The John Richard Collection Greenwood company is a well-kept secret in the Delta, but that may soon changeBY HUGH D. PALMER Delta Business Journal Driving through Greenwood's industrial park is no different than driving through any industrial park in the state. It is a familiar scene with one warehouse after another. Winding and turning through the park one finally finds his way to the last warehouse at the end of a desolate street. Although this setting doesn't sound very glamorous, this particular warehouse is a little different, for this 190,000 square foot facility houses The John Richard Collection. This home accent company provides upscale home furnishings to buyers around the world. The quality and craftsmanship is astounding and the company can barely produce enough items to keep up with the demand. "In this facility we have about 260 employees and we manufacture a lighting line with about 2,000 pieces of lighting, table lamps, floor lamps, and chandeliers," says Alex Malouf, president and owner. "Our wall decor line is very extensive, consisting of over 2,000 pieces. Completing this is our mirror line and our home accessory line which consists of everything from dining tables to wall sconces. Together we manufacture over 7,000 items." Malouf markets to high-end furniture stores, department stores, catalog companies and interior designers. His customers range from Neiman Marcus in Dallas to Harrod's in London and American Home in Kuwait. The company conducts business with most high-end home furnishing stores in the U.S. and they presently have 3,300 active dealers. The John Richard Collection, according to Malouf, is a design firm first. Seven designers are on staff with Corinne Casanova of Cleveland, Vice-President of Design, constantly traveling to the company's plant in Mexico and to offshore vendors. The company has opened their own office in Delhi, India and they also maintain agents in China and other Asian countries. Their showroom in High Point, North Carolina has grown from 2,500 sq. ft. to 13,000 sq. ft. Marketing The John Richard Collection is one of the company's primary goals. This effort is headed by Jim Becker who has placed their product line not only in the top stores in America, but in the most prestigious stores in many foreign countries. "Alexander & Mary, our new furniture plant in Mexico City, will begin shipping its first containers of French and English fine furniture in November," says Malouf. "We have great plans for this division and are building a center in Itta Bena to receive and distribute this product. We also are including an upholstery and wood finishing department in this plant for other product lines." Bottom line: Malouf has built one of the most successful manufacturing companies in the state - make that the Southeast. Malouf has lived in Greenwood all of his 56 years, and grew up around the furniture business. At age 20, after completing three years at Ole Miss, he went to work at his parent's furniture store. After marrying and starting a family of his own, Malouf realized that in order to make the money he needed to support his family, he would have to make a change. In 1971, Malouf purchased his father's interest in their business and built a new 30,000 square foot store on Highway 82 in Greenwood. Malouf began establishing other businesses and founded The John Richard Investment Company with partner Allen Wood, also of Greenwood. This company built and financed homes, paving the way for the creation of The John Richard Collection Ð Malouf's response to the limitations of the wall art market of the '70s. Wood is still a partner in the company today. "Back in those days we at Malouf Furniture Company were not getting good wall products, so Allen Wood and I got into the picture business in order to have some good wall products," said Malouf. Malouf and Wood later started a home burglar alarm company after reading about the idea in a franchise catalog. The two obtained the franchise rights for the state of Mississippi and this company later became known as Scientific Telecom. It eventually evolved into a telephone equipment company, which Wood owns today. "Our business relationship started back in 1965," said Wood. "We all had various jobs and were looking for other opportunities. One night Alex stopped by my house and asked if I wanted to invest with him and another man in something they were already working on and said that it would cost $525.00. I called the bank the next day and I had $537.00 in my savings account and that started my ventures with Alex." In mid-1984, Malouf sold his interest in Scientific Telecom to Wood, bought Wood's interest in The John Richard Collection and jumped into the manufacturing business. But for all of Malouf's hard work and good decision making, tragedy struck in 1990 when The John Richard Collection burned to the ground. Malouf and his wife quickly got organized to rebuild the facility. Suppliers from as far away as Europe dedicated their production to help Malouf create market samples and inventory for his devastated company. During this tragedy, the company was only insured at one-third of its value. In another interview, Malouf said: "The State of Mississippi agreed to issue bonds for me and the local banks backed the bonds. With the support of a worldwide network of friends, we were able to get to market by the skin of our teeth." The company got back on it's feet and fully recovered. Malouf will soon build a chair and pillow manufacturing plant in Itta Bena. Construction is scheduled to begin in November and other announcements will be forthcoming. When asked how he was able to build such a successful company, Malouf responds, "In the early days of the company, we had only three people working. I built a little building behind Malouf Furniture Company and had a small showroom in High Point and we have taken it from a small company with a few employees to a fast growing company with about 350 employees. We have growth of 15% per year." Indeed. Two years ago The John Richard Collection won the Outstanding Wall Decor Line in the United States. Recipients of this award are chosen not as the largest producer, but for being the most innovative. And what about Malouf's first business venture, Malouf Furniture? It's quickly becoming a wholesale outlet for The John Richard Collection product line. "Alex has done a remarkable job with that company," says former John Richard Collection partner Allen Wood, who has led Scientific Telecom to become quite a successful company as well. "He is a wonderful person and is well deserving of his success." DBJ

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