New CEO changes direction, location for Frederick Cooper

Frederick Cooper and its Tyndale division are moving to a new building with its new investor group in leadership positions.

The company, which announced plans to downsize and move earlier this year, expects to complete the move to 5750 W. Bloomingdale in Chicago, a 15-minute drive from its former Diversey Avenue address, by Sept. 1.

Chief Executive Officer Christopher Mumford and Rick Maechling, president and CFO, will run the business with a mix of new and existing managers, according to a company release. The two were part of an investors' group buyout last spring.

At press time, former vice presidents Fred Gershanov and Suzanne Lauren were focused on concluding operations at the former location, according to Mumford. Lauren said she would continue to have a consulting role after the move.

At the time of the buyout, Gershanov said the company would reduce its Chicago work force and look off-shore for products to more strongly compete. Mumford said the company has no intention of competing on price, but would focus on superlative design and product quality.

"Our goal is simple," he said. "We want to search the world for its lost arts and interpret them into illuminated art. Since 1923, Frederick Cooper is well known for its superlative design and product quality. We plan to strengthen these attributes and blend them with 21st-century business practices."

Frederick Cooper and Tyndale will introduce products more frequently by building the company's design team and committing to several global buying trips annually, Mumford said.

Frederick Cooper plans to introduce 150 products each market and showcase them in its two High Point, N.C., showrooms, Frederick Cooper in Hamilton Court and Tyndale in the fourth floor IHFC Design Center. The company expects to continue product development work with several of its licensees, including Larry Laslo, Raymond Waites, Mario Buatta and Royal Doulton.

"At the end of the day, fresh innovative design and product quality will separate us from others," Mumford said. "We serve a clientele that demands integrity of material, namely real brass instead of brass plated and real hardwood instead of resin."

Frederick Cooper also is committed to its trade customers, the high-end furniture and lighting stores as well as the designer trade. A catalog of Frederick Cooper Classics will be introduced prior to October market.

"We realize how competitive the market is, and that customers are no longer willing to wait six months to get product nor are they willing to look at old catalogs," Mumford said. "Product delivery times are expected to change from three to four months to three to four weeks while customer service is being enhanced to dramatically shorten response times. As for operations, we will be known as a plan-the-work, work-the-plan team."

The company will focus on superlative design with use of real and natural materials, solid product management with shortened delivery times and customer service. "In the end, our goal is to interpret handicrafts from global artisans into exceptional works of light," Mumford said.