SURYA PRESIDENT SATYA TIWARI JOINS AKSHAYA PATRA USA ADVISORY BOARD 10.19.15
Satya Tiwari, president of Surya, has been named to the
Akshaya Patra USA Advisory Board. Akshaya Patra runs one of the world’s largest school meal programs, serving 1.5 million children in rural India hot, nutritious lunches each day, encouraging them to attend school and giving them the opportunity for a better future.
In his role on the six-member advisory board, Satya will work to expand the reach of the school lunch program to serve the communities in northern India where more than 50,000 Surya artisans live. Through the addition of a new kitchen near Varanasi, India, Satya aims to provide the children of Surya’s weavers with access to the nutrition and education needed to help them lead successful lives and break free from the cycle of poverty.
“Satya’s enthusiasm to build and serve the dreams of others through his support for Akshaya Patra is truly inspiring,” said Emily Rosenbaum, CEO of Akshaya Patra USA. “We are so honored that he has chosen to be part of the Akshaya Patra movement to eliminate childhood hunger and promote universal education.”
Satya, who himself grew up in a small village in northeastern India, experienced firsthand the health and educational challenges encountered in rural areas. In 2012, he set out to make a difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families, pledging to make an annual financial contribution on Surya's behalf to Akshaya Patra. Surya’s “Miles for Meals” initiative was launched soon thereafter to raise additional funds for the organization via participation by Surya employees in an annual half marathon event. To date, Miles for Meals fundraising efforts have generated $140K in donations for the innovative lunch program.
“In the almost four years that Surya has partnered with Akshaya Patra, I’ve witnessed the amazing things that passion, diligence and purpose can accomplish, and that’s inspired me to do more,” said Satya Tiwari, president, Surya. “Making financial contributions is important, but it’s even more important to roll up your sleeves to make sure that those contributions are achieving the best results possible. I’m honored to join the Akshaya Patra Advisory Board and look forward to working with this game-changing organization to help remove the barrier of hunger one meal at a time.”
Surya’s 2015 Miles for Meals campaign, which runs through Oct. 31, 2015, is aiming to raise $75K for Akshaya Patra, which will feed 5,000 children for the entire year. Just $15 feeds a single child for a year. Donations to the campaignare tax-deductible and can be made via:
www.foodforeducation.org/campaign/miles-meals-2015.
View images from Akshaya Patra.
About Akshaya Patra
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a secular non-profit organization in a public private partnership with the Indian government, implements the world's largest NGO managed mid-day meal program. Akshaya Patra began as a pilot program feeding 1,500 children daily in five schools. Driven by the vision of its founders and Board members, Akshaya Patra currently feeds hot lunches to more than 1.5 million children each day and has set an aggressive goal of serving 5 million children by 2020. Akshaya Patra has a team of more than 5,800 employees who prepare and distribute the meals. To learn more, visit
www.foodforeducation.org.
SURYA PARTNERS WITH MOSSY OAK® NATIV LIVING™ ON NEW RUG COLLECTIONS 10.15.15
Surya will introduce at High Point Market five new rug collections for Mossy Oak Nativ Living, a home furnishings brand designed for those drawn to the beauty of nature and whose passion for the outdoors inspires them to bring those elements into their home. The debut collections have been designed around three distinct lifestyles and price points, including Cabin, Home and Lodge.
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Nativ Cabin – Designed for the ultimate Mossy Oak sportsman and enthusiast, the Nativ Cabin line showcases an abundance of signature Mossy Oak camouflage and accents. Offered at an entry level price point, the collections include Big Sky Cabin, a group of machine-made designs printed on nylon, and Log Cabin, a hand-woven design constructed from recycled leather scraps.
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Nativ Home – Created with everyday home use and decorating in mind, rugs in the Nativ Home line feature discrete, yet still clearly visible, camouflage and Mossy Oak logo accents in a warm, inviting palette. The mid-priced collections include Mountain Home and River Home, both of which are machine made of polypropylene.
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Nativ Lodge – Crafted to infuse any home, office or lodge with a sense of rustic luxury and the welcoming feel of nature, the Nativ Lodge line includes the Willow Lodge collection, which incorporates subtle branded accents and richly detailed motifs in a machine-made construction.
“Mossy Oak Nativ Living was created to bring the intrinsic essence of nature, wildlife and outdoor elements into the home through stylish products that are at once beautiful and familiar,” said Pam Strickland, director of Home Décor and Lifestyle, Mossy Oak Nativ Living, a brand of Haas Outdoors, Inc. “With its well-established reputation for product design, merchandising and marketing, Surya was the perfect choice to bring Mossy Oak Nativ Living designs to life. We are extremely proud to partner with the Surya team on creating a line focused on nature and the outdoor lifestyle that will also resonate strongly with Mossy Oak enthusiasts.”
Since its inception in 1986, Mossy Oak has grown to encompass a wide array of camouflage patterns, licensed products and related enterprises, including home furnishings brand Mossy Oak Nativ Living.
“The appreciation of ‘all things nature’ really shines through in the Mossy Oak aesthetic,” said Satya Tiwari, president, Surya. “Through our collaboration with Mossy Oak Nativ Living, we are enabling consumers to bring this signature look into their living spaces in a fresh and inspired way through affordable designs that truly convey the love of the outdoor life. We look forward to sharing these exciting new collections with our customers.”
Market attendees are invited to view the
Mossy Oak collections at Surya’s flagship showroom –
Showplace 4100 – which will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Surya will serve a complimentary catered breakfast and lunch each day, along with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails each evening.
