Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture has been selected as the 2008 winner of the Massachusetts Family Business Award for businesses with more than 250 employees.  The Massachusetts Family Business Awards were created to recognize the achievements of the top family owned companies in Massachusetts for their excellence in business, innovation, and contributions to the community.  The awards program was developed by Northeastern University Center for Family Business; the Family Firm Institute, New England Chapter; and family businesses across the state.

“It is an honor to receive this important award. Even as we have grown, our focus has been on retaining that strong sense of family and commitment to family values that has been the hallmark of our company over the years,” said Bernie Rubin, chairman and co-founder of Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture.  “We will work hard to continue to earn the respect and admiration of every person who comes in contact with our company and to live up to the ideals that are represented in winning this award.”

The award that Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture received was named in honor of Paul Karofsky, the founding executive of the Northeastern University Center for Family Business and current member of the Center’s Leadership Development Forum.  Awards were also given in two other categories, the Ed Tarlow Award to businesses with 50 to 250 employees, and the Marshall Paisner award to businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Based in Norton, MA, Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture is the largest privately owned furniture retailer in Massachusetts.  The family run business has six stores in New England: Braintree, MA; Hyannis, MA; Nashua, NH; Raynham, MA; Saugus, MA; and Westboro, MA.  Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture received the prestigious Better Business Bureau Local Torch Award for Excellence, in 2007 and 2004, which is given to companies that embody the highest ethical standards.  In 2002, the company was named “Retailer of the Year” by the National Home Furnishings Association, which is the highest honor in the retail home furnishings industry.  The company ranks 69 among the Top 100 furniture stores in the country according to Furniture/Today magazine.

Norton, MA, April 25, 2007 – Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture has been selected as a winner of the seventh annual Better Business Bureau Local Torch Award for Excellence.  The Torch Award honors remarkable businesses committed to promoting ethical business practices.  A panel of judges selected a winning company in each of four categories based on a number of criteria including their high standards of excellence towards customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and the communities in which they do business, and their reputation for ethical practices in the marketplace.  Bernie & Phyl’s won in category III, companies with 100-999 employees.  The company was also the recipient of the 2004 Local Torch Award for Excellence.

“The competition was very tight this year,” said Kevin J. Sanders, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau, Inc. Serving Eastern MA, ME, and VT.  “These four Torch Award winners exemplify exceedingly high standards of business practices, truthful sales and advertising, and a reputation for noteworthy contributions to their industries and the communities in which they do business.”

“We are thrilled to be named a winner again of the Local Torch Award for Excellence,” said Bernie Rubin, co-founder and chairman of Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture.  “We work hard every day to represent the best that our industry has to offer, and it is wonderful to have our dedication to ethical business practices and high standards of excellence towards our customers, business suppliers, and employees recognized through this award.”
The awards will be presented to the winners at individual ceremonies.  Winners are entered in the Council of Better Business Bureau’s International Torch Award competition.  The other winners of the 2007 award are: Category I (1-10 employees) Luxbrush Painting Co., Inc; Category II (11-99 employees) The Wolfington Group, Inc.; and Category IV (1,000 plus employees) Sun Life Financial.

Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture is one of the largest furniture retailers in New England.  In 2002, the company was named “Retailer of the Year” by the National Home Furnishings Association, which is the highest honor in the retail home furnishings industry.  Based in Norton, MA, Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture has six stores in New England: Braintree, MA; Nashua, NH; Raynham, MA; Saugus, MA; Westboro, MA; and Weymouth, MA.

Norton, MA, June 15, 2005 — Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture recently received the first Champions of Mentoring Award from Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP) for their commitment to expanding high-quality youth mentoring throughout Massachusetts. Bernie & Phyl’s has sponsored National Mentoring Month for the past four years, including funding MMP’s public service campaign. Bernie and Phyllis Rubin, co-founders of Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture, accepted the award at the first Annual Champions of Mentoring Breakfast, which was held at Fenway Park and co-hosted by the Boston Red Sox. Pictured from left to right: Terry Francona, Manager of the Boston Red Sox; David Shapiro, Chief Executive Officer of Mass Mentoring Partnership; Phyllis and Bernie Rubin; Larry Rubin, President of Bernie & Phyl’s; and Rob Rubin, President of Merchandising and Marketing for Bernie & Phyl’s.

Norton, MA, June 1, 2005 — Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture, one of the fastest growing furniture retailers in the country with six stores in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire, has made the list of Top 100 U.S. Furniture Stores for the sixth year in a row.  The exclusive list is compiled by Furniture/Today, the industry’s leading trade publication.  Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture has moved up the list to number 61 with $105.8 million in sales for the year 2004, representing a 21.6 percent increase in sales over the previous year.  The company’s impressive 21.6 percent sales gain was the sixth highest in the country.  Bernie & Phyl’s was number 70 on the list last year with $87 million in sales.

Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture also made Furniture/Today’s Top 10 lists in the important “sales per square foot” category and “average stock turns” category.  The company has made both of the Top 10 lists – a remarkable feat – for the past six years.  Bernie & Phyl’s was number ten in the category of sales per square foot and number five in the average stock turns category this year.  They were one of only four retailers from the Top 100 to appear on both of these lists.

“We started out on this prestigious list six years ago at number 100 and have moved up almost 40 spots since then, which is a major accomplishment,” said Bernie Rubin, chairman and co-founder of Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture.  “This past year, we attained another important benchmark in our company’s history – exceeding the $100 million sales mark for the first time.  It is our goal to continue serving our customers at the highest levels, so that we can maintain our annual double-digit growth and continue to expand our company.”

With a focus on quality furniture at great prices, the family-run business has created a highly successful niche in a very competitive marketplace.  In 2004, Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture purchased a prominent 3.5-acre site in Braintree, where they opened a 50,000 s/f store in February 2005.  In 2003, the retailer bought and opened a 55,000 s/f store in Raynham and doubled the size of its Nashua superstore to 86,000 s/f – all part of the company’s ambitious expansion plans.

Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture is one of the largest furniture retailers in New England with seven stores throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  Based in Norton, MA, the company has large stores in Braintree, MA (50,000 s/f), Raynham, MA (55,000 s/f), Saugus, MA (50,000 s/f), Westboro, MA (50,000 s/f), and Nashua, NH (86,000 s/f).  The company also has Bedding and Clearance Centers in Everett and Weymouth, MA.  Bernie & Phyl’s was named the 2002 Retailer of the Year by the National Home Furnishings Association, the highest honor in the furniture industry, and the 2004 winner of the Better Business Bureau’s Local Torch Award for Excellence.

Norton, MA, June 22, 2004 — Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture recently received the coveted Local Torch Award for Excellence from the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern MA, ME and VT (BBB). The BBB Torch Award honors remarkable businesses committed to promoting ethical business practices. Each winning company (four are selected each year in different size categories) must consistently meet very high standards in its relationships with customers, employees, vendors/suppliers, industry peers, and the community in which it does business. Shown here receiving the award at a ceremony at their headquarters, from left to right, are: Rob Rubin, senior vice president, Robert Pepé, operations manager, Phyllis and Bernie Rubin, co-founders, Robert H. Williams, president and CEO of the BBB, and Larry Rubin, chief operating officer.