NEWH - March 2009 - (Page 36)

service Making a Difference Deborah Herman Romano and Cliff Tuttle receive the Recognition of Excellence Award By Alia Akkam I Above, from left: Anita Degen, Degen & Degen; Russ Walvoord, Fabricut, and one of last year’s awardees; Deborah Herman Romano; Cliff Tuttle; Jillian Van Dresser, the Van Dresser Company, and the other 2008 honoree; and Andrea Thomas, Thomas Design Source. n January, NEWH—the Hospitality Industry Network presented its Recognition of Excellence Awards in San Diego to two industry leaders: Deborah Herman Romano, president of Fabric Innovations and national sales manager for Virginia Quilting in Miami, and Cliff Tuttle, senior vice president of ForrestPerkins in San Francisco. Given to a man and a woman, NEWH asked members to nominate a member who has contributed extraordinary time and effort to the organization who has logged at least 10 years in the business, at one point held a local chapter or international board position for at least one term, and has mentored four people in the industry, as least two of whom are women. Deborah Herman Romano Herman Romano, also named 2008 South Florida Business Woman of the Year, has spent 28 years in the bedding and drapery manufacturing business. Her father owned Bedspreads of California, which supplied to the likes of Ethan Allen and Neiman Marcus. After graduating from Brigham Young University, she started working at the company while contemplating a future in law school. “From the very first day, I loved everything about manufacturing: going out on the cutting floor, reviewing quality, creating designs, picking 36 march 2009 www.newh.org tel 800.593.NEWH fabrics, choosing quilt patterns, and visiting our clients,” she explains. When did she realize a courtroom career wasn’t in the books? “My first big trade show was in High Point. We were writing orders five people deep. The hottest colors were sea foam green, mauve, and Wedgewood “ From the very first day, I loved everything about manufacturing...” blue. Sammy Finger of Finger’s Furniture in Texas gave me a $100,000 pillow order. My Dad said I was born for sales and certainly my public relations degree was immediately put to work,” she remembers. Building the company’s hospitality division, Herman Romano then traveled throughout the country meeting many of the clients she works with today at Fabric Innovations. “The No. 1 thing that I believe enhanced my career is that I stay in hotels that we provide product for; I review product six months after installation and one year after installation. I still love the part of seeing the finished product; this is what I made, this is what we do for a living,” she notes. In 1989, Herman Romano joined the NEWH/Los Angeles Founding Chapter at a young age, an era that was a turning point for females in the business. “I got to http://www.newh.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - March 2009

NEWH - March 2009
Table of Contents
Network Leaders
News
Have you Seen?
Product Know-How
Point of View
Design 101
On the Scene
Sustainability: Case Study
Sustainability: NEWH Leadership Conference
Scholarship
Service: the Recognition of Excellence Award
Cover Story: Man in the Mirror
Project: Hotel Monaco
Project: Tulalip
Project: Pinehurst
New Members
Save the Date
Partner Profiles

NEWH - March 2009