Walter E. SMITHE: Employee Directory | ZoomInfo.com Colleen loved being able to point out that her dad and uncles, Mark and Tim, brainstormed and executed the ideas themselves. The spot showed the brothers at a news conference announcing that they had purchased Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, with plans to rename it Walter E. Smithe Field. So I'm speaking, and they're half listening, you know. Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86, his family said. "It's a big responsibility. The Smithe family announced that their patriarch died this past Sunday with his wife of 64 years, Florence Flynn Smithe, by his side. Ellen is very serious about design and had a definite voice in what this modern-rustic-meets-farmhouse collection would be. But one by one, they followed Maureen's lead and rejoined the family business.
Walter E. Smithe ads, famous for their jingle, now featuring next Chicago Parent, as a Zoe Communications Group company, is certified as a Womens Business Enterprise by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nations largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women. As their father, the company president, has told customers for decades, Life is too short to sit on uncomfortable furniture.. - The Victory Auto Wreckers guy: Almost every night since 1981, on some channel, Bob Zajdel has barely escaped injury when the driver's door fell off his old Chevy. Holly Hunt (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Ste. Customers were more concerned with what we were selling versus the people who were selling it, she adds. The Smithe brothers commercials Chicagoans are used to were great for getting the Walter E. Smithe name out, but the new ads put the focus back on the furniture and design services, said Meghan Smithe. I think people felt sorry for me, assuming that I wasnt getting any sleep and having to come to work every day, says Maureen. "We're custom, so we can create everything, but we need to get the right mix out there to give people ideas," said Meghan Smithe, the company's director of marketing. Find employees, official website, emails, phone numbers, revenue, employee headcount, social accounts, and anything related to Walter E. Smithe Furniture. "And they've been able to personalize a retail chain through the use of the brothers. They can really do great things. "And there's 10 televisions, all tuned to the same station. Since 1945, the company has established itself as a reliable family-run retailer, with the second- and third-generation Smithe men at the helm. ". ("You should keep that hat on for about three weeks. Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design is a family-owned furniture retailer, founded right here in Chicago, back in 1945. Bloomingdale Plaza.
Walter E. Smithe III, the company's president, and his four beautiful Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta, Room Request: Four Seasons Hotel Bogota Casa Medina, New Restaurants and Bars in New York City, Clare V., Mulberry and More New Retail Openings in NYC, Tony Robbins Challenge to Provide 1 Billion Meals Nears its Goal, Get behind-the-scenes pictures on Instagram. Walter Smithe, president of the furniture company named for his grandfather, is flanked by daughters, Maureen, left, and Caitie on March 21, 2017, as theywatch his other daughters Colleen, far left, and Meghan play pingpong at the Walter E. Smithe furniture store in Oak Brook. But now a new generationsisters Meghan, Colleen, Maureen, and Caitie Smitheis shaking things up in a big way.
Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture, dies at 86 You may have noticed a change lately in those Walter E. Smithe . The slogans "You dream it, we build it", or "That's Smithe, with an E" are commonly used. Caitie was a manufacturers' representative before becoming a stay-at-home mom. And it's those commercials, always informative and usually silly, that have the Smithe brothers walking in the footsteps of Linn Burton and the Empire Carpet Guy as Chicago TV commercial icons. I only hear them on the radio. (Last year, Walter E. Smithe resurrected the 1950s-era cartoon that was a holiday staple on WGN-Ch. They were each only a year apart, at one point covering all four grade levels at Barrington High School.
Meet The Walter E. Smithe Furniture Sisters - Luxe - Design In the late '60s, the growing family -- there are also four sisters, Cindy, Margie and twins Hope and Amy, none of whom is involved in the family business -- moved to a slightly larger home in Park Ridge. Bringing new and various textures into a room can take it from plain and lacking in interest to exciting and memorable. E. Smithe sisters Caitie, Colleen, Meghan and Maureen were introduced to the business at a young age. "If our specialties fit those needs, then we were invited to have a conversation and explore the opportunity, but it was never a demand placed on us.". "As needs within the business grew, positions opened up organically," Maureen said. Even if you weren't sure that Walt, Tim and Mark Smithe were brothers -- yep, those Smithe brothers, of "Walter E. Smithe, you dream it, we build it" fame -- their banter at a recent commercial shoot was a dead giveaway. walter e smithe. How, they wondered, would longtime customers respond to four new female faces on their television screens? Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. Press J to jump to the feed. The new generation of Smithes are featured in the company's new advertising. It stuck in your head. What she does: I make spaces beautiful for clients homes, our catalogs and showrooms, and play couples therapist for clients who cant agree on a sofa.. In one of their most memorable ads, the four women get into a food fight -- spaghetti and red wine included -- and seemingly destroy a bright white couch, which is then scrubbed clean. People are buying a look, but they want it to feel curated and personal., Its up to Maureen and Caitie to monitor the market, make sure the showroom reflects current palettes, while staying a few steps ahead of what is currently trending. While they took breaks from the biz to make their own way after college, each came back when the right positions opened up. While it may not be usable 365 days a year, the days that your outdoor space are in fact usable should be embraced. Her sisters had fallen into their own specialties and were pursuing different paths at the time. While we still have traditional pieces, our showroom appeals to a number of different lifestyles.
