John-Richard at Jacksonville Furniture Mart

http://www.johnrichard.com

John-Richard was formed in 1980 as a sideline business to one of the largest retail furniture operations in the Mississippi Delta. The original company employed five people and was housed in a 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse. The first product was wall decor and consisted of 38 prints and was primarily hand colored engravings. The name of the company was drawn from the middle names of the original partners.

The company as it exists today, really began to take shape in 1987 when Alex Malouf became the owner. One of the original partners, Alex, had a desire to become one of the country's finest producers of framed art.

The factory burned to the ground on August 25th, 1990. All the market samples for the October show and a new line of lighting were destroyed and had to be replaced. Working out of the space one fourth the size of the factory, John-Richard rebuilt their operation and now have expanded their old 16,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility to 275,000 sq. ft. In addition to the Greenwood facility, John-Richard has offices in India, China, Indonesia, and the Phillipines with a total employment exceeding 500 people.

The success of the company is based on Alex's commitment to a strong design staff; there are nine designers involved in every aspect of the business. The company expanded into lighting in 1990, mirrors in 1991, accessories in 1992, accent furniture in 1995 and soft goods in 1999. All expansions have borrowed technologies from each other, through exposure to new materials, finishes, and resources providing a unique look to the market.