Todd Wanek

The seeds of Todd Wanek’s passion for furniture were planted in the mid-1980s.During high school and college, Todd worked in all aspects of the business including shipping, production line, machine maintenance, product design and engineering, finance, and global sourcing.

Shortly after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Technologies, he moved to Asia to serve as the general manager of Ashley Furniture Industries Taiwan. He continued to live and work in Asia from 1989- 1993, establishing and managing Ashley Furniture Industries business development in China, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Indonesia.

Todd returned to the U.S.in 1994, spearheading the purchase of an upholstered furniture manufacturing operation in Ecru, MS. At that time he assumed responsibility for Ashley Furniture Industries upholstery production as well as the company’s growing international operations. Two years later, Todd Wanek was promoted to Ashley Furniture Industries President and Chief Operations Officer, assuming responsibility for all of Ashley Furniture Industries worldwide operations.

By 1999, Ashley Furniture Industries was a major player in almost every product category and one of the best marketers in the furniture industry. Just three years later, Todd succeeded his father to become Ashley Furniture Industries Chief Executive Officer, a position he holds today. Todd is widely considered the industry’s foremost authority on international trade, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution.

Todd, through his leadership and vision, has been responsible for Ashley Furniture Industries sustained growth since he became CEO in 2002. Staying true to Ashley Furniture Industries vision, “We want to be the best furniture company, ” Todd continues to cultivate the company’s continuous improvement culture. Todd’s passion for improving Ashley Furniture Industries operations, products, and services is unrelenting to this day, positioning the company for continued growth into the future.