The CEO of Montalbano Majestic International talks about his company's turn to restoration and refinishing to help compensate for ceasing furniture production. To say the least, Richard Montalbano is not happy with China or its furniture. "They never went to war with us, but they beat us," says Montalbano, CEO of Montalbano Majestic International in Bellwood, IL. It is not hard to see why he is so upset. Like many before it, his company, a 76-year-old manufacturer of Baroque, Victorian and 18th-century French-style furniture, was forced to cease production of its furniture lines earlier this year in large part due to lower-cost Chinese furniture imports, he says. Rather than give in completely or outsource its work overseas as many other U.S. furniture makers have, Montalbano chose to redefine the third-generation business.
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