Lorenzo Marquez, President of Marqet Group, will assume a second term as Chairman of the Board for 2018.

 

NKBA’s 2018 Board of Directors and officers has been named, and will officially take their new roles on Jan. 1 and attend their first meeting at KBIS, Jan. 9 -11 in Orlando. The nine volunteer members hail from across all facets of the kitchen and bath industry and will work with NKBA Chief Executive Officer Bill Darcy to guide the organization through 2018.

The new Board will again be led by Chairman Lorenzo Marquez, President of Marqet Group, who will serve a second term in that role. Vice Chair is Emilee Chappell, Director of Marketing for TOTO Americas, and Secretary/Treasurer is Steve Joseph, CEO and co-founder of Smart Home Products Inc.

Board members include Neil Bailey, President of Smallbone of Devizes; Patricia Davis Brown, CKBD, Owner of Patricia Davis Brown LLC; Young Huh, owner of Young Huh Interiors; Allison Lowrie, Chief Marketing Officer of HomeAdvisor; Michael Mahan, Business Development and Strategic Growth Leader at GE Appliances, and Steve Petock, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Ferguson.

“We’re delighted to welcome our new board, with many returning executives and a couple of new faces,” said Darcy. “The unique blend of industry sectors and operational functions from which they hail makes this board uniquely suited to helping us direct the association in the year ahead. We look forward to working with them in our pursuit of growing our membership, marketplace and brand awareness, improving our certification and professional development programs, and enhancing overall benefits to our membership.”

The association welcomes new board members Allison Lowrie and Michael Mahan, while Emilee Chappell and Steve Joseph are new in their officer roles. Chris Terrill, CEO of HomeAdvisor, who served as Vice Chair, and Mark Kovich, Executive Vice President for Canyon Creek Cabinets, who served as Secretary/Treasurer, are both stepping down from the board, and the NKBA thanks them for their service to the association and the industry.

OFFICERS:

Chairman – Lorenzo Marquez, President, Marqet Group

Lorenzo Marquez is President of Marqet Group, a full-service marketing agency specializing in the design and construction industry. In his role, he supports manufacturers and trade partners in developing campaigns to increase market share through public relations, advertising, merchandising and digital strategies.  He is also an executive member of The Rockheads Group, a private surface fabrication network that represents independent stone fabrication businesses across North America. His previous experience includes working for Cosentino North America, where he served as Vice President of Marketing for 10 years. He has been on the NKBA Board of Directors since 2013, after serving on the KBIS Council for three years.  He received a degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of Houston, is married with five children and resides in Houston.

Vice Chair — Emilee Chappell, Director of Marketing, TOTO USA Inc.

Emilee Chappell is Director of Marketing for TOTO Americas, one of the world’s largest plumbing manufacturers and a leader in performance design and innovation. Emilee is responsible for TOTO’s overall marketing strategies and oversees the implementation of its integrated marketing, advertising and public relations activities.  She graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and has been with TOTO and active in the kitchen and bath industry for more than 13 years. She has served as both the Chair and a Board Representative for the NKBA KBIS Advisory Council.

Secretary/Treasurer — Steve Joseph, CEO and co-founder of Smart Home Products Inc.

Steve Joseph is CEO and co-founder of Smart Home Products Inc., an international kitchen appliance sourcing, sales and service solutions company.  He is passionate about helping homeowners cook better through innovations in the kitchen. In addition to supplying high-quality kitchen appliances and components, Smart Home Products works with appliance brands around the world to design and develop innovative new appliances, integrate IoT connected kitchen technologies, and sell to distributors, retailers and builders. Smart Home Products also owns and licenses a portfolio of historic American appliance trademarks. Prior to Smart Home, Steve was president of Dacor, a manufacturer and distributor of luxury kitchen appliances.  At Dacor, Steve led the design, development and sourcing of many industry-leading appliances, including the world’s first smart, connected ovens and ranges, winning Best in Show KBIS and Best of CES Home in 2014.  He has a B.S. in Business Management from Pepperdine University. 

 

BOARD MEMBERS:

 

Neil Bailey, President, Smallbone of Devizes

Neil Bailey is President of award-winning luxury British furniture maker Smallbone of Devizes, the global authority on bespoke fitted cabinetry, where he develops the retail, dealer and project business across North America. Bailey joined Smallbone in 2016, following a successful year that saw parent company Canburg win the “Emerging International Brand” award at The Sunday Times HSBC International Fast Track 200 Awards, and rank 18th out of 200 private UK companies for export growth. Previously, Bailey was President and CEO of Poggenpohl U.S. and Canada, and before that, was managing director for Poggenpohl Group UK and Ireland. Through acquisition and development, Bailey helped grow the UK network into one of the company’s most successful globally. His career spanned more than 25 years in sales and retail management in the European home improvement industry before he moved to the U.S.

