Nourison celebrates Western regional manager's 80th birthday

Home Textiles Today Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 4/13/2012 2:25:16 PM

Saddle Brook, N.J. - Nourison is honoring its Western regional manager, Owen Baker, during the upcoming High Point Market, with a company party to celebrate his 80th birthday and his approaching 10th anniversary with the company.

The company said Baker is "active in the field and going strong."

This past December, Nourison named Baker the company's 2011 Salesperson of the Year "for outstanding achievement in sales volume and territory growth," and thereafter, in January, promoted to his current post.

Baker, who is based in Sothern California, is a 50-year veteran of the rug and carpet industry. He has served in various capacities at several companies - including president of Coronet Carpet and sales positions at Oriental Weavers.

"As long as the prospect of the making the next sale or finalizing the next deal still excites and motivates me, I will be out there selling," Baker said. "I love what I do, and I guess that is one of the things that keep me young."

At Nouison, Baker is said to be one of the company's longest-serving employees on the sales team.

"Owen is like fine wine that seems to just get better with age," said Alex Peykar, principal at Nourison. "Honestly, when it came to the decision to promote him earlier this year, age was never a consideration for us. He has worked hard, achieved a lot, and truly deserved the honor purely on merit."

The company is planning a private, internal dinner with employees attending High Point Market to quietly honor Baker.

"To use a rug term, Owen is truly a one-of-a-kind," added Gerard O'Keefe, vp of sales. "He not only sold the most last year, he physically assembled the most displays in the field. Owen is special. He puts many younger reps in this industry to shame with his work ethic. But to me, what sets him apart as a person is his decency, integrity and passion for what he does. These shine through when he is selling, and they are qualities you cannot train or teach."