80 regional CEOs, business owners and entrepreneurs attend November 20 speech

ISSUED DECEMBER 5, 2007…Barry Tatelman of Jordan’s Furniture captured the attention of over 80 entrepreneurs, CEOs and business owners recently as featured guest of The Board Forum® Institute Distinguished Speaker’s Series, held at the Weymouth Woods Corporate Center in Massachusetts.

During the two hour presentation, Tatelman, who in 2006 left brother Eliot at the helm of the business started in 1918 by their grandfather to create a new company, one that combines show business with tourism in New York City, addressed the business culture the brothers created. He also provided unique insight into the mind of a business owner who helped to propel a small furniture company into a household name – one that was eventually sold to Warren Buffet but still bears the “brand” of the Tatelman brothers.

“This was one of the best speaking forums I have ever attended,” said William Noonan, CEO of Contravisory Investments, a Hingham-based investment management firm, noting that Tatelman’s advice to “strive to be different and unique within your market and with your customers really struck a chord.”

“I will certainly work to strategically apply Barry’s remarks to our business,” said Noonan.

“He was off-the-chart fantastic as a speaker and a motivator,” according to Maggie Melanson, owner of Gimme the Skinny, a low-fat catering service headquartered in Norwell, and author of Fly Fit.  “He delivered his message about the importance of advertising in such an entertaining way – it was as if he was speaking personally to each one of us.”

Melanson pointed to Tatelman’s recommendation to “have fun” at work.

“If as a business owner I’m having fun, that attitude gets passed on to my employees and to our clients and we all can benefit,” said Melanson.  “I was also impressed with Barry’s advice to trust your instincts – that’s exactly what he and Eliot did when they came up with their ad campaigns and their in-store extras.  They recognized that they had to do more than sell furniture; they had to sell the Jordan’s experience.  What a brilliant advertising approach to business.”

“Barry’s underlying message of ‘bring joy into your business and people will pick up on it’ made an impact,” said Matthew Glynn, owner and CEO of Glynn Electric, headquartered in Plymouth. “I was also impressed with his suggestion to think outside the box and find ways to make your experience better for your customers.”

“He really got me to thinking about what we can do to ensure that customers and employees know how much we value them,” said Glynn. 

Joan Lucarelli, Managing Director of JKL Partners, an executive search firm based in Waltham said she found Tatelman’s recommendation to “be unconventional” an inspiration.

“Jordan’s Furniture has consistently been unconventional in their marketing and investment approach, always with people in mind – current customers, potential customers and employees,” said Lucarelli.  “His presentation has made me think a lot about my business and the people side of it.  His message of “people basically want to have fun” can serve as an inspiration for me and most business owners.”

“How hard Barry and Eliot kept trying to come up with creative ways to make doing business with them an enjoyable experience for people” impressed David Friedman, CEO of Insta-Brite Mobil Washing in Whitman.  He also reflected on “how creativity, resilience and perseverance” were hand in hand to their success.

Friedman said, “They really understood that a satisfied customer allows value to drive their decision to buy; that in turn allows the business to avoid price competition which is so prevalent in many industries.”

Calling Tatelman’s presentation “from the heart,” Phyllis Godwin, Chair of Granite City Electric in Quincy said the Jordan’s Furniture family’s concept of “get the idea and then find a way to get the money to move forward with the idea” is what resonated with her the most.

“Like Jordan’s, we started out small and are now a New England brand,” said Godwin, in reference to her family-owned business.  “Knowing how to differentiate your self from the competition is a key element to business success; Barry’s remarks underscored and validated that what we are doing in our business works.”

“I was struck by his advice to romance the customer – get the smile,” said Laurie Kirk, CEO and founder of The Board Forum. “One word he used over and over was – trust. And Barry reinforced that everything you do must tie into your image – from your ads to the moment a customer walks into your store, or does business with you. Image, reason to buy and trust - brings the customers in.” 

Kirk noted, “He was incredibly creative and strategic by combining the furniture and entertainment industries with the goal of providing fun for his customers. The result, they sell more furniture per square foot than any furniture retailer in the nation.”

Created in 1998 by veteran business advisor Laurie Kirk to provide CEOs, business owners, and entrepreneurs a trusted sounding board on top CEO-level issues, The Board Forum® CEO Roundtable has provided strategic and immediate solutions to company decision-makers throughout the New England region. The Distinguished Speaker’s Series is one of the many benefits that members of The Board Forum CEO Roundtable receive – “having industry leaders like Barry Tatelman come before us to share their stories for success is an inspiration for all” said Kirk.
 
For more information on The Board Forum® contact Laurie Kirk at 781-585-5180 or by e-mail, lkirk@theboardforum.com .

About Laurie Kirk

Laurie Kirk brings more than 30 years experience with leading Fortune 500 companies in strategic planning and implementation, organizational effectiveness and business development.  She founded The Board Forum CEO Roundtable in 1998.  Previously, she was the Manager of Strategic Planning and Forecasting for the Gillette Company.  She has been featured in the Boston Globe, Patriot Ledger, and the Boston Herald and in 2001 was a weekly commentator on Bloomberg’s Finance AM Talk Radio Program.

She has published articles in The Journal of Business Forecasting on leadership and organizational change, and led a seminar “Achieve a Competitive Edge,” which received the “Best Bet” from the Boston Business Journal.  She was selected for the “Successful Practices Benchmarking Project” by the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.