{"id":27,"date":"2025-06-18T18:24:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T18:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/?page_id=27"},"modified":"2025-06-25T19:32:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T19:32:20","slug":"leadership","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/company\/leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Leadership<\/h1>\n\n\n

The Leaders of Ashley Furniture Industries<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Todd Wanek<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

President & CEO<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The seeds of Todd Wanek\u2019s passion for furniture were planted in the mid-1980s.During high school and college, Todd worked in all aspects of the business including shipping, production line, machine maintenance, product design and engineering, finance, and global sourcing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, with a Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Industrial Technologies, he moved to Asia to serve as the general manager of Ashley Furniture Industries Taiwan. He continued to live and work in Asia from 1989- 1993, establishing and managing Ashley Furniture Industries business development in China, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Indonesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Todd returned to the U.S.in 1994, spearheading the purchase of an upholstered furniture manufacturing operation in Ecru, MS. At that time he assumed responsibility for Ashley Furniture Industries upholstery production as well as the company\u2019s growing international operations. Two years later, Todd Wanek was promoted to Ashley Furniture Industries President and Chief Operations Officer, assuming responsibility for all of Ashley Furniture Industries worldwide operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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By 1999, Ashley Furniture Industries was a major player in almost every product category and one of the best marketers in the furniture industry. Just three years later, Todd succeeded his father to become Ashley Furniture Industries Chief Executive Officer, a position he holds today. Todd is widely considered the industry\u2019s foremost authority on international trade, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Todd, through his leadership and vision, has been responsible for Ashley Furniture Industries sustained growth since he became CEO in 2002. Staying true to Ashley Furniture Industries vision, \u201cWe want to be the best furniture company, \u201d Todd continues to cultivate the company\u2019s continuous improvement culture. Todd\u2019s passion for improving Ashley Furniture Industries operations, products, and services is unrelenting to this day, positioning the company for continued growth into the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Awards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lead Advocate of Innovative Medical Research<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayo Clinic<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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National Finalist Entrepreneur of the Year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ernst & Young<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Principal Partner Benefactor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayo Clinic<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Supplier of the Year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furniture Today<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Distinguished Service Community<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deloitte 75<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Board Of Directors<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Home Furnishings Association<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Above: Ron Wanek Statue In Memorial Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Ron Wanek<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Founder & Chairman Of The Board<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As a young man, Ron Wanek\u2019s enthusiasm for furniture was inspired by his grandfather and great uncle who built furniture as a hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working for a newly formed company called Winona Industries, Ron reported to three brilliant owners who he described as perfectionists. One was an engineer, one was a marketer and innovator, and the other was an excellent administrator. Ron was fortunate to be able to work with each of them to learn virtually every aspect of the manufacturing business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1963, an opportunity arose to start a new operation in Red Wing, Minnesota, and Ron became involved in the startup and management of the business, receiving excellent mentoring. It was this history that helped create Ron\u2019s foundation for his life and business career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In 1970, Ron Wanek and a group of investors set out to make a difference in the furniture industry by forming Arcadia Furniture Corporation. This upstart furniture manufacturing company – with Ron Wanek responsible for establishing and managing operations – was in an industry dominated by large companies. In the beginning, Arcadia Furniture Corporation wasn\u2019t considered a serious contender in the U.S. furniture industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next six years, Ron learned all facets of the furniture business, including the importance of having a strong brand name. In 1976 Arcadia Furniture Corporation and Ashley Furniture merged into one company: Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC. The new company could now fully leverage a brand name that had been in existence since 1945. Ron\u2019s determination and expertise were the driving force in laying the groundwork for one of the most incredible success stories in the history of the furniture industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Awards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Wisconsin’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ernst & Young<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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National Finalist Entrepreneur of the Year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ernst & Young<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Innovator of the Year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woodworking Machinery Industry Assn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Leadership Award<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furniture Today<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Spirit of Life Award<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City of Hope<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Pillar of the Industry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Home Furnishings Reps Assn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Todd Wanek President & CEO The seeds of Todd Wanek\u2019s passion for furniture were planted in the mid-1980s.During high school and college, Todd worked in all aspects of the business including shipping, production line, machine maintenance, product design and engineering, finance, and global sourcing. Shortly after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, with a Bachelor\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":19,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-27","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"EONeillCarrillo","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/author\/eoneillcarrillo\/"},"comment_info":0,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27\/revisions\/251"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}