Mitchell Gold

In 1989 Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams successfully launched their upholstered furniture company, The Mitchell Gold Co., based in Taylorsville, N.C. (Williams' name was added a few years ago). Gold serves as chairman, while Williams is president of design, and together they are responsible for overseeing the company's sales, marketing and design. Their philosophy is to always put the customer first, treat people how they want to be treated and ensure that their furniture exceeds customer expectations with regard to style, comfort, quality, value, durability and livability.

Mitchell Gold grew up in New Jersey, and before heading up his own company was a furniture buyer at Bloomingdale's, a manufacturing representative for Perugina Chocolates, as well as for the Lane Company. In addition, he was the gallery director and national accounts director for Lane.

Hailing from Texas, Bob Williams started as an art director for Seventeen magazine in New York. He paid close attention to fashion, fitness, interior design and home-furnishing trends and translated them into his own furniture designs. He continues to be an avid student of consumer behavior, reading more than 30 fashion, fitness and shelter publications per month. Along the way, he's received several awards from major shelter magazines like Home, Elle Decor and Better Home & Gardens magazines as well as the Design 100 Award from Metropolitan Home magazine for his work.

In 2007, the duo released the book Let's Get Comfortable: How to Furnish and Decorate a Welcoming Home and have been featured in several magazines, including Time, House & Garden, Metropolitan Home, Domino, In Style and Elle. Their products are sold through some of the country's top furniture giants including: Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn, and are also available through catalogs from L.L. Bean and Neiman Marcus.