Ryan Higgins and Steve Cibor, partners and co-owners of Tamarian Carpets since 2015, announce to customers at Atlanta Market that Higgins has become full owner of the company.
ATLANTA -- Tamarian Carpets vice president and partner Ryan Higgins is now full owner of the Baltimore-based company, completing the purchase of shares from his mentor, company founder Steve Cibor, on Jan. 2, 2020.
The changing of the guard was in the making for some time and part of a seven-year plan according to Cibor, who told RugNews.com he will now focus on
Rug Club, the e-commerce platform he debuted in 2019 to connect member retailers across North America looking to sell their unwanted inventory online. Cibor's new business is independent from Tamarian Carpets.
Higgins' plans for Tamarian going forward include fine-tuning the company's brand strategy and expanding the line to meet customer demand for a range of moderately priced hand-knotteds to complement the company's Nepalese production. Among the first intros in this new category, Indian hand-knotted Oushak designs in pale neutrals with pops of color, were on view at Tamarian's showroom this week during the winter 2020 edition of Atlanta Market.
"I'm elated -- ready to take Tamarian to the next level," Higgins told RugNews.com, "and really happy that the team I've worked with for so many years will remain on board with me for this new journey. Together, we'll build on past success to ensure the long term growth and stability of our company and relationships."
Indeed, Higgins joined Tamarian Carpets in 1995, a few months after the company opened for business. He was named partner in 2015. "I like to say I followed Steve up the ladder as he built the company." Back then, Cibor visited potential clients by car with rolls of rugs in tow. And Higgins says one of his first assignments was vacuuming the warehouse floors. "Both Ryan and I have always prided ourselves on being extremely hands on in order to make sure that Tamarian has stayed the course for our vision," said Cibor.
The largest exporter of wool rugs from Nepal, the company was awarded CIP (Commercially Important Person) classification by the Nepalese Government in 2014 based on its export volume and value, employment generation, and overall stimulation of communal growth.
Well known for its efforts to help improve the lives of its weavers in Nepal, Tamarian established The Phoenix Fund for Nepal Relief, a 501 c3 charitable fund for victims of the devastating earthquake which hit in April 2015. The company's 300 retail clients at the time wanted to help and felt confident that 100 percent of donations to the Phoenix Fund would go to the victims. During the cleanup and recovery period, Ryan Higgins became the conduit between the victims and the community of rug retailers and importers in the U.S., though blogs and social media posts chronicling relief efforts.
Earlier Higgins advocated for Tamarian to sponsor a clean drinking water project to continue its pledge to support the Nepali communities that do such vital work for the company. "The success of the company has been a direct result of the relationships forged with Nepali partners and the positive impacts Tamarian has had on all those who work with them overseas. Without this symbiotic relationship, Tamarian would never be able to achieve the high level of quality and service that has made us what we are today," he explained.