“It’s a beautiful day to sell furniture.” That’s what industry veteran Andy Sokol says nearly every time I speak with him. That should tell you something about his character, and about how he plans to work in his new role as president of American Eco Living.
Sokol spent the past 10 years building Ashley Furniture’s outdoor category from the ground up, and he said he is excited to move on to the next step in his long-spanning career in the outdoor furnishings industry.
Sokol met Johnson Zhang, CEO and owner of the company, during his travels through Asia.
“I was blown away by what Johnson was creating in his factories,” Sokol said. “It was of amazing quality, and they pay great attention to detail. But Johnson was always on the manufacturing side, and he needed someone to help on the sales side. I could see his passion for making a great product and I was impressed.”
Within a short amount of time Sokol said he’s developed a strong relationship with Johnson, which he believes will help the company be competitive in the American market.
“I feel very comfortable,” Sokol said. “Quality is very important to me — I don’t want any hassles. The company has been around since the 1990s, but I’m going to teach them how to do sales my way. I’m bringing a product to market that’s more for the American market, rather than just niche, super high-end furniture with more of a European design. We’re driving more of the looks that consumers in North America want. We are gong to have an interesting merchandise mix.”
Sokol also said he’s excited that Johnson’s facilities, including a new factory located in the Philippines, can make nearly any type of product, from promotional to middle tier to high end. The company makes its own HDPE, bringing in recycled materials, grinding, dying and extruding it. This gives American Eco Living creativity to pursue a variety of ideas.
“We’re both nimble and flexible when it comes to custom orders of a reasonable quantity,” he said. “Other factories might have a problem with that, but with us, you’re buying directly from the manufacturer, so there’s no middleman. You get the customization you need and prices with no layers.”
Sokol also adds that the company is filling a need by creating middle-priced outdoor furniture, as that category has been slowly dwindling.
“Opening price points are not selling for everybody I’ve talked to,” he said. “The promotional-priced product is not being purchased by people who need to save their money for gas. But for those who want to move up a little, the middle is a better option. There are not enough products for the middle-tier customer.”
At the upcoming Casual Market, Sokol says American Eco Living will have 49 footprints of nearly all brand-new products. The showroom will have products ranging from HDPE sets to aluminum, mixed materials like rope and wicker, as well as heat-transfer material that looks and feels like wood.
Sokol adds that, though the response has been very good among the people he’s shown the collections to so far, the company will be careful with distribution. “We want people to make money,” he said.
