Joan Kemp
AWFS® President
Western Regional Manager, CP Adhesives, Inc.
Joan has been a member of the AWFS® Board of Directors since 1998. She has served as Vice Chair of the Social Events Committee and has chaired the College of Woodworking Knowledge® Committee, the Member Services Committee and the Trade Show Committee. Joan served as Secretary/Treasurer in 2004-05 and as the Vice President for 2006-07. Joan is currently the President of the Association and also serves on the Public Policy Committee and Trade Show Committee. She is also participating in the three “Joint Association” meetings.
Joan has worked for over thirty years in the supply side of the woodworking industry and is now the Western Regional Manager for CP Adhesives.
Joan is married to Daniel Kemp and they have three adult children. She and her husband reside in Huntington Beach, CA.
Wade Gregory
AWFS® Vice President
Sales Manager – Western Operations, Flakeboard America Ltd.
Wade joined the board in 2002, quickly becoming active in the College of Woodworking Knowledge® Committee, Member Services Committee and the Public Policy Committee, chairing that committee from 2002 through 2005 and leading the associations into an active role in forming the California Woodworking Industry Coalition dealing with formaldehyde regulatory concerns.
A third generation wood products industry member, Wade began his own wood products career over thirty years ago in a Weyerhaeuser sawmill and then moved into the plywood business with Georgia-Pacific and Boise Cascade. He entered the composite panel industry in 1976, and has since been involved in manufacturing and marketing of particleboard, hardboard, MDF, and laminated panel. He has also spent several years in research, development and marketing of wood adhesives.
Wade is currently Sales Manager – Western Operations, overseeing the sales of Particleboard, MDF, and Thermally Fused Melamine for Flakeboard Ltd, North America’s largest producer of composite panel products.
He holds a degree in Chemistry from Oregon State University, has served as Chairman of the Composite Wood Council (formerly PB/MDF Institute), and as Chairman of the Composite Panel Association.
Archie Thompson
AWFS® Secretary/Treasurer
National Sales Manager, Spectrum Adhesives
Archie was appointed to the Board in late 2000 to fill a vacant position and was then elected to a regular term of office. After serving on all three subcommittees of the Member Services Committee and chairing the PR and Communications Subcommittee, he accepted the position of Chair of the Member Services Committee in 2004 and continued to serve in that capacity through 2007 He chaired the 2009 Tradeshow Committee now serves as Secretary/Treasurer.
Archie has been in the furniture industry for 30 plus years, primarily in the adhesives sector.
Archie came into the industry by way of earning a degree in design where he concentrated on product and furniture design for lighting companies. Working with designers and engineering departments in furniture companies exposed him to varying aspects of the furniture manufacturing industry. Archie recently left Daubert Chemical Company to become the National Sale Manager for Spectrum Adhesives.
Archie resides in Olive Branch, MS and has 3 children, Jon, Justin and Chad.
Skip Hem
AWFS® Immediate Past President
Vice President, Royal Plywood Co.
Skip, was initially elected to the AWFS® Board of Directors in 1989 but had to step down before his term was completed due to business demands. He was reelected to the board in 1996. He soon became active by serving in a variety of leadership roles, chairing the Public Policy Committee, Member Services Committee, the College of Woodworking Knowledge Committee and the Trade Show Committee. He then moved through the various officer positions, serving as Secretary/Treasurer, then Vice President and finally as President of the association. He now serves as the Immediate Past President.
Skip has been in the industry for nearly four decades. After 18 years at Cal Shops Furniture Manufacturing, he built his career in the supply side of the industry at Goldenberg Plywood and Lumber which was eventually sold to US Wood Products. He continued to work for that company until it closed its doors in 2000. Hem then accepted a position at Royal Plywood where he now holds the position of Vice President of the Composite Panel Division.
Skip and his wife, Cindy, have two grown children. Skip is very involved in the city of Downey, CA where he resides. He is a member of the Optimist Club of Downey and a member of the Board of Managers of the Downey Family YMCA.
Philip Martin
2011 Tradeshow Chair
International Project Marketing, Hafele
Philip joined the Board in 2005. After serving on the Tradeshow Committee for two years, he has accepted two leadership positions in 2007, serving as Chair of the College of Woodworking Knowledge Committee and Vice-Chair of the Education Committee.
