NEIL GOLDBERG

Neil Goldberg is Chairman of Raymour & Flanigan the largest furniture and mattress retailer in the Northeast and among the Top 10 nationwide. Under his leadership since 1982, the family business has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions, from three stores to 145 locations in seven states. Recognizing the explosion of off-price retail, the company launched the Raymour & Flanigan Outlet stores to attract new customers to the brand by offering value-oriented products. The organization also includes a real estate portfolio of stores, shopping centers, warehouses and office buildings – all the while continuing to operate like a small company.

 Mr. Goldberg, with family members spanning three generations, has created a loyal culture of teamwork, with a relentless focus on leveraging operational excellence to enhance the customer shopping experience. Driven by the mission statement, “Treat our people well and they will treat our customers well,” the Top 10 retailer has achieved the designation as A Great Place to Work® company.

 Raymour & Flanigan launched an in-house Leadership Development Institute in 2007 as an ongoing vehicle for idea generation, training, and developing leaders from within the company in order to support its expanding, multi-state operations. Based on the philosophy that the real boss is the customer, its 6,500 employees are empowered with the responsibility to “own the shopping experience” as the customer’s contact with the company. Taking a disciplined approach to inventory management, logistics and operations, Raymour & Flanigan delivers 98 percent of its merchandise in three days or less, seven days a week.

Mr. Goldberg has been active with the Home Furnishings Association, American Home Furnishings Alliance and American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Board of Directors. Honors include the City of Hope Spirit of Life award, the Anti-Defamation League American Heritage Award and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.