Jeremy Hoff to follow Paul Toms as Hooker Furniture CEO

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Jeremy Hoff will succeed Paul Toms as CEO of Hooker Furniture Corp. effective Jan. 31 upon Toms' planned retirement. Toms will continue as chairman of the full-line furniture importer and manufacturer.

Hoff, who joined Hooker Furniture in 2017 and currently serves as president of Hooker Legacy Brands, will become only the fourth CEO in the 96-year history of the company, and the first non-family member at the helm.

Toms, 66, is a grandson of Clyde Hooker Sr., who founded the Hooker Furniture in 1924, and has served as CEO since 2000 after joining the company in 1983 and serving in various management roles. He succeeded his uncle, Clyde Hooker Jr., who led the company from 1960 to 2000.

"In the time Jeremy has been at Hooker, he has proven to be a great leader," said Toms. "His knowledge of case goods and upholstery is deep. Jeremy is both a strategic and operationally-focused executive who can balance growing sales with being profitable. His interpersonal relationships are exceptional, and he is highly regarded by co-workers, sales reps, customers and suppliers alike. The way he relates to people and seeks their input and respects all, reminds me of Clyde Hooker Jr. Importantly, I know he values the culture that has driven so much of our success. I'm confident Jeremy and the entire leadership team will take Hooker Furniture, and all of its operating divisions, to the next level."

Hoff came to Hooker Furniture in August 2017 as president of Hooker upholstery. In May 2018, he was appointed president of both case goods and upholstery. Earlier this year, Hoff assumed his present role as president of the company's legacy brands, including Bradington-Young, Sam Moore and Shenandoah as well as Hooker.

Prior to joining Hooker, Hoff had served as president of Theodore Alexander Furniture since 2015 and before that was senior vice president of sales at A.R.T. Furniture. He also has served as a regional sales manager for Broyhill and as a manufacturer's rep for Universal, Craftmaster, Pulaski and King Hickory. Hoff began his furniture industry career with Austin, Texas-based retailer Louis Shanks, and he then served several years as a wholesale furniture sales rep.

A legacy of growth

Upon retirement, Toms will leave a legacy of growth in terms of revenue, product categories, acquisitions and channel development.

When Toms joined Hooker Furniture in 1983, the company was a mid-sized niche case goods manufacturer with approximately $50 million in annual sales. In 2000, the year he took over leadership of the company, revenue totaled $251 million. In its most recent fiscal year ended Feb. 2, Hooker Furniture posted net sales of $610.8 million and net income of $17.1 million.

In addition to organic growth under Toms' leadership, the company entered domestic upholstery manufacturing through such acquisitions as Bradington-Young, Sam Moore Furniture and Shenandoah.

Hooker Furniture made its largest acquisition in February 2016 when it closed on the purchase of multi-division sourcing major Home Meridian International, which extended an already powerful sourcing infrastructure and opened up a new retailer base and further drove Hooker's existing expansion into the online channel.

Those achievements, which made Hooker Furniture one of the country's top five U.S. furniture resources and gained listing on NASDAQ Global Select, led to Toms' induction into the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame in 2018.

"I'm grateful and humbled to be selected to lead a company with such a rich heritage and culture," said Hoff, 46. "I feel a major responsibility to carry on the legacy of Clyde Hooker, Clyde Hooker Jr. and Paul Toms, who has been an amazing mentor to me. The fact that the company has had only three CEOs, and I get to be the fourth, is a great honor."

Going forward, Hoff said his vision is to "keep our culture thriving and ensure we continue to position the company strategically in a changing market, focusing on advantaged channels, innovative products and keeping our value equation robust for all stakeholders."