In November 2004, the American Furniture Manufacturers Association changed its name to the American Home Furnishings Alliance and expanded its membership criteria to include a broader cross-section of the industry.

The changes were discussed and refined over a period of about 18 months. "The process that AFMA followed to accomplish these significant changes is a tribute to the association's 100-year history of responding to both its membership and the evolving industry within which it operates," says Rob Sligh, fourth generation president of Sligh Furniture Company in Holland, Mich., and 2005 president of AHFA.

As with past changes, the new Alliance emerged only after research was conducted among the membership, discussions were held, and initial ideas were proposed, rejected, then refined through further study and debate.

"Throughout its history, the association has represented companies that believe there are profound advantages – both individual and collective – to focusing on our wide range of common interests."

Today, those advantages include:

• A unified voice for the furniture industry before elected officials and regulatory agencies.

• Unified marketing messages conveyed to consumers through a multi-media public relations program that encompasses print, broadcast and Internet communications.

• Discounts on various programs and services that come only with the unified buying clout of hundreds of member companies.