joseph e. richardson, ii
When Joseph E. Richardson II (b.1929 d. 2019) joined the fifth generation family business, Richardson Brothers Company, in the early 1950s, it was Wisconsin's leading manufacturer of dining room seating. Joe II became president in 1962. His degree in economics from Beloit College was an asset as he began a long-range plan to diversify product and to distribute nationwide.
Joe Richardson became famous for his national ads which showed him proudly standing on an inverted dining room chair...a testimony to the quality of Richardson furniture.
He became an effective leader of the industry beginning in 1984 with his election to the Board of Directors of the American Furniture Manufacturers Association. During the next decade, he served as president and chairman of AFMA.
Joe Richardson II is a past trustee of the Jiranek School of Furniture Design and past executive committee member of the Home Furnishings Council during its formative years. His contributions and strengths as a founding director of the American Furniture Hall of Fame, president, and secretary treasurer were developed during his award-winning civic work in historic preservation of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Joe II received the "Pillar of Industry Award" in 1995 from the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association.