Valdese Weavers launches VM Textiles sales agency

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 11/27/2006 11:31:00 AM

Valdese, N.C. – Valdese Weavers, in realigning its Southeastern sales force, has created VM Textiles, a sales agencyconcentrating on residential accounts in North Carolina, Virginia, eastern Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The agency consists of Jay Clifton, Neil Barrier, Blake Lindsay and Lisa Kakassy.

Steve Lindsay

Steve Lindsay, formerly a sales representative in the southeast, has assumed the position of key accounts representative, handling both the Valdese Weavers and the Wesley Mancini by Valdese Weavers businesses. Lindsay, who has been with the company for more than 20 years, will direct many of the top furniture accounts nationwide.

“We felt like we needed to create a partnership to strengthen and support the sales effort for our historic brand, as well as for the launch of the Wesley Mancini by Valdese Weavers brand,” said Zack Taylor, vp of sales and marketing at Valdese Weavers. “While the two brands share the same production facilities, we are eager to create and maintain a separation of brand within the marketplace. Dedicated sales representatives are critical to that end.”

On the VM Textiles team, Clifton and Barrier have represented Valdese Weavers for more than 10 years. Blake Lindsay has been a sales representative at Valdese Weavers for nearly three years, and Kakassy is the newest member of the Valdese Weavers team, as she recently joined the company after a long career in furniture merchandising and fabric sales.

VM Textiles staff, from left: Blake Lindsay, Neil Barrier, Jay Clifton, Lisa Kakassy.