Omaha, Neb.— Irv Blumkin, CEO of Nebraska Furniture Mart, will become chairman effective April 13, 2021. His brother, Ron Blumkin, will serve as vice chairman. Together, they will oversee enterprise-level strategy and vision for NFM. Current president and chief operating officer, Tony Boldt, will step into the role of CEO and president. The organization said the transition has been a part of its long-term succession strategy since Boldt was named president and COO in 2016.
Blumkin has been with the family business since the age of 8, guided by his father, Louie Blumkin, and his grandmother, NFM’s founder, Rose Blumkin. Under the strategic leadership of Irv Blumkin and his brother, Ron, the company said it has grown into one of the largest and most respected home furnishings retailers, with locations and distribution centers in Omaha, Nebraska, Des Moines, Iowa, Kansas City, Kansas and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
As NFM’s president, Boldt has been critical to the company’s success over the last several years, including record sales growth and positioning NFM for ongoing growth by implementing state-of-the-art technology. In his new role, Boldt will oversee the strategic, financial and operational direction of the company. “Tony has done a wonderful job as our President,” Blumkin said. “NFM is poised and positioned to grow, and I would not be making this change if I did not have 100% confidence in Tony and the rest of our leadership team. I’m truly excited for this next phase in NFM’s growth.”
Boldt began his NFM career with Homemakers Furniture, a subsidiary of Nebraska Furniture Mart in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2002, he took a leadership role in the warehouse and soon rose to store manager at the Nebraska Furniture Mart store in Clive, Iowa. Tony and his family relocated to Omaha in 2011 as the appliances and electronics general sales manager. In December of 2012, He was promoted to store director of NFM’s Kansas City store where he served for four years before being named president and chief operating officer in December of 2016.
“It’s so satisfying to watch people grow and advance with NFM and for all of us to collectively grow the business together,” Boldt said. “I would like us to continue to grow our family so that even more people have the opportunities we do, because home and family are at the heart of what we do every day.”