Cecil Saydah buys out Louisville/Saydah business

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 6/13/2002 12:00:00 AM

Los Angeles — The Cecil Saydah Co. has bought the remaining shares of table linen and decorative pillow manufacturer Louisville/Saydah Home Fashions.

"This is such a natural fit for our collective companies," said Harold Schierholt, president, Cecil Saydah. "The combination of our sales, marketing and operations expertise into a new, larger, more dynamic company was the next logical move in our growth strategy."

Schierholt added that the acquisition allows the company to consolidate all of its marketing activities under one roof at its corporate headquarters here at the Los Angeles Art Center, as well as provide West Coast distribution of chairpads and pillows "where necessary to help speed product to market and minimize our customers shipping costs," he said.

Louisville/Saydah will continue to manufacture and distribute from its Eminence, KY, facility.

As part of the new consolidation efforts, Cecil Saydah has eliminated three positions — two design and one marketing — from its New York showroom.

In addition, John Shawger, formerly national sales manager, has been promoted to vp of sales and marketing. Rick Dudum, former president of Louisville/Saydah, now assumes the roll of vp of tabletop. And Peter Katz, director of marketing, is incorporating all of Louisville/Saydah's product management and design within the Cecil Saydah marketing department and as a result created a new position — tabletop product management position. Katz told HTT he is currently accepting applications for the new post.

Brothers Dick and John Saydah, owners of Cecil Saydah, purchased minority shares in Louisville/Saydah several years ago.

At that point Cecil Saydah made Louisville/Saydah its table linen and decorative pillow division, adding two more categories to the company's growing roster of products, which also include kitchen textiles, bath towels, bath accessories, beach towels and floor mats.