From Dad’s Company to Our Company with Jeff and Jennifer From DARRAN Furniture
01/11/21 • 34 min
Jeff and Jennifer have spent their entire lives watching the changes in the furniture industry. Their father founded DARRAN Furniture and now they have stepped up to continue his work. Listen as they share their background, their passion for the industry, and what it’s like running a company together as siblings.
It wasn’t just a love of furniture that pushed their father to create DARRAN Furniture. He knew that there was more to offer the industry when it came to casegoods and he was driven to show it. He offered his customers more options and mass customization and created a wealth of jobs for his local area.
Now Jeff and Jennifer manage the business and they’ve started to change the furniture offerings that DARRAN presents. Listen as they share more about why they shifted their products lines and how that shift has helped them.
They are also dedicated to maintaining U.S. based manufacturing to continue to help support their local economy. Their loyalty to the people in their community is the backbone of the company and fits perfectly with their core values.
Jeff and Jennifer are truly a dynamic duo in the industry and you won’t want to miss out on their perspective and their banter. This brother and sister team have made working together work for them and the industry as a whole has been elevated because of it.
Listen in to learn all about DARRAN Furniture and the family that has kept it afloat through some tough economic times!
In this episode:
[01:39] Welcome to the show, Jeff and Jennifer!
[02:48] Jeff discusses the history of the company.
[04:32] How the type of furniture they make has evolved over the years.
[06:47] Jennifer and Jeff share some of the biggest milestones the company has had over the last eleven years.
[11:39] Listen as Jennifer and Jeff discuss why they have kept the company in North Carolina.
[14:41] Jeff speaks about selling to the U.S. only and why they have never gotten into the import business.
[17:25] Jennifer shares some challenges they are facing now through the pandemic.
[22:07] Listen as Jeff and Jennifer discuss their new screen division.
[26:05] Jeff and Jennifer speak about their new product line called Honey.
[30:58] Listen as they share what it’s like to be a dynamic brother sister due and how they work together.
[33:52] Thank you both for being on the show!
Links and Resources:
Connect with Jeff & Jennifer:
Dutch Invertuals - Room Screens
Connect with Sid:
Connect with Sid:
www.sidmeadows.com
Embark CCT on Facebook
Sid on LinkedIn
Sid on Instagram
Sid on YouTube
Sid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-contract-interiors-7298489501159460865/
The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Jeff and Jennifer have spent their entire lives watching the changes in the furniture industry. Their father founded DARRAN Furniture and now they have stepped up to continue his work. Listen as they share their background, their passion for the industry, and what it’s like running a company together as siblings.
It wasn’t just a love of furniture that pushed their father to create DARRAN Furniture. He knew that there was more to offer the industry when it came to casegoods and he was driven to show it. He offered his customers more options and mass customization and created a wealth of jobs for his local area.
Now Jeff and Jennifer manage the business and they’ve started to change the furniture offerings that DARRAN presents. Listen as they share more about why they shifted their products lines and how that shift has helped them.
They are also dedicated to maintaining U.S. based manufacturing to continue to help support their local economy. Their loyalty to the people in their community is the backbone of the company and fits perfectly with their core values.
Jeff and Jennifer are truly a dynamic duo in the industry and you won’t want to miss out on their perspective and their banter. This brother and sister team have made working together work for them and the industry as a whole has been elevated because of it.
Listen in to learn all about DARRAN Furniture and the family that has kept it afloat through some tough economic times!
In this episode:
[01:39] Welcome to the show, Jeff and Jennifer!
[02:48] Jeff discusses the history of the company.
[04:32] How the type of furniture they make has evolved over the years.
[06:47] Jennifer and Jeff share some of the biggest milestones the company has had over the last eleven years.
[11:39] Listen as Jennifer and Jeff discuss why they have kept the company in North Carolina.
[14:41] Jeff speaks about selling to the U.S. only and why they have never gotten into the import business.
[17:25] Jennifer shares some challenges they are facing now through the pandemic.
[22:07] Listen as Jeff and Jennifer discuss their new screen division.
[26:05] Jeff and Jennifer speak about their new product line called Honey.
[30:58] Listen as they share what it’s like to be a dynamic brother sister due and how they work together.
[33:52] Thank you both for being on the show!
Links and Resources:
Connect with Jeff & Jennifer:
Dutch Invertuals - Room Screens
Connect with Sid:
Connect with Sid:
www.sidmeadows.com
Embark CCT on Facebook
Sid on LinkedIn
Sid on Instagram
Sid on YouTube
Sid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-contract-interiors-7298489501159460865/
The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Previous Episode
Episode 35: IT’S 2021, LET’S DO THIS!
Next Episode
A Voice For The Office Furniture Dealer with CBRE
Have you ever heard of a firm that helps clients figure out how to buy their furniture for a project rather than what to buy? That’s exactly what the ladies from CBRE do and their sole goal is to help clients, dealers, and manufacturers come together and build healthy relationship.
Julie, Melissa, and Aileen understand all aspects of the customer buying process from design to purchase and they are there to fill in the gaps between the design firm and the dealer. They help facilitate better dealer relationships thereby creating long term relationships.
Listen as they share examples of value they’ve created for their customers and why focusing on people is so important to them. You'll hear amazing advice and have a chance to change your perspective.e
They’re digging deep into their RFP process and why it never goes to plan. This is definitely an interview you won’t want to miss if you’re looking to expand your industry relationships.
In this episode:
[02:06] Welcome to the show, ladies!
[02:18] Julie shares her title and what she oversees.
[02:39] Melissa gives her title and what her role is.
[02:57] Aileen focuses on the strategic side with clients.
[03:18] Listen as Julie explains what the CBRE is.
[07:30] The CBRE comes in ideally either immediately before or just after the design firm is retained.
[09:16] They are acutely aware of the dealer and their role, and they are there to fill in the gaps between the design firm and dealer.
[10:07] Julie shares an example of the value they create for the customer.
[14:20] Listen as they speak about what the people component means.
[17:13] Julie discusses what the CBRE RFP looks like and the data they need.
[25:33] They don’t want the dealers to come in with a PowerPoint; they want to talk to the dealer about their service capabilities.
[29:28] Aileen shares the advice she would give to the dealer community.
[31:04] Melissa’s advice is to learn to speak in terms of square feet.
[33:15] Julie says for all the RFP’s they’ve worked on, they have never had one that didn’t have errors. She would suggest having a SWAT team to look for errors.
[36:15] Julie discusses the advice she would give to manufacturers in the industry.
[39:06] Aileen agrees with Julie that the dealer and the manufacturer need to have a strong partnership.
[40:22] Melissa says that having an open conversation with the manufacturer is key; ask questions, and don’t break the rules.
[44:25] Thank you all for being on the show!
Links and Resources:
Connect with the CBRE Furniture Advisory Service Group:
Connect with Sid:
www.sidmeadows.com
Embark CCT on Facebook
Sid on LinkedIn
Sid on Instagram
Sid on YouTube
Sid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-contract-interiors-7298489501159460865/
The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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