Bernard "Bernie" Goldberg (October 20, 1925 – August 27, 2010) was an American businessman who co-founded Raymour Furniture, the furniture retailer that would become Raymour & Flanigan, in 1946 with his brother, Arnold Goldberg.[1]
Contents |
Goldberg graduated from Nottingham High School in Syracuse before enrolling at Princeton University.[2] He dropped out of Princeton in order to enlisted in the United States Army during World War II.[2] He was sent to France and Germany in the infantry during the war and was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.[2] He returned to New York following the end of World War II, where he received a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in 1948.[2]
Bernard and Arnold Goldberg opened the first Raymour Furniture in 1946 in Syracuse, New York.[1] They did not name their new store "Goldberg" because another store in the city owned by their relatives already used their given name.[1] Instead, the brothers named their furniture store after an antiques shop in Long Island which was owned and operated by another brother.[1] Under Goldberg's ownership, the two brothers opened a second store in Clay, New York, in 1972.[1] The company acquired Flanigan's Furniture in 1990, which operated fourteen stores in upstate New York at the time.[1] The acquisition gave the company its present name, Raymour & Flanigan.[1]
Bernard Goldberg remained the chairman of Raymour & Flanigan until his death in 2010.[1] However, he suffered from deteriorating health, including Alzheimer's disease during the later years of his life.[1] His two sons - Raymour & Flanigan President and CEO Neil Goldberg and Executive Vice President Steve Goldberg, as well as his nephew, Executive Vice President Michael Goldberg, succeeded him.[1]
Additionally, Goldberg was a founding member of the Syracuse Jewish Community Foundation of Central New York and was a member of the board of directors for the New York State Division of Human Rights.[1]
Bernard Goldberg died in Syracuse on August 27, 2010, of complications from Alzheimer's disease, aged 84.[1] He was survived by his wife, Norma, three sons, one daughter and eleven grandchildren.[1]