A family affair: How four sisters are bringing a 75-year-old store into We not only respect this, we embrace it.. ", Says Tim Smithe, "Pop culture is always changing and so are we.". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_E._Smithe.
Smithe Parker leads Walter E. Smithe advertising Thats fast, but it shows what we can do. and became working moms in different industries. His sons, Walter, Tim, and Mark, joined the company in the 1970s and 1980s. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. A 2005 advertisement showed Mark and Tim Smithe dueling with CGI-enhanced lamps in an homage to the lightsaber duels of the Star Wars films. Visit Website (opens in new window) Walter E. Smithe. "You think a huge corporation is going to have pencil pushers and button touchers," says Lynn Hamilton, vice president of the Shirley Hamilton Agency, a Chicago talent agency. As the fourth generation to run their family-owned Chicago furniture store, Walter. - Linn Burton: He started selling appliances in Polk Bros. ads in 1953, but the majority of his 35-year TV career was spent hawking cars -- Kaisers, Frazers, Joe Rizza's Pontiacs and, most famously, Bert Weinman's Fords. The Itasca-based company has 10 locations across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, where the sisters ply their fourth-generation talents. Oct 2012 - Apr 20152 years 7 months. Born in the heart of Chicago, we're a family owned and operated local business since 1945, now four generations strong. Currently, there are 3 generations involved in the business: Walter Smithe Jr is retired, but regularly visits the showrooms.
Walter E. Smithe Furniture: Contact Details and Business Profile CHICAGO (WLS) -- Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86, his family said. My wife and I were just talking about this yesterday, we truly hate the Walter E Smithe commercials with the daughters. The best commercial -- at least the one viewers relished -- featured this grating kid getting hit in the face with a pie. How could they ensure the 75-year-old brand would be sustainable for decades to come? "They go a long way with a limited budget through the use of creativity," he says. I gave up sleep and TV, Maureen jokes. And Mark, 40, is Smithe's general counsel; he and his partner live in Lincoln Park with Petey, a 4-year-old bulldog. Walter E. Smithe, Jr. joined the business in the 1960s with his brothers Gary and Tomm, and began phasing out appliances to focus on custom upholstery. The Smithes had been encouraged to air their outtakes on television after Tim Smithe screened them at an interior design seminar and received a positive reaction from the crowd. "It's made us focus on what we do best, which is designing our clients' homes," he said. Receive a 20 percent discount on sofas, love seats, sectionals, chaises, and more at Cassona (5241 N. Clark St., cassona.com) through March 13. What The Walter E. Smithe Daughters Do . "It almost feels like the business is, in a weird way, a member of the family. While their father and grandfather are still actively involved in the day-to-day, the women have taken over the companys marketing, design, advertising and buying effortsand immediately went about altering brand perceptions. He received a Bachelor of Philosophy in Commerce from the University of Notre Dame in 1958. Later, both Tim and Mark were night managers at competing convenience stores, Tim at a 7-Eleven in Niles and Mark at a Park Ridge White Hen. Mark admonished Walt to keep his feet off the furniture.
Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Smithe Furniture, dies at 86 And they're not showbiz types. The are the Smithe sisters, Meghan, Colleen, Maureen and Caitie. "KFC dances to beat of familiar drummers". A few bucks later, the clunker is off to Victory's Bensenville lot. View a map of participating First Friday locations. - Lynn Hauldren: Who? "Staying fresh, young and relevant is how we're going to sustain the brand into the next 75 years. It was a natural fit, she said. ("Did you notice he used the wide-angle lens when he shot your [rear end]?"). Business Profile for Walter E. Smithe Furn-Itasca. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. "We wanted to entertain people first, so then when we wanted to inform them they'd already be paying attention," Tim says of their advertising philosophy. "Pam, Bill and I are always on the watch for pop culture. Unlike their brothers, they chose other careers. Not as long as they keep the commercials clever and topical, O'Neil says. Favorite design style: Clean and neutral. The campaign was inspired in part by a partnership with designer/house-flipper Jeff Lewis of the Bravo show Flipping Out. But shes quick to point out that the business is still very much a multigenerational effort, noting that their 81-year-old grandfather still regularly meets with clients.