 

Patricia Davis Brown, CKBD, Patricia Davis Brown Designs, LLC

Patricia Davis Brown is an award-winning interior designer whose work has been featured in Florida Architecture, Traditional Homes & Design, Florida Design, Qualified Remodeler Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens Kitchen and Bath Ideas, The Wall Street Journal and Consumer Reports. She began her career in the kitchen and bath industry in 1985, and formed her own design studio, Patricia Davis Brown Fine Cabinetry Inc., in 1992, specializing in residential and commercial interior design and remodels, lighting design, universal design and custom furniture. In 2010, Patricia opened a full design firm, Patricia Davis Brown Designs, for whole house and commercial projects. She also authors a national design blog, DigThisDesign.net, and has consulted for companies including American Standard, Delta Faucets and Kohler, among others.

 

Young Huh, Principal and Founder, Young Huh Interiors

Young Huh is principal and founder of Young Huh Interiors, a full-service design firm specializing in residential and commercial interiors. Based in New York City, the firm continues to grow, expanding its original repertoire of residential interiors to include larger commercial projects, and has been published in House Beautiful and Westchester Cottages & Gardens. In 2011, Young was honored with the Innovation in Design Award for Interior Design by Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, and was selected as one of the new designers to join the prestigious 2014 Kips Bay Decorator Show. In addition to her design practice, she co-founded the blog “Les Design Nerdes” with Audrey Margarite.

Allison Lowrie, Chief Marketing Officer, HomeAdvisor

Allison Lowrie joined HomeAdvisor in 2010 and was named Chief Marketing Officer in 2015. Lowrie specializes in brand management, customer acquisition, communications and marketing intelligence. Prior to joining HomeAdvisor, Lowrie acted as the Director of Advertising Products at Cars.com for nearly six years. During this time, she led the rapid growth of the company’s on-site advertising products and launched its yield management practice. Lowrie previously worked at Boston.com and Arnold Worldwide. Lowrie serves on the Home Improvement Research Institute Board of Directors and Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies committee.

Michael Mahan, Business Development and Strategic Growth Leader, GE Appliances

Michael Mahan is Business Development and Strategic Growth Leader for GE Appliances, a unit of Haier, a $7 billion business headquartered in Louisville, Ky. Michael leads the team responsible GE Appliances’ portfolio optimization strategy and growth through mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, joint ventures, technology acquisitions, alliances and divestitures. In 2010, Michael was named General Manager for EV Infrastructure, where he led the global team responsible for designing, marketing, and commercializing GE’s new WattStation electric vehicle chargers. He transitioned to GE Appliances to lead its premium Monogram brand team in 2012, developing the long-term business strategy for Monogram while leading marketing and product initiatives. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. He lives in Louisville with his wife and son.

 

Steve Petock, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Ferguson

Steve Petock is Senior Vice President of Business Development for Ferguson, the largest distributor of residential and commercial plumbing supplies in the U.S., where he is responsible for the business development and strategic direction of the company’s multiple business segments. Steve has more than 35 years of experience working in sales and management for the kitchen and bath industry. A Virginia native, he graduated from Roanoke College and throughout his career, he has attended Executive Development programs at Stanford University, Harvard Business School, Duke University, the Darden School of Business and International Institute of Management Development in Switzerland.

 

Leadership Recruitment Committee

 

Michael Juby
Director, Strategic Partnerships
Sears Holdings

Brian Pagel
Vice President
Emerald Expositions

John Petrie
Owner
Mother Hubbard’s Custom Cabinetry LLC

Rikka Brandon
President & Chief Executive Recruiter
Building Gurus

Sherry Qualls
President
White Good & Co Advertising

 

Chapter Leadership Committee

Adam Gibson, CMKBD
President
Adam Gibson Design, LLC

Linda Johnston-Panattoni, CKD
Owner/Designer
Panattoni Interiors

Melissa Helvey
Owner – Principal Designer
Crafted Kitchen Design

Kirsten Gable
Kitchen & Bath Design Assistant
Anthony Wilder Design Build

Roseann Freitas
Vice President
Archipelago Hawaii

 

KBIS Exhibitor Committee

 

Rudi Bruno
CBU- Internal Business Consultant
Cosentino North America

Kathryn Constantine
Vice President
Brown Wood, Inc.

Rob Jenkins
Director of OEM Sales & Marketing
Rev-A-Shelf

Paul Smith
President/CEO
Häfele America Co.

Elisabeth Sutton
Director – Wholesale Channel Marketing
Kohler Co.