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Hekman History
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It began in 1893 when Edsko Hekman ventured from the Netherlands to
Grand Rapids, Michigan hoping to find his life’s work as a furniture
maker.
The Panic of 1893 would lead him in a new direction, returning him to his first
profession as a baker. Selling cookies door-to-door, Edsko eventually went on
to found the Hekman Biscuit Company, which was later to become the Keebler
Company.
Edsko’s enchantment with furniture, crafted in the old-world traditions,
would later blossom in his three sons John, Jelle and Henry. They would fulfill
their father’s dream and open the doors of the Hekman Furniture Company
in 1922.
In 1970 the company became a division of Beatrice Foods until 1983 when Hekman
was purchased by the Howard Miller Clock Company of Zeeland, Michigan. In 1993,
Hekman acquired Woodmark Furniture, an upholstery company founded by Elliot
Wood whose discriminating standards were a perfect match to Hekman’s long
tradition of excellence. The company now enjoyed a position of strength in its
ability to offer its customer superior casegoods and the finest in upholstery.
The careful selection of ingredients, the patient hands-on techniques and the
exacting presentation... the shared passions of the baker Edsko and his
furniture-making sons, remain the hallmarks of the Hekman Furniture Company
today.
Now, almost a century old, Hekman is widely recognized as one of America’s
premier furniture suppliers.
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Woodmark History
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Companies who rightfully take pride in their longevity and success
share a history replete with unparalleled integrity, uncompromising quality and
exceptional vision. And, so it is with Woodmark.
Founded in 1964, by Elliot Sherrill Wood, a man whose roots were nurtured in
the Southern furniture industry, Woodmark was destined to become the standard
by which all others would take their measure.
Elliot Wood began his career in his father’s wholesale rug company and
would later, in 1932, open his own retail store.
His custom upholstery shop featured chairs, sofas and loveseats using frames
and fabrics from industry giants such as Jofa, Schumacher, Charles Assenze,
Leopold Columbo and more. Wood served a clientele with discriminating taste and
high expectations of fine craftsmanship.
In 1964, the Woodmark Furniture Company, now at home on English Street in High
Point, North Carolina, was officially open for business. Wood was instrumental
in founding other furniture companies as well ... Stanton-Cooper, Dansen Contemporary and
Bradington-Young.
Seventeen individuals who worked for Elliot Wood would later become presidents
of furniture companies. Perhaps no one individual would have a greater, more
penetrating influence on the industry than Elliot Wood.
In 1993, Woodmark was purchased by Hekman Furniture, a Howard Miller Company.
The union of Hekman and Woodmark, companies who share an unflagging commitment
to excellence, offers customers an array of the finest in both quality
casegoods and fine upholstery.
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