Gardner-White, a furniture and mattress retailer based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, has announced three new strategic management appointments as the 108-year-old family-owned and operated company continues its growth. It currently has 12 stores in Ann Arbor, metro Detroit and Saginaw, Michigan.
Will Daughtrey has been named vice president of merchandising, Aime Fitzhugh has been promoted to president of bedding and Matt Kibler has become its first chief information officer. The announcement was made by Gardner-White President Rachel Stewart.
“As Gardner-White evolves and cements our position as an influential leader with the best team in the home furnishings industry locally and nationally, we are committed to hiring and promoting the best of the best,” Stewart said in a news release. “Will Daughtrey, Aime Fitzhugh and Matt Kibler possess proven expertise, as well as exceptional talent, strength and vision. We are proud to welcome Will to the Gardner-White family, as we also celebrate the achievements of Aime and Matt.”
Daughtrey joins Gardner-White after serving as vice president of merchandising for Kane’s Furniture in central Florida. Prior to that, he was chief merchandising officer for Standard Furniture Manufacturing. He spent 14 years at Badcock Home Furniture & More in management training and as supply chain analyst and category manager.
Fitzhugh has more than 40 years of experience in the retail furniture industry, and 24 of those years have been at Gardner-White. His promotion to president of bedding comes after playing an integral role in establishing Gardner-White as a bedding giant in Michigan, the company said.
Kibler served as Gardner-White’s e-commerce and web development coordinator starting in 2016 and became director of digital strategy at the company in 2021, with responsibilities including digital marketing strategy, enterprise integration, process automation and business intelligence. In his new role, Kibler leads all future digital transformation initiatives. Prior to joining Gardner-White, he was a web developer at Igadea LLC.
