HNI Monday announced the retirement of Kevin Stark, Vice President of Design for HNI Contract Furniture Group, which includes Allsteel, Gunlocke, Paoli and HBF. For the last three years, Stark has acted as design consultant on all four brands. Prior to that, he had spent 30 years with HBF, serving as President of the brand from 2011 until 2014, when he assumed his present position. HBF was acquired by HNI Corporation in 2008.
“Kevin was a major reason why we purchased HBF,” said Jeffrey Lorenger, Executive Vice President and President of HNI Contract Furniture Group. “By bringing him to HNI, we gained access to one of the most gifted furniture designers and design-team leaders of his generation. He not only brought a comprehensive portfolio of superbly realized HBF furniture with him, but also provided all our group brands with his unrivaled experience in the development of new products and the art of recruiting and retaining first-rate design partners, be they seasoned veterans or emerging talents. We will sorely miss day-to-day contact with his ceaseless creativity, sage counsel and quiet authority.”
Born in upstate New York, Stark earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the College at Brockport (S.U.N.Y.), where he studied with art-furniture legend Wendell Castle, and a master's degree in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He began his career as an instructor at Syracuse University, while creating sculptural furniture that was exhibited at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo and other regional museums. To further his furniture-making skills, he enrolled in the Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating in 1981 with an M.F.A. degree in furniture design and woodworking.
Stark joined HBF in 1986 as Product Development Manager, rising to Vice President of Design in 1994 before becoming President in 2011. In addition to overseeing all design development and branding strategy at HBF, he also designed more than 25 products in his own right, six of which won Best of NeoCon awards, including his Eiffel Table Series, Canterbury Chair, Cadre Executive Conference Series, and Carlyle Chair and Barstool Collection. As Vice President of Design for HNI Contract Group, he acted as a design consultant to all its constituent brands, not only evaluating new and ongoing projects in development but also introducing and recommending design partners to the group.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of my career is to have had the opportunity to work closely with a diverse and talented group of designers such as Barbara Barry, Michael Vanderbyl, Yves Behar, Robert A.M. Stern and Todd Bracher, to name just a few,” said Stark. “Recruiting and establishing ongoing relationships with such distinguished design partners has been made easier by the knowledge that HNI will extend them the same support, loyalty and opportunities it has always shown me. It is a great company with great people who go about their business with humility, integrity and dignity. As I retire, I'd like to thank all of the HNI members I've had the pleasure to work with and Jeff Lorenger, in particular, for his leadership and support.”