Klaussner® Home Furnishings will debut its new outdoor living category this September at the International Casual Furniture and Accessories Show in Chicago. The division, aptly named Klaussner Outdoor, will feature a wide variety of products geared toward the upper half of the outdoor market with offerings in good, better and best categories.

Outdoor furniture veteran Gary McCray, president of Klaussner Outdoor, originally came to Klaussner in March to begin developing the outdoor category. Bringing more than 25 years of outdoor experience to the table, McCray was formerly with Heritage Home Group where he most recently served as senior vice president of Sales, Designer Brands. Prior to this appointment, McCray was president of Lane Venture for five years culminating a tenure that spanned 34 years with the company. McCray also serves as vice chairman of the International Casual Furniture Association.

“I’m thrilled by the opportunity to bring my experience to Klaussner. We previewed a sampling of the new product at the July pre-market in Chicago and the response we received from the specialty retailers and the traditional Klaussner customer was outstanding,” said McCray. “The infrastructure has been in place all along for this new venture.  Couple that with the support of the impressive team at Klaussner and we think we’re creating something special here.”

Also joining Klaussner’s Outdoor team as its sales and merchandise manager is Teresa Buelin, former vice president of Sales and Marketing for Lane Venture. Teresa brings extensive outdoor experience and relationships with key retailers to the Klaussner Outdoor team. She will be focusing on the development of the new division’s sales force of 60 representatives servicing accounts across the globe.

“We are very pleased with how quickly we’ve been able to bring this category to the marketplace,” said Klaussner president Bill Wittenberg. “The feedback from our retail partners has been impressive. It’s great to hear how excited they are that we are adding this category to our existing portfolio of products.”

Klaussner will introduce seven collections at the Chicago Show and the new line will also show at October Market in Klaussner’s dedicated space in the Klaussner on Hamilton Building.

Headquartered in Asheboro, N.C., Klaussner Home Furnishings has grown to become one of the largest furniture companies in America with showrooms in High Point, Las Vegas and Chicago. Its comprehensive selection and divisions include: Domestic Upholstery, Imported Upholstery, Domestic Motion, Case Goods, Enso Sleep Systems, Comfort Design and Klaussner Outdoor.

www.klaussner.com