CF Group

What CF Group does

CF Group (Commercial Furniture Group, Inc.) is a privately held US contract furniture manufacturer headquartered in Newport, Tennessee, operating a portfolio of four wholly-owned heritage brands: Falcon Products, Shelby Williams, Thonet, and HOWE. The company designs, manufactures, and sells tables, seating, booths, modular lounge systems, acoustic panels, and integrated power/lighting solutions for commercial interiors, with the Thonet brand tracing back to 1819 and Shelby Williams serving the hospitality segment for over 60 years.

CF Group's product portfolio centers on durable, contract-grade furniture engineered for high-traffic commercial use (rated for two eight-hour shifts per day) and supported by proprietary technologies including Tufgrain aluminum seating that combines woodgrain aesthetics with metal durability, and a Nextek-powered low-voltage LED lighting/power system integrated into furniture. The company holds exclusive US distribution rights for Italian-made Caruso acoustic panels and maintains hundreds of Falcon product symbols in the CET Digital Design 3D specification database used by architects and interior designers. Products span sub-brands: Falcon leads in education, corporate, and healthcare tables/booths; Shelby Williams focuses on hospitality seating and custom booths; Thonet delivers modular seating (MOSS family) and mid-century-inspired lounge collections; and HOWE complements the seating range.

The business model is exclusively B2B contract sales through an authorized dealer network that requires credit approval, with products sold F.O.B. Factory plus freight. Pricing is quote-based with 50% deposits for new accounts and net-30 terms for established dealers. CF Group reaches end users and designers through permanent showrooms in Chicago, Copenhagen, Paris, and London, plus major trade show presence at NeoCon, BDNY, HD Expo, and specialized events. Customer segments include hospitality (hotels, casinos, country clubs, restaurants), higher education, corporate offices, healthcare, and government. Notable installations include over 1,000 linear feet of custom booths at Zurich Insurance's North American headquarters, dining halls for Illinois State University and Wheaton College, and flagship hospitality venues including the Bellagio and Dollywood.

Name

CF Group

Legal name

Commercial Furniture Group, Inc.

Website

https://commercialfurnituregroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CF Group is a privately held US contract furniture manufacturer operating four heritage brands (Falcon, Shelby Williams, Thonet, HOWE) that produce tables, seating, booths, and acoustic solutions for hospitality, education, corporate, and healthcare markets through an authorized dealer network and global showrooms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contract Furniture Sales: One-time sale of furniture products (seating, tables, booths) to commercial end users through authorized dealer network. Products are sold B2B to hospitality, food service, corporate, education, and healthcare markets. Terms typically include 50% deposit with balance due prior to shipment for new accounts; net 30 for established dealers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CF Group (Commercial Furniture Group, Inc.) manufactures and sells contract furniture — tables, desks, seating, booths, and acoustic solutions — for commercial interiors. Products are sold B2B through an authorized dealer network to hospitality, food service, education, corporate, and healthcare markets, with customization capabilities and integration of power/lighting and acoustic technologies.

Product overview

CF Group (Commercial Furniture Group) is a portfolio company operating four distinct sub-brands—Falcon Products, Shelby Williams, Thonet, and HOWE—that collectively offer the broadest range of high-quality commercial seating and tables from a single source. The product portfolio centers on contract furniture for hospitality (hotels, restaurants, country clubs), education (dining halls, libraries, classrooms), corporate, and healthcare markets. Core product lines include Tufgrain aluminum seating with woodgrain finish, modular lounge seating (MOSS family including Ditto, Tier, and Chill collections), acoustic solutions (Caruso Acoustics panels), power and lighting systems (Low Voltage Power & Lighting Solution), and a comprehensive range of tables (Apex, Ascent Lift, LEAN, Maker, Dart Side Table). The brands differentiate through custom capabilities (booths, finishes, fabrics), sustainability features (recycled materials), and technology integrations (CET Digital Design, Nextek Power Systems).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Falcon: Leading manufacturer of table and seating solutions for contract furniture market, including booths, chairs, tables, and modular seating.
• HOWE
• Shelby Williams
• Thonet

