Guest Brownlee Currey

1. Intro  Today we are super excited to sit down and chat with long-time friend and CEO of the infamous lighting brand Currey & Co. Brownlee Currey. Currey & Company (https://curreyandcompany.com) is a wholesale manufacturer of not only lighting but furniture and accent pieces as well. Their innovative furnishings can be found around the world in residential, contract and hospitality spaces. Celebrating their 32nd year in business, we've got lots to chat about with Brownlee. This podcast is sponsored by the one and only https://curreyandcompany.com. 2. Welcome Brownlee! A little background – I never realized that your Mom and Dad, Susan and Robert actually started the company back in 1988 as a purveyor of historic garden furnishings. Which actually makes perfect sense since we've been to their beautiful home in Sparta and walked thru the gardens. How did the business expand to lighting and furnishings and where did you jump in? 3. Your Travels Currey is headquartered in Atlanta but employs approx. 550 people throughout the U.S., the Philippines, China and India. We live vicariously thru you watching all of your unique travels on Facebook. Tell us about visiting your factories and what you do when you are there. Currey has quite a special menu of benefits you offer your employees – tell us about how you invest in your people.  4. Your Hobby – Bonsai If you are a designer and have visiting a Currey showroom especially at High Point, you will notice a beautiful and unique collection of Bonsai trees in all different shapes and sizes around the showroom.  I've never appreciated Bonsai trees until I saw how beautiful they are in your showroom. Tell us a little bit more about this passion of yours. 5. The Future Besides your incredible 16,000 sq. ft. showroom in Highpoint and your newly renovated showrooms in Dallas and Las Vegas, what else is coming down the pike for Currey? As a manufacturer and importer, what are your thoughts on the corona virus as well as tarrifs?