS VEGAS–The Las Vegas Design Center at the World Market Center has named Randy Wells vice president.
In this newly created position, Wells is responsible for the management of the design center—a professional design and hospitality resource comprising 70 showrooms that feature fine furniture, fabric, lighting, floral products, accessories, rugs and wall decor. Wells reports directly to Robert Maricich, president and chief executive officer of the World Market Center.

COPPELL, Texas–Craftmade International Inc.’s board of directors has appointed J. Marcus Scrudder, 40, to serve as the company’s chief executive officer, effective July 1.

ALBERTVILLE, Ala.–Paragon has shored up its management team with the creation of five vice president posts and several recent management appointments at the family-owned wall decor company.
Kathy Opolka, who has served since 2001 in various sales positions, has been appointed vice president of business development, a new post. Opolka continues to be responsible for sales management in all market segments of the company, as well as the company’s 120 sales representatives.

GARDEN CITY, N.Y.–W.A.C. Lighting has named Matthew Wakeham marketing director.
In this new position, Wakeham will work closely with Sean Tham, vice president of marketing, to whom he reports, to manage the marketing department. He will also help oversee the firm’s advertising and public relations programs, direct mail and Internet marketing efforts.

WALL, N.J.–Waterford Lighting has appointed Dennis Sussman national sales manager, said Kevin O’Malley, vice president of the lighting division, to whom Sussman reports. Sussman is responsible for developing distribution and overseeing the sales force. Sussman succeeds Angelo Aufiero, who left the company.
Sussman is an industry veteran, having served for many years in executive positions at Crystal Clear Lighting until that company went out of business a year and a half ago.

NEW YORK–Murray Feiss Lighting has appointed Michael Jody Crow to the newly created position of creative development director.
Crow joined Murray Feiss in October 2001 as director of visual merchandising. In his new post, Crow will be responsible for managing all staff and activities within the marketing and graphics departments, showroom setup and display, and will direct the preparation of materials for the design department relating to trends and design forecasts. Crow will relocate from Virginia Beach, Va., to the New York area.
He reports to Greg Vandia, president.

NEW YORK–Paolo Cravedi has resigned as managing director for Kartell U.S.
No successor has yet been named for Cravedi, who took the post last July. Cravedi previously served as managing director for De’Longhi America.
Kartell, based in Italy, is an award-winning maker and retailer of forward-designed plastic furniture, lighting and other furnishings.

CORONA, Calif.–Minka Group has appointed Brad Dobson to the post of national sales manager for the Ambience and Metropolitan Lighting lines, responsible for the furniture channel. He succeeds Tom Kubek, who has stepped down for medical reasons, and reports to Tim Flannery, vice president of sales and marketing. Dobson has served as a factory sales representative covering Southern California, and prior to that served as Western regional sales manager for Lite Source.

NEW YORK–Murray Feiss Import LLC has made two executive appointments. Greg Vandia, who has served as vice president of sales and marketing for Murray Feiss Lighting since 1990, was named president of Murray Feiss Lighting, while Harold Wolfson, who has served as senior vice president of Royce Lighting since 1991, was appointed president of Royce.
Both report to Tracy Bilbrough, president and chief executive officer of Generation Brands, the holding company for both units.

ROCKY MOUNT, Va.–Uttermost has added two additional designers, Matthew Williams and David Frisch, to support the company’s growth. Williams and Frisch began at Uttermost on a freelance basis in May 2007, and their initial product introductions will debut at the January markets.

CLEVELAND–Kichler Lighting has expanded its marketing and sales teams with the addition of Becky Ross as vice president of marketing services and the appointment of Chris Bailey and Jared Northrop to directors of sales.
All three are new positions.