Products and services

• Tufgrain Seating Aluminum seating collection that combines a realistic woodgrain finish with lightweight, durable metal; available in dining chairs, lounge chairs, and barstools for high-traffic commercial spaces.
• Philly Booth Channel-tufted booth customizable with various back heights, platforms, and upholstery options including performance fabrics and velvets for hospitality and food service environments.
• MOSS | Ditto Modular Lounge Modular lounge seating collection featuring a classic tuxedo club chair design with slim lines and elevated legs; available in left arm, right arm, and armless styles plus ottoman and tables; includes 2-amp USB ports.
• MOSS | Tier Tiered Seating Modular tiered seating collection with 1-, 2-, and 3-tier configurations in seven standard shapes and mixed fabric options for conference rooms and collaborative spaces.
• MOSS | Chill Ottoman Collection Ottoman collection designed for breakout areas and collaborative spaces, with custom swivel application option.
• Caruso Acoustics by Falcon Sound-absorbing acoustic panels available in ceiling hung, wall mounted, and free standing configurations with unique foam material, 22 colors, and custom printing/sizing options.
• Falcon Low Voltage Power and Lighting Solution Class 2 low voltage power and LED lighting system with wireless control that integrates LED lighting into acoustic panels and furniture; safe to install without a licensed electrician.
• Dart Side Table Lightweight, low profile side table with a base of 98% post-consumer recycled iron and a column of 60% recycled extruded aluminum, featuring an integrated handhold and thin laminate surface.
• Apex Tables Tables with industrial, architectural lines available as community, dining, and training tables with various top options.
• Ascent Lift Tables Height-adjustable tables that fold up and roll away for easy reconfiguration, designed for dining halls and flexible common spaces.
• LEAN Tables Meeting and community tables with angled design for modern collaborative spaces.
• Q-44 Stack Chair Multifunctional stack chair designed for meeting and learning environments.
• Blog Collection Seating collection featuring angled legs and organic shaped seats and backs.
• Maker Table Series Flexible tables designed for maker spaces, offices, libraries, and community centers, intended for creative and technology-driven work environments.
• FLX Power Management Power management solution for commercial buildings supporting efficiency and sustainability, available as integrated table bases.
• 9970 Lounge Seating Mid-century modern swivel lounge seating with lightweight construction and a 98% post-consumer recycled iron base, designed for collaboration and social engagement.
• Bellarosa Chair Collection Designer chair collection with timeless and elegant styling intended for hospitality environments.
• Fifth Avenue Modular Booths Custom modular booth system with options for taller backs, casters, and multiple fabric selections, designed for large-scale corporate and hospitality installations.
• Thonet Legacy Collection Seating collection inspired by Bruno Weil's No.1294 Bent Plywood Chair, updating a classic bent plywood design for contemporary commercial interiors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Limited lifetime product warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship for commercial use (two eight-hour shifts per day)

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nextek Power SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2017Nextek Power Systems provides the technology powering Falcon Low Voltage Power and Lighting Solution. The partnership enables integration of LED lighting into Falcon acoustic panels and furniture, creating a combined lighting control and acoustic solution. Nextek CEO Paul Savage collaborated on product development and demonstration at NeoCon.
• Caruso (Italian Acoustic Panel Maker)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2016Caruso is an Italian acoustic panel maker working with Falcon on the launch of sound-absorbing panels. Falcon is the exclusive distributor of Caruso acoustical products in the US market. The Caruso by Falcon collection includes ceiling hung, wall mounted, and free standing panels with unique foam material for sound absorption.
• QdesigncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2015Qdesign developed the MOSS | Ditto modular lounge group for Falcon/Thonet. The partnership expands the MOSS family of seating with a tuxedo-inspired design featuring left and right arm versions, armless components, ottoman, and tables.
• Forward Space, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForward Space, LLC (Dealer) connected Falcon with Gensler for the WorkLife conference center project at The Mart. Elizabeth Comeaux of Forward Space served as lead on the project, sourcing and specifying Falcon custom booths.
• Thomas InteriorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThomas Interiors (Chicago-based design firm) served as key design team members for Wheaton College dining hall renovation. Designers Katie Carlson and Cindy Bertsch led the project from design through installation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Steelcase: Global leader in office and contract furniture with a deep portfolio spanning seating, tables, architectural products, and technology-integrated solutions. Direct competitor to CF Group's Falcon and Thonet brands in the corporate, education, and healthcare segments, with substantially greater scale and international reach.
• Haworth: Privately held global contract furniture manufacturer serving office, education, and healthcare markets with seating, desks, architectural interiors, and modular systems. Overlaps with CF Group's corporate, higher-education, and modular-seating categories through competing product lines and dealer networks.
• HNI Corporation: Public manufacturer of workplace and hearth products through The HON Company, Allsteel, Gunlocke, and HBF brands. Competes directly with CF Group in office furniture, seating, and tables for the corporate and education segments.
• MillerKnoll (Herman Miller): Design-led contract furniture conglomerate (Herman Miller, Knoll, Muuto, Colebrook Bosson Saunders) serving corporate, healthcare, education, and government. Competes with CF Group across premium office seating, lounge, and modular systems.

Direct peers

• Kimball International: U.S.-based contract furniture manufacturer offering seating, tables, and casegoods through Kimball, National, and Interwoven brands to hospitality, workplace, education, and healthcare markets. Highly comparable mid-sized competitor with overlapping vertical mix and brand-portfolio strategy.
• Krueger International (KI): Privately held U.S. contract furniture manufacturer focused on education, healthcare, government, and corporate markets with seating, tables, and casegoods. Closest direct peer in mid-market contract furniture with comparable vertical mix.
• Jasper Group: Family-owned U.S. contract furniture manufacturer offering seating, tables, and booths under Jasper, Boss Design, and Hickory brands. Comparable mid-sized private competitor in hospitality, education, and corporate with similar brand-house structure.
• Wieland Furniture: U.S. manufacturer of lounge seating, modular casegoods, and tables targeting corporate, healthcare, and higher education. Comparable mid-sized competitor with overlapping booth/lounge/table mix and shared dealer channel.
• Spec Furniture: Canadian contract furniture manufacturer offering seating and tables for hospitality, education, and corporate markets. Comparable mid-sized competitor with similar specification-driven go-to-market and dealer network.
• Global Furniture Group: North American contract furniture manufacturer offering seating, tables, and collaborative furniture across corporate, education, and healthcare verticals. Comparable mid-sized private competitor with overlapping dealer channel and product mix.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CF_Group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CF Group