Ryan, you are no stranger to the SA office furniture industry, give us some background on your journey before joining Entrawood.
Well, my tenure of over 20-years in the S.A. Office Furniture Industry started way back in 1991, at Waltons Stationery, and as my passion grew for the Furniture Industry, this was accelerated when I moved to a company by the name of Klein Brothers, which later became Cecil Nurse. My exposure to office furniture trends and the importance of having a good desk and chair in an office or work environment, formed the backbone of my 17-year journey and investment in Cecil Nurse. I then moved out of the Furniture Division and joined Rodlin Design, a design manufacturing company with an incredible reputation, who specialize in Auditorium and Fixed Seating Solutions, and this short 2-year venture, re-ignited my passion to veer back into the game I love, and that is Office Furniture, this time into the manufacturing and retail thereof.
When did you first cross paths with Entrawood/Entrakor?
I remember being introduced to the Company as far back as the early 90’s and have always been exposed to and followed Entrawood as a growing proudly South African family orientated concern, always backed by exceptional Service, Delivery of Quality Products, and an accessible Sales Force. I have over the years enjoyed many a success because of this fantastic Company.
I am also extremely proud to be at the helm after all these years of seeing them grow as I have, only now to be the custodian of our valued clients with a serious backing of an exceptionally strong team of knowledgeable professionals within Entrawood.
You spent some time with Wessel at the end of last year, meeting with clients and essentially taking over many of the relationships that he has built over the years. What message do you have for our clients who will be meeting and interacting with Entrawood through you in the future?
I was particularly excited about meeting the very customers who have played such an integral part in the success of the Business, and can only look back with a quick glance, as I meet and get to know our Client base, to see the part that each and every one of our valued Dealers has played in the success of Entrawood, and to continue to nurture the existing relationships and more.
To our valued Clients, I wish to be of good influence and accelerate where I can within the business and drive this right through to you, our selected loyal Dealer Network, with guiding and assisting, adding value to our differentiated product offering of not only super quick deliveries, but also backed by a firm commitment of personal service. Although my driving force is to increase sales and generate more turnover, I firmly believe that on a daily basis, we would like to be seen as a formidable force in the Industry not only by sales, but by working with a client with the end result not being by how much we can sell today, but by how I am going to help today!
What are your expectations in 2017, specifically with regards to the office furniture industry?
There will always be a demand for Office Furniture in the market place in South Africa and beyond the borders into Africa.
Although the market is still affected by Asian Imports, we strongly believe that as a proudly South African Company, with our product family all averaging on 95% local content and above, we are firmly grounded on growing the economy and playing a critical part in the S.A. Office Furniture Market.
Having shared this, our professional Design Team continues to drive the business through exposure to international trends, the understanding of the ever changing workspace, and the honing in on what people really want or desire in their work environment. I believe that with the above already in place at Entrawood, we are optimistic about the market and its future.
The demand within the office furniture industry is dependent on many a factor, including the strength of the economy, business developments, Building Expansions, and the need to update or replace office furniture in Companies with steady growth in vibrant sectors of the market place. We will go into the 2017 year with extreme confidence in our business with our intention to have an impact on the market through product innovation, as trend-setters all backed by an exceptional team of people who would love to help!
What are your hobbies and pursuits outside of the office?
I have a beautiful Family, my wife Laetitia and an 11-year old son Calum, who wants to take over the world! I also love music, and as a musician myself, I love listening to music specifically that takes you right back to an awesome memory! – I enjoy the outdoors and also love cycling.
What makes office furniture “sexy”?
I am a firm believer that if one does not evolve and change, you are going to like irrelevance even less. With this in mind, furniture must change and evolve. As we ignite the inner passion, furniture should always show off! Furniture should always entice you and draw you closer and should always stimulate the senses with comfort, feel and look! – SEXY!
If you could have a super power what might that be?
To fly?……………maybe, to save the world? From what or whom?……………maybe, or to even see into the future?
A realistic power though is to “To make a difference!” – you know, we all dream of having super powers, but having learnt that our Company feeds around 3500 hungry children on a daily basis, means the absolute world to me, and that is a super power on its own!