Philip has been in the industry for over three decades, starting in furniture production as Plant Manager. In 1983 he joined Hafele and has several positions which include Sales Consultant; National Sales Manager; Senior Product Manager; Director of Marketing; Senior Manager Business Development and International Project Marketing. He has been active in several other associations including the Kitchen Cabinet Manufactures Assn. (KCMA); Cabinet Makers Association (CMA); American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD); American Home Furnishings Alliance – Suppliers Division (AHFA).
Philip and his wife Elaine, reside in Trinity North Carolina
2010/11 DIRECTORS
Kevin Bedell
Sales Director – West, FXI Innovations
Kevin joined the board in 2004, and quickly stepped into a leadership role as Chair of the Public Policy Subcommittee and is now serving as the Chair of the newly reinstated Public Policy Committee. He had a long history of service with AWFS® through his prior participation on a variety of AWFS Committees, and as president of YFA (Young Furniture Associates) in 1992. Kevin has recently accepted an additional chair responsibility as the AWFS/YFA Liaison.
Kevin brings nearly 40 years of industry experience to the Board. He worked for Carpenter Co. for the first 16 years of his career and for Foamex ever since. Kevin’s affection for the industry is evident by this sentiment – “The opportunity to serve as YFA President and now an AWFS® director is certainly an honor. Serving for me is a way to give back to an industry that has been rewarding to me personally as well as my family.”
Kevin has 3 adult children & resides with his wife of 33 years, Judith, in Riverside, California.
Kevin Corder
President, The Corder Company
Kevin joined the Board in 2008. He currently serves as Vice Chairman on the Public Policy Committee.
Kevin started his career in this industry at Wood-Mizer Products in 1983 as a machinist, and left Wood-Mizer in 2009 as Vice President of the AWMV Industrial Products Division. He started the Corder Company, which specializes in supplying production machinery to sawmills and pallet manufacturers, and he is also a principle at International Wood Processing Machinery, an export sales management company. Kevin has been active in other wood industry organizations including the National Wood Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA), and the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA).
Residents of Indianapolis, Kevin and his wife Colleen have two sons and a daughter.
Tom Elliott
Manufacturer Representative for Superfici America Finishing Systems and Box on Demand Packing Systems, Tech Resource Solutions
Tom joined the board in 2006. He served on the Member Services Committee through 2007. He is now serving on the Trade Show Committee.
Tom has been in the woodworking machinery business since the mid-nineties, transitioning from selling used to new equipment. He began representing Costa & Grissom Machinery’s line of wide belt sanders in New England in the late 90’s and assumed a sales position in 2000. Tom is currently functioning as a Manufacturer Representative for Superfici America and Box on Demand - selling finishing systems and box packaging systems to the woodworking industry as well as the metal, plastic and composite component manufacturing industries.
Ed Fiantaca
President, Accurate Technology
Ed joined the board in 2008. He had been active in WMMA leadership for eleven years.
Ed has been in the woodworking industry since 1993 and knows just about every aspect of running a manufacturing company. Prior to 1993, he worked in field service, sales and sales management for a high-tech start-up company in Redmond Washington that developed, manufactured and marketed devices called In-Circuit Microprocessor Emulators. In 1992 Ed started with Accurate Technology as the VP of Sales & Marketing, becoming president in 1997. In 1998 he moved the company from Kirkland, Washington to Asheville, NC. By 2006 he purchased the company and continues to serve as its President. Ed’s son, Mike, is the General Manager. Ed’s reason for wanting to join the AWFS® Board is that he believes that he still has something to contribute to the industry. Ed lives in Asheville, NC with his wife, Jackie. He has five children – Chris, Devin, Mike, Brian and Mark.
Dan Hershberger
Distribution & Training Manager, Weinig/Holz-Her
Dan is employed with Weinig/Holz-Her working out of the home office in Mooresville, NC. Over the period of 17 years he has worked for Holz-Her he has had the opportunity to hold many positions within the organization. Currently he is the Distribution and Training Manager which is a multi-faceted position covering many areas of responsibility. One important area of responsibility is Education and Training of Holz-Her Dealers as well as Holz-Her Regional Sales Managers. Dan also has the responsibility of coordinating each of the trade shows Weinig/Holz-Her participates in throughout the year. Additionally he has a sales territory of New York and South Carolina for which he is responsible.
