At the Chicago Unfinished Furniture Show in August 1988, a small group of individuals gathered for an informal discussion about the state of the industry. It was apparent that unfinished furniture was suffering from a serious image problem. There was also a lack of cohesiveness and camaraderie among industry members. Attending the discussion were Dan Geribo, Ed Firestone, Bruce MacGowen, Bernie Norieka, Ray Passis, and Linda Utterback.
The following month, 41 individuals met in Norwood, Mass., to see whether the concerns so prevalent in Chicago were shared by others. Dan Geribo of Unfinished Furniture House/Mastercraft sponsored the meeting. It was clear that for the industry to grow and prosper, a larger grassroots effort involving as many manufacturers, representatives, and dealers as possible was needed. A temporary Northeast Steering Committee was formed to guide this effort and plan the next meeting.
In November 1988, representatives of 75 companies in 19 states showed up in Andover, Mass., to form the Northeast Unfinished Furniture Association (NUFA), whose mission was to produce programs for the betterment of the industry. Guest speakers at the meeting were Mary Grimes, Jeff Sperber, Phil Kelly, and Linda Utterback.
At this meeting, a Temporary National Steering Committee (TNSC) was also formed. It was charged with facilitating the development of regional associations and given the goal of eventually forming a national association for the unfinished furniture industry. The original TNSC members were Bruce MacGowen, Bernie Norieka, Rick Hawkins, Alan Fastman, Dave Gallagher, Marc Bloom, Jeff Sperber, Ron Taylor, Bill Wells, Ed Firestone, Steve Jozwiak, Dan Geribo, and Linda Utterback.
In December 1988, the TNSC convened in Chicago to formulate plans and objectives. The committee divided the United States into four proposed association areas (Northeastern, Midwestern, Western, and Southern) and planned to host a meeting of Midwest retailers, manufacturers, and reps with the hope of starting a Midwestern Unfinished Furniture Association.
The TNSC made the following assignments to support and assist the regional associations with their various committees: Steering Committee, Dan Geribo; Public Relations, Bernie Norieka; Sales Training, Bruce MacGowen; Communications/Membership, Steve Jozwiak; Budget, Ed Firestone and Bruce MacGowen; and Bylaws/Charter, Ron Taylor. Linda Koreny was asked to compile a list of prospective members.
On August 8, 1989 during the Unfinished Furniture Show at the Hotel Sofitel in Rosemont, Ill., TNSC hosted a breakfast that attracted more than 200 people. The strong response resulted in the formation of association steering committees for the Midwestern, Western, and Southern regions. Each steering committee chair received a chronology of NUFA's growth steps, a regional list of retailers, a national list of manufacturers and sales reps, and contact information for all other steering committee members and NUFA committee members.
NUFA held its first annual meeting on January 23, 1990, in Philadelphia. At the meeting, elections were held to create the first NUFA board of directors. Elected were Alan Fastman, president; Dave Morgan, first vice president; Dan Geribo, second vice president; Linda Korney, secretary; Ray Edwards, treasurer; and directors Marilyn Cavanaugh, Ed Firestone, Linda Kelly, and Mike Donaldson. Due to his new responsibilities as NUFA President, Alan Fastman resigned as chair of the Temporary National Steering Committee.
In April 1990, NUFA retained The Access Group Inc., a Chicago based association management firm, to manage its day to day activities. At this time, the organization's membership included 132 retailers, 60 manufacturers, and 20 sales reps. On April 17, 1990, NUFA became a legal entity by filing Articles of Incorporation in Washington, D.C.
On August 8 of that year, delegates from the four regional associations met in Chicago to form the Unfinished Furniture Association (UFA) at a meeting chaired by Rick Hawkins. Forming the first Unfinished Furniture Association board of directors was: Alan Fastman, president; Sylvia Kimball, vice president; Dan Geribo, treasurer; Linda Koreny, secretary; and directors Greg Albright, Charles Blankenship, Milt Davis, Brian Donnell, Bill Hopkins, Bruce MacGowan, Micky Moore, and Randy Zellner. With UFA's formation, TNSC fulfilled its duties and the committee disbanded.
At a news conference held at High Point Market on October 18, 1990, UFA announced it would conduct an industry trade show in 1991. Members would be surveyed before a site and program were chosen. The press conference produced an extensive amount of publicity for UFA.
The association held the first UFA National Convention & Trade Show June 2 4, 1991, at the Stouffer Hotel and Nashville Convention Center in Tennessee. More than 1,000 buyers representing 428 companies attended. Another 118 companies exhibited, bringing total attendance to 1,800. This show was a spectacular accomplishment for all who volunteered their time and energy to the formation of the Unfinished Furniture Association.
Since that time, the association has experienced rapid growth, due to the success of its annual trade show and expanding list of membership benefits. Some of UFA's innovative programs include industry surveys, production of a video catalog and radio commercials, and development of consumer brochures that explain the benefits of unfinished furniture.
In 1997, Unfinished Furniture Association debuted its “How to Finish“ video and unveiled its new, improved unfinishedBUSINESS full color magazine. UFA's national headquarters moved to New Jersey in the fall of 1999 as the board selected Association Headquarters Inc., an association management company, as UFA's new partner for the 21st century. Association Headquarters manages UFA's day-to-day operations, annual trade show, and unfinishedBUSINESS as well as offers guidance and executive support to the board and association members.
For the first time, UFA partnered with a local charity in conjunction with the 2001 UFA National Convention & Trade Show. The Rochelle Center, located in the show city of Nashville, was the charity of choice in 2001. Every year, the association will partner with a charity in the show city to give something back to the local community hosting the UFA show.
Today, the Unfinished Furniture Association has a membership of more than 650 retailers, manufacturers, and sales representatives in the United States and Canada. Another groundbreaking year for UFA was 2002, when it embarked on its most important program yet - UFA's Brand Awareness. The benefits and qualities of unfinished furniture are promoted nationwide as retailers, manufacturers, and sales reps get certified for Real Wood Furniture Finished Your Way®.
