PAUL B. TOMS, JR.
“The short answer to what drives me in business would be success, but how you define success is where we need to spend a little bit of time. Our vision is to enhance the lives of the people we touch. That’s everybody: our employees, the consumers that buy our furniture, the retailers and sales associates who sell it, our professional sales reps, vendors, stockholders and the communities where we live and work. If we are successful in growing this company, then we’re going to impact a lot of people in a very positive way.”
Paul B. Toms Jr., chairman and CEO of Hooker Furniture Corp. has diversified the company founded by his grandfather in 1924 through acquisitions, growing it from a mid-sized niche case goods manufacturer into one of the top five furniture resources in North America, listed on the prestigious NASDAQ Global Select. The Hooker family of brands includes Hooker Case Goods and Upholstery, Bradington-Young, Sam Moore, Shenandoah, Home Meridian International, Pulaski, Samuel Lawrence, Prime Resources International, Accentrics, Samuel Lawrence Hospitality and H Contract. An early adopter, the company is a model of ethical business practices, advanced information systems, innovative product designs, environmental stewardship, and a broad social media presence.
Mr. Toms joined Hooker in 1983, when it was a case goods company with three manufacturing facilities. He worked his way up, becoming Chairman and CEO in 2000. In response to the groundswell of lower-priced imported case goods, he led the company through a complete shift in business model, becoming an importer of residential case goods and upholstery and a manufacturer of residential upholstery. Strategic acquisitions include Bradington-Young, Sam Moore, Shenandoah Furniture and Home Meridian International in 2016, which more than doubled the size of the company.
Ever focused on serving others, Mr. Toms has positioned Hooker to be an involved and generous corporate citizen in the industry and community. His voluntary board service includes the High Point Market Authority, the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Home Furnishings Council, the American Home Furnishings Alliance, the International Woodworking Fair, High Point University, the Boys & Girls Club of the Blue Ridge and the Harvest Foundation, a private health care conversion foundation focused on improving health, education and quality of life in his home town. Mr. Toms received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Home Furnishings Alliance in 2012.