Timberlake unveils deal to manufacture his furniture in U.S.

<p>Artist Bob Timberlake unveiled plans Monday to resume production of his original furniture collection in Lexington, ending months of uncertainty about the popular line.</p><p>Timberlake has partnered with Kepley-Frank Hardwood Company Inc. and Lexington Home Brands to produce the furniture at the plant where the collection had been made for years, the North Carolina artist said. Lexington Home Brands stopped making the line and closed the factory in December, after Timberlake refused to give the company permission to move production overseas.</p><p>"It all worked because we wanted it to work. It worked because their crowd wanted it to work and so did my crowd," said Timberlake, whose family has been in the furniture business in the Lexington area for generations. "I hope it serves as a small diverting of that big ol' boat sitting offshore. Maybe it will knock it off path just a little bit."</p><p>Under the deal announced Monday, Linwood Furniture Inc., a new company created by the partnership, will have an exclusive contract with Lexington Home Brands to produce the line. Lexington, which produced an estimated $70 million worth of Timberlake furniture in 2002, the most recent year for which sales figures are available, will market and sell the furniture.</p><p>"It's not very often in your career when you get to see the passions and the vision and the values of people coming together in one place," said Bob Stec, chief executive of privately held Lexington Home Brands. "I think they will do things here a lot different than has ever been done before."</p><p>Linwood Furniture took possession of the plant last week and will begin production of the Timberlake line Tuesday with the 27 workers it has already hired and it immediately plans to hire more, said Jim Kepley, owner of Kepley-Frank.</p><p>"We can't wait to get started," Kepley said Monday during a news conference on the front lawn of the plant. "We accomplished something and we feel very positive about it. We were able to keep jobs right here in the U.S. and in Davidson County."</p><p>With economic incentives from the city and Davidson County, Linwood plans to invest more than $5 million in the plant, he said. Plans call for hiring up to 200 workers over the next 18 months, he said.</p><p>According to Kepley, the partnership grew out of his interest in buying the plant to dry lumber. During the negotiations, he said, Lexington Home Brands officials discussed the possibility of Kepley's company taking over production of the Timberlake furniture.</p><p>Timberlake's connection to Lexington Home Brands goes back 15 years, when he was one of the first celebrities to attach his name to a furniture line. More recently, he has approved plans for the company to introduce lower-priced furniture that include some imported pieces.</p><p>But Timberlake refused to budge on his original line, saying quality would be compromised if it was made outside of the United States. The artist and Lexington Home Brands reached an impasse during negotiations last fall.</p><p>Timberlake said he had no regrets about his decision.</p><p>"Sometimes it's hard to take a stand and do the right thing," he said. "I'm happy everything worked out for the best."</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x1d022c8)</p><p>HASH(0x1d02304)</p>

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