Furniture leadership group celebrates milestone

Cinde Ingram, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·2 min read

Jan. 23—HIGH POINT — A professional leadership-development organization for women in the home furnishings industry is celebrating what it has accomplished over the past 25 years.

The complexion of the industry has changed greatly during that time, and Women in the Home Industries Today, or WithIt, has played an outsized role in that, said co-founder Kimberly Wray of Kimberly Wray Marketing Communications.

"Companies in the home furnishings arena are better for the spotlight the organization has aimed at the role that women can, and should, play in our businesses," she said. "Hundreds of leaders can point directly to the impact WithIt has made on their individual careers."

Wray said she considers helping to get the organization started as her greatest contribution to the furniture business.

WithIt got its start in High Point in 1997 with a mission to encourage and develop education, mentoring and leadership opportunities for women in the home and furnishings industries. Membership in WithIt is open to all companies and women in the industry who want to increase their network and pursue professional development.

The nonprofit has held 17 professional/leadership conferences, including two held virtually during 2020 and 2021, to welcome more than 240 women from across the country and Canada, Executive Director Amy Van Dorp said.

"The past two years has taught us how critical having a robust network of industry peers is to being successful," Van Dorp said. "One of WithIt's greatest strengths is the diversity of our members — in the jobs they hold and the leadership experiences they have. You will meet company presidents and students — often at the same event."

WithIt will kick off its 25th anniversary celebration on Monday with a networking event and dinner at the Las Vegas Market, and an anniversary celebration will take place April 2 during the High Point Market.

The organization's 2022 president is Renee Loper-Boyd, vice president of marketing at International Market Centers, where she oversees IMC marketing for the High Point, Atlanta and Las Vegas markets.

WithIt's board of directors include Chairwoman Lorri Kelley of Lorri Kelley Advisors, Vice President/President-elect Emily Boyst of Hooker Furnishings, Treasurer Shelly Head of Liberty Furniture and Secretary Bonnie Wallace of the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association.

Sydney Harris of Furnitureland South, chair of the group's membership committee, said she was introduced to WithIt as a student in the summer of 2017.

"I had no idea that there was a women's organization in the home furnishings industry despite growing up in it," Harris said. "Little did I know, WithIt is way more than that. This organization challenges me both personally and professionally. It gives me the tools and the resources necessary to be a successful woman in this industry and in life."

cingram@hpenews.com — 336-888-3534 — @HPEcinde