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Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 6/10/2002 12:00:00 AM

Milender joins Raxon fabrics

NEW YORK — Steve Milender has joined Raxon Fabrics as national sales manager.

He is responsible for sales and marketing and for the showroom here, as well as sales support and design.

Milender, who reports to Ruud Aberson, president, previously was with Crypton as a consultant and earlier was with Textile Fabric Associates. He was with the Robert Allen Group as vp, sales for the Ametex division and earlier was with Covington Fabrics.

In an expansion of its design department, Jonathon Michaud has joined the company as designer for the contract division joining Lynn Haude, who heads design for residential and hospitality.

F. Schumacher adds new business

NEW YORK — F. Schumacher & Co. has acquired the fabric and wallcoverings business of Decorators Walk, an interior design showroom network, as well as its Boston showroom.

At the same time, F. Schumacher promoted Susan North to vp, design for its Interior Design Group (IDG), which includes Schumacher, Greeff and the Decorators Walk business.

North, who reports to Rose Fiorilli, senior vp, general manager, design and marketing for IDG, succeeds Tom Burak who left the firm in the late 1990s.

North said, "Our challenge is to position and maintain each brand with a separate, distinct look." Schumacher, she explained, "has a more European feel; Greeff represents an Anglo-American bent that has always been in vogue; and Decorators Walk is a collection of boutique-style lines."

North also hopes to reinvigorate licensing relationships with museums, an established venture for the company in the past.

North previously was director of design for Greeff and earlier worked for Covington and John Wolf.