Business Interiors, Inc. today announced executive leadership changes and new ownership, effective March 31st, 2022.
Steve Groover, previously Vice President, has been named President. Groover, one of the original partners of Business Interiors, has been with the company since 1987. Additionally, Jack Womack, currently COO & CFO, will also assume the role of Vice President.
Valerie Allen, Bud Miller, and Jack Womack join Steve Groover and Richie Hamer as the Business Interiors’ ownership team.
Steve Groover
Steve began in the contract furniture industry in 1982 following several years of owning his own construction business. In his first role in contract furniture sales, Steve met and worked alongside Alan Pizzitola. In late 1986 Alan formed Business Interiors, Inc., and later that year Steve joined forces with Alan again.
Over the next decade, Business Interiors grew to become the dominant force in the contract furniture industry in its marketplace. Steve found success by calling on and working with the Architectural and Design community, Higher Education facilities, Healthcare facilities, Manufacturing facilities, and State and local government.
Steve has been instrumental in the creation and management of several Purchasing Contracts and Buying Agreements that benefit Business Interiors’ sales efforts throughout its market area. In recent years, Steve has enjoyed utilizing his 35+ years of experience in the contract furniture industry to seek out and solve clients’ problems in every vertical market.
Today, while maintaining an active account list, Steve plays a pivotal role in building the team that will ensure Business Interiors’ success well into the future.
Jack Womack
Jack Womack joined Business Interiors in December 2018 as the company’s CFO and COO. In his time at BI, Mr. Womack has been instrumental in streamlining operations, hiring new staff, and preparing the company for continued growth.
Mr. Womack began his career as a CPA with the firm Warren, Averett, Kimbrough & Marino in 1985 to 1993. After eight years, he took the position as CFO of Classroom Direct, a position he held until the sale of the company in 2001, at which point he stayed on as General Manager until 2004.
In August of 2004, Mr. Womack started Teacher Direct, an online education materials supplier company, and held the position as CEO until the company was sold in 2015. He stayed on for an additional three years as the company’s GM, overseeing the company’s daily operations and financial needs before joining Business Interiors.
Mr. Womack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Richie Hamer
Richie Hamer began his career at Business Interiors in 1995, just prior to his graduation from the University of Montevallo. Hired by Business Interiors’ founder Alan Pizzitola and business partner Steve Groover, Mr. Hamer showed up to work on the first day in a coat and tie, only to be sent directly to the warehouse. His early career at BI was spent working as an installer, learning the furniture business from the ground up.
It was not long before Mr. Hamer’s focus on relationship building and drive for success was recognized by Mr. Pizzitola, and in the decades that followed Richie looked to Alan as a boss, mentor, and friend.
In May 2019, as one of BI’s top-performing Sales Associates, Mr. Hamer became a partner at Business Interiors alongside Mr. Pizzitola and Mr. Groover. Hamer credits his success to his humble ambition and to the strong partnerships he has built in the architecture and interior design industry. After 27 years at BI, he is still excited to get to work each day and collaborate with his colleagues and clients, and he is excited to focus on the next chapter of Business Interiors.
Valerie Allen
Valerie Allen joined Business Interiors in 2019, bringing with her 26 years of commercial furniture industry experience.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Auburn University, Mrs. Allen spent the next decade working on the design-side of the contract furniture industry, starting as a junior designer at Alabama Business Furniture and working her way to Design Manager.
In 2011 she left ABF to begin her career in sales as an Account Manager, representing several leading industry brands and focusing her talents within the healthcare, higher education, and corporate markets.
Her extensive experience in sales, project management, and interior design allow her to work closely and efficiently with her clients, creating effective, design-driven solutions.
Bud Miller
Bud Miller joined Business Interiors in September 2020 as a Sales Associate following a lifetime in the furniture industry.
His contract furniture career in 2001 at his family’s company Bodine, Inc (now Empire office). As he grew from a junior sales associate to the VP of Sales, Mr. Miller gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in dealing with large contract accounts in corporate, healthcare, and higher education.
In 2016 Mr. Miller took the position as Market Sales Manager for Kimball International, a leading manufacturer in the industry.
Bud holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Samford University and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.