LOS ANGELES — City of Hope and the International Home Furnishings Industry group selected three leaders from a pair of furniture manufacturers to receive the 2024 Spirit of Life awards.
The honorees — Flexsteel’s Jerry Dittmer and Tim Newlin, and Kuka Home’s Matt Harrison — will be introduced at the Spirit of Life kickoff event during the High Point Market at 4-5:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 13, in the Flexsteel showroom (International Home Furnishings Center, C-601).
- Jerry Dittmer, president and CEO of Flexsteel, has led the 130-year-old company through critical times with rapid changes to transform into a true omnichannel organization. Under his leadership, Flexsteel has become a top 10 U.S. manufacturer and marketer of residential furniture under the Flexsteel and homestyle brands. His experience and demonstrated success in guiding organizational transformations and complex, customer-focused businesses have helped the company accelerate growth while contributing to a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable future for all. He is also a past City of Hope National Business Products Industry Hall of Famer.
- Tim Newlin, vice president of strategic business development of Flexsteel, is a 30-year veteran of the furniture industry with a 26-year tenure at Flexsteel serving in key roles. His vast knowledge of the organization and broad experience in retail, sales and product management shape his leadership and management efforts at Flexsteel to expand its business model, brands, products and channels into profitable and fast-growing areas of the market.
- Matt Harrison, president of Kuka Home North America, has successfully navigated the company through some of the most challenging times in the industry in recent years, including tariffs and the pandemic. He’s played a pivotal role in expanding Kuka Home’s manufacturing plants into Vietnam and Mexico, further solidifying the company’s global presence and increasing production capacity, in addition to expanding product offerings and enhancing its e-commerce business to meet the evolving needs of North American customers and transforming the brand for future growth.
The Spirit of Life Celebration is one of the industry’s flagship fundraisers for IHFI and City of Hope. The annual awards dinner will be held during the spring 2024 High Point Market on April 14.