About Mossy Oak Nativ Living
Mossy Oak® Nativ Living™ is for those who are drawn to the beauty of nature and whose passion for the outdoors inspires them to bring those elements into their home. Using textures, colors, elements and designs inspired by nature, Mossy Oak® Nativ Living™ offers a variety of products to complement any cabin, home or lodge. To learn more, visit
www.mossyoak.com.
SURYA RELEASES FALL 2015 CATALOG 10.14.15
Surya has unveiled its fall 2015 catalog, which is now available in print, online and via the free Surya iPad® app. More than 750 color-filled pages showcase 8,000+ coordinating home accessories – including rugs, pillows, throws, wall decor, accent furniture, lighting, decorative accents and bedding – across multiple lifestyles and price points.
To expedite product selection and make it easier to shop by category and lifestyle, the table of contents has been simplified, including an updated ‘Rugs’ section that reflects the rug styles most relevant for today. The ‘Lighting’ section has been significantly expanded to reflect the depth of this fast-growing category for Surya. Also prominently featured are the brand’s made to order programs – the Cut and Sew Rug Program and Made to Order Art Program – which make it easy to specify tailor-made rugs and art for shipment within as little as one week.
“Our catalog is one of the most vital tools for our customers, helping them not only to sell Surya products but also to build a solid home accessories business and more effectively compete within the marketplace,” said Satya Tiwari, president, Surya. “With each new catalog, our goal is to provide even greater value to our customers by offering a visually beautiful catalog that is also highly functional and makes it easy to locate a full range of accessories for any budget and design need.”
The catalog opens with five curated and artfully photographed lifestyle spreads intended to provide design inspiration, accompanied by a selection of Surya accessories corresponding to each lifestyle. Immediately following is Surya’s popular ‘Shop by Color’ section, which leads with neutrals, the hottest-selling and most versatile color trend of the moment. A ‘Top Sellers’ section spotlights best-selling products within each category, providing a convenient way for retailers building programs for their stores to locate more than 500 fashion forward products with proven sales traction.
The new catalog is mailing to Surya customers this week and can be accessed digitally at
www.surya.com/ecatalog/. Market attendees can also pick up a copy of the catalog during High Point Market at the Surya showroom –
Showplace 4100 – which will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Click
here to view high res images of the fall 2015 catalog.
SURYA APPOINTS INDUSTRY VETERAN JOHN HASTE TO LEAD EXPANSION OF LIGHTING CATEGORY 10.12.15
Surya has named longtime home furnishings industry professional John Haste to the newly created position of senior vice president of Business Development. In his role, Haste will focus on growing Surya's lighting business, working closely with the brand’s sales, product development and sourcing teams to create a product roadmap and strategy for increasing lighting penetration in Surya’s key business channels.
Since its launch in fall 2013, Surya’s lighting category has achieved year-over-year revenue increases of more than 200 percent, making it the brand’s fastest growing product category. The line currently includes 350+ trend forward options – including table, floor and task lamps, along with weather-resistant outdoor lamps – all of which are available across a broad range of lifestyles and price points
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“As our lighting business continues to gain strong momentum among our retailer and designer customers, we decided it was the right time to bring in a seasoned professional who can help us to take the category to the next level,” said Satya Tiwari, president, Surya. “John has a proven track record of identifying and developing new market opportunities for multiple categories within the home furnishings industry including, most recently, the $5.85 billion lighting segment. He pairs great business insight with a firm understanding of what it takes to create a winning strategy for long-term growth and will be a great asset to the Surya team.”
Haste has spent more than 20 years in senior leadership roles, where he has managed business operations, along with sales and marketing functions – specializing in developing new product lines and distribution channels to generate organic growth and revenue. Previously, he served as senior vice president of Sales & Marketing for ELK Group International, a key player in the lighting showroom and furniture/accessory distribution channels, where he launched a new division and oversaw multiple major corporate acquisitions. Prior to that, he was vice president of sales at IMAX Corporation, a multimillion-dollar importer and distributor of home furnishings.
Haste will report to Surya President Satya Tiwari.
SURYA TO HOST DESIGN TALK BY HGTV STAR & DESIGNER CANDICE OLSON AT HIGH POINT MARKET 10.08.15
Surya will present an intimate and engaging discussion with television design personality and best-selling author Candice Olson during High Point Market. The event, titled “Style-Transcending Neutrals,” will take place in Surya’s showroom – Showplace 4100 – on
Saturday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Olson will speak to how neutral palettes can be used to accentuate the beauty of simple lines, pattern and texture to create looks that are refined yet distinctly fresh and modern. She will also share her newest rug and pillow collections for Surya. At the conclusion of the discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the designer.
“Neutrals are the hottest-selling and most versatile color trend of the moment and provide a great foundation for adding sophistication to living spaces, no matter what the decor style,” said Satya Tiwari, president, Surya. “We are excited that Candice is joining us at market to share her signature aesthetic and style tips for making the most of this very popular trend.”
In addition to showcasing the designer’s newest offerings, Surya will have a dedicated area within its showroom displaying a full range of coordinating neutral-hued rugs and accessories available in multiple styles and price points.
Formed in 2008, Surya’s partnership with Olson has evolved to include a best-selling line of more than 160 rug designs, including recently introduced outdoor styles, as well as 40 pillow options. Surya will introduce two new rug collections from the designer at the fall market: Zephyr, featuring an arboreal-inspired motif hand-tufted in wool, jute and viscose, and Paradox, a zero pile design hand knotted of 100 percent wool. Several new pillow collections from Olson will also be unveiled.
The Surya showroom will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during market. Market attendees who schedule an appointment with their Surya sales specialist at
www.surya.com/market-registration by
Tuesday, Oct. 13 are eligible to receive 10 percent off their market order.