(NAPSA)—The story of how one of America’s favorite chairs came to be may keep you on the edge of your seat. THEN Sit-N-Snooze, Slack-Back and Comfort Carrier. However one entry in particular—La-Z-Boy— wasthe winner. Among the company’s many industry “firsts” was the 1961 introduction of the Reclina-Rocker, a revolutionary chair that both rocked and reclined. Within a decade, the chair alone boosted convenient sleep sofas, modern modular furniture and leather upholstery, as well as stationary introduced chairs that rock, These products are sold through one of the industry’s most diverse and successful distribution networks, including freestanding La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and proprietary instore galleries, along with regional and national chains and independentfurniture dealers. Additionally, through its sub- La-Z-Boy sales from $1.1 million to $52.7 million. Since then, the company has swivel, glide, lift and even give you a massage. Other innovations have included storage for maga- zines and remote controls, built-in phones, computer modem hookups and even thermo-electric compartments that keep drinkscool. NOW sofas, love seats and chairs. sidiaries—Alexvale, American Drew, Bauhaus, Centurion, Clayton Marcus, England, Hammary, It was three-quarters of a century ago that Edward M. Knabusch HickoryMark, Kincaid, La-Z-Boy, and Edwin J. Shoemaker, two young cousins from Monroe, Mich., shook hands and decided to pursue the American Dream of starting their own business. Their company, which has since grown to be one of the world’s leading furniture producers, is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2002, along with the 75th birthday of the innovative chair that some say swept the world off its feet—the La-Z-Boy” recliner. A true American success story, the company started with a novel idea—a chair that followed the contour of a person’s body, both sitting up and leaning back. The chair was an instant hit—butit needed a name. Combining promotion with necessity, the partners held a contest. Among the submissions were such names as @ Today, the company continues to be a leading producer ofreclin- ing chairs—selling twice as many recliners as its closest competitor. In addition to reclining chairs, La-Z-Boy also markets a full line of stylish and comfortable upholstered furnishings for the living room and family room, including reclining sofas and love seats, La-Z-Boy Contract Furniture Group, Lea, Pennsylvania House, Sam Moore and American of Martinsville—the company produces upholstered furniture and case goods for every room of the home and office, as well as for the hospitality and assisted-living markets. Today, La-Z-Boy generates annual sales in excess of $2 billion and has expandedits employeeroster from two to nearly 19,000 worldwide. The company operates 51 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, and is the most recog- nized brand namein the homefur- nishings industry. The company is headquartered in Monroe, Mich. Additional infor- mation on the companyis available at www.lazboy.com or 1-800MAKE-A-HOME(1-800-625-3246).
