Orleans Furniture’s Ramel wins rep award

By Dennis Seid,Daily Journal

TUPELO – A furniture company is only as good as its products – and the people who sell them.

Enter George Ramel, who has been a sales representative for more than 35 years for companies like Bassett, Englander Mattress, and currently, Orleans Furniture Inc.

On Friday, Ramel won the Manufacturer’s Representative Award for the Spring 2018 Tupelo Furniture Market.


“This is unbelievable,” Ramel said. “It’s been a thrill … Tupelo has been an integral part of my life and success.”

Call it a family affair – Ramel followed his in his father’s footsteps, and his brother, Dan, also is a furniture rep. Ramel’s wife, Angie, travels with him to all the markets, too.

“This man has loved this business for so many years,” she said. “I’m so proud of him.”

And just because Ramel is near retirement age doesn’t mean he’s going to.

Covering a wide swath of territory including Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, Ramel also calls on key rental business accounts as well. Why quit while you’re at the top of your game?

“Retirement is not in his realm of thought,” Angie said with a laugh. “George wants to stay in the business as long as he can and as long as God will bless him.”

And to Ramel, being a sales rep is more than selling a piece of furniture – it’s establishing a partnership.

“I think one of the most interesting things about this business is meeting people and making friends,” he said. “You’re not just building business relationships, you’re also building friendships along the way.”

Cultivating those relationships means that customers have followed Ramel wherever he’s gone.

As Orleans Vice President Tom Stumpf said of Ramel, “he’s a man of his word.”

Contact Daily Journal business editor Dennis Seid at 678-1578 or dennis.seid@djournal.com. 

Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 2/25/2018, section 0 , page 0