Paul Le - Employee Spotlight 2021 Saturday, November 27, 2021

Paul’s Journey Here:

Paul Le has been a salesperson at our New Iberia, LA location since January, 2017.

Paul first arrived to the United States in 1975 from Vietnam along with his parents, Ben and Ann, his younger sister, Lisa, and his younger brother, Tony.

Says Paul, “Living in the USA and working at Home Furniture is like living the Perfect Dream! Dreams do come true if you want it bad enough and work hard for it! This company has allowed me to fulfill this dream!”

 Joe Davis, store manager, adds, “What makes Paul Le so great is that he truly wants to help people . He opens up the customer’s mind as to what is possible . He does it every day, every week , every month and every year! He is truly a great asset to our company.”

 

What do you like best about your job?

“I love helping people and making their dreams come true as well!”

 

When Paul is not at work:

“While I enjoy travelling and sightseeing, these days occupy my spare time getting ready for the arrival of my daughter, Joli. And of course, I love spending time with my family!”

 

The ONE thing most co-workers may not know:

“That I can speak Vietnamese very fluently!”

 

Advice for anyone wishing to join our Home Furniture Team:

“Home Furniture is the best company and has the best customers. This is the best job, hands down! If you like helping people, and help them achieve their dream, this is the best job for you.”

Paul resides in New Iberia, LA with his wife, Thao N, and their three sons, Noel, Jake, Jack, and daughter, Joli.

Roy and Larry - Employee Spotlight December 2021 Saturday, November 27, 2021 When I (Gene Bertrand, Store Manager) was asked to recognize someone that I appreciate for our employee spotlight, these are the first two names that came to my mind: Roy Myrick and Larry Bellard.


Roy and Larry are still here. They are the last remaining warehouse team members at our Lake Charles store. Over the last few months, we’ve had others attempt to work in the warehouse, but none have lasted. Yet, over all of the years along with the addition of Covid, enduring a pair of hurricanes, an ice storm, and a flood, Roy and Larry are still here and working better than ever.


Roy joined Home Furniture in April of 1997. He came to us from a job working at the cemetery. That’s a great story if you ever get the chance to hear him tell it! He has seen a LOT of things change around this place! A LOT!


Larry originally started with Home Furniture in January of 2001 after working in the auto-detailing business. He was a Home Furniture delivery helper for over 10 years. He left us in May of 2011, but came back in January of 2018! We are so glad Larry came back Home!


ROY’S HOBBIES:

Fishing; Cleaning and detailing his car; and cheering on the New Orleans Saints! (During football season, I can always tell how the Saints played just by Roy’s demeanor on Mondays!)


LARRY’S HOBBIES:

Pets; fishing; and horseback riding (the only things that Larry is nicer to other than our customers are his animals!)

Larry shows great kindness to the Lake Charles Home Furniture kitties—buying them food and making sure they get fed.


It is not unusual to walk into the warehouse and hear the two of them going at it. It really is almost like a sketched and rehearsed comedy. Larry is a subtle instigator (clever and sneaky) and Roy is quite possibly the best at coming up with one-liners that are very hard to beat (I told Roy he missed his calling as a stand-up comic!). You literally can get stomach pains from laughing if you hang around them for a few minutes. And the whole time they are getting work done and taking care of customers.


They were both around with our founder, Ged Fleming, and continue to honor his legacy by exhibiting many of the values he set forth. Although many things have changed over the years, Roy and Larry have always maintained a steadfast work ethic. Tony, Ross, and Dwayne have mentioned on several occasions how good they are and how fortunate we are to have them here. They are absolutely right!


Thank you, Roy and Larry, for being dedicated, loyal, appreciative, courteous, easy-going, responsible, friendly, and reliable!


Written by Gene Bertrand, Store Manager, Lake Charles Home Furniture Plus Bedding

Lori Berwick - Employee Spotlight December 2021 Thursday, November 25, 2021

Tony Kemp, Home Furniture CEO, says “We are very fortunate to have Lori on the team. She is a key asset to the ongoing success of our company.”

Lori Berwick works at the Home Furniture Accounting Office in Lake Charles, where she manages the accounting department team. She has been with the company for 27 years. Lori is very passionate about her work and she is also passionate about helping others.  We have recently highlighted 2 of Lori's Mission Trips to Haiti where she traveled with Louisiana's Baptist Children's Home and worked with Louisiana Reach Haiti to build an orphanage for children in and around Port Au Prince. You can read about them here: https://homefurn.com/haiti-part-1   and here:  https://homefurn.com/haiti-mission-trip-home-furniture-plus-bedding.

The Home Team Helps "Pack the Tent" Tuesday, November 16, 2021 KPLC’s annual “Pack the Tent” event is one of our recent community outreach initiatives that raised enough funds and food donations to feed the needy in our Lake Charles area for an entire year.

Jill Mills - Employee Spotlight November 2021 Thursday, November 11, 2021

Jill’s Journey at Home Furniture Plus Bedding:

“I began my journey with Home Furniture as an intern in 1996 upon recommendation by one of my professors. Shortly after graduating from McNeese State University, I became full-time at the Lake Charles accounting office, and I’ve been with the company for over 20 years now. I’ve met some amazing co-workers over the years that have become a second family to me!”

What do you like best about your job?

“The thing I appreciate the most is working for Home Furniture, and I appreciate the flexibility that the company offers with an emphasis on work and life balance. I love doing accounting, and coordinating and organizing goodwill events, such as the Give Thanks, Give Hope campaign for St. Jude each year. I’ve been doing this since 2017. The company makes a considerable effort to keep the outreach local and personal, making the experience meaningful for the connection between the community and our Home Furniture employees.

Lori Berwick, Home Furniture CFO, adds, “Jill is a tremendous asset to our accounting department and our company. I’m so glad she is a part of the Home Furniture team.”

When Jill is not at work:

“I enjoy spending time outdoors, reading and traveling. And my family really loves the Houston Astros!”

The ONE thing most co-workers may not know:

“I’ve been on mission trips to Colombia and Nicaragua, where I taught conversational English. Also, my kids and I were extras in a movie filmed in Lafayette, LA, but only my son Aaron’s part made the final cut! Oh, and I am a huge Investigative Discovery Channel and Jeopardy Junkie!”

Advice for anyone wishing to join our Home Furniture Team:

“Home Furniture certainly has a great family atmosphere. The company is very supportive of those who work hard and who are team players.”

Originally from Moss Bluff, LA, Jill and Jason, her husband of 15 years, currently reside in Katy, TX, with their two children, Aaron (13) and Alayna (11), and the family dog, Scout.