Prior to coming to work for Holz-Her, Dan had 14 years as a high school vocational teacher in Rock Hill, SC. The years of teaching uniquely prepared him for the opportunities he has been given with HOLZ-HER US, Inc.
Dan and his wife Carole currently reside in Rock Hill, SC.
Rob Howell
Sales Manager, SCM Group North America
Rob joined the AWFS® Board of Directors in 2008. He is currently serving as a member of the Public Policy Committee and serving as Chair of the College of Woodworking Knowledge® Committee.
Rob started his career in the woodworking industry with SCM Group North America in the early 90′s and has held several positions including Sales Engineer, Regional Manager, West Coast Sales Director and his present position. SCM Group North America is a subsidiary of SCM Group which supplies machinery and after sales support for all SCM Group brand products. Rob is a member of other associations which include the WMIA and AWI.
Rob resides in Cumming, GA with his wife Kellie, and their three children Sam, Molly and Jack.
Ralf Kramer
President, Vollmer of America Corp.
Ralf has been in the woodworking industry since 2003 when he joined Vollmer of America where he currently serves as the organization’s President. He worked in the metal industry prior to that time.
Ralf was born in Germany (which is where Vollmer International is headquartered) and grew up in the Basel area between the Black Forest and Swiss Alps. Ralf attended school in America (1993 – 1995) at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
He resides in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife, Jeanne-Marie, and their three children, 7-year-old Claire, 4-year-old Theodore and, 2-year-old Benjamin.
As a highly supportive exhibitor of AWFS®Fair, Ralf is now looking forward to contributing to the association as a volunteer.
Steve Regele
Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Blum, Inc.
Steve joined the AWFS® Board of Directors in 2008 and is currently serving on the Member Services Committee. He has been in the industry since 1970 and began his career at Ajax Hardware Mfg. Co. in the City of Industry, California, as a Product Manager.
In 1983 Steve joined Blum, Inc., in Stanley, North Carolina and today is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the US subsidiary. Steve has been active in several other industry associations. He is involved in the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) and has served on several steering committees for the North American Building Materials Association (NBMDA) for the past 13 years.
Steve and his wife Maureen reside in Charlotte, North Carolina and have three teenage daughters.
Robert Slater
Vice President, Solid Wood Technologies, Stiles Machinery, Inc.
Joining the board in 2007, Robert has been an active member of the AWFS® Trade Show Committee. He currently is serving as the Chair of the AWFS® Education Committee and formerly served in a variety of leadership positions in WMIA.
Robert started his career with Yates America Machine Co., where he worked from 1984 through 1999, serving for five years as Vice President, Sales and Marketing. He joined Weinig in 2000 and served six years as Vice President, Optimizing Products. He accepted a position with Stiles as Vice President of the Solid Wood Technologies division in July, 2006.
Robert lives with his wife, Melodee in Conover, North Carolina. They have two daughters, Carmen and Courtney.
Gene Valcke
Regional Manager, Hanes Industries
Gene has been involved with the home furnishings industry for more than 40 years, starting with a home furnishings retailer in the Detroit area while still in high school. Gene later worked for Riegel Textile Corporation, now Mount Vernon Mills, for 12 years while attending Wayne State University, pursuing a degree in Business Administration.
In 1982, he was presented with the opportunity to join Hanes when their area sales representative retired. He was the first full-time salesperson hired by Hanes to cover a territory outside of the Carolinas and called on furniture and bedding manufacturers as well as other industries, in the Midwest, and expanded their business into Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. He was transferred to California in December 1994, where he is currently the regional manager for the Hanes Fabrics Western Division.
Gene is currently serving his second 2-year term on the Consumer Advisory Council of the California Bureau of Electronics and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation. He is also serving on the Public Policy Committee of AWFS® and is a former board member of the Young Furniture Associates having served in several board positions, and finally as YFA president in 2002-2003.
