Gender Equality
At Ethan Allen, we work every day to capitalize on the talents of women, promoting them to leadership positions in both our retail network and in our corporate management.
Company Leadership
76%
of the leaders in our retail network, including Design Center managers, district, and regional managers, are women
41%
of the leaders at our corporate headquarters are women
64%
more women in corporate leadership than the average Fortune 500 company
SUPPORT OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
At Ethan Allen, we consistently look to our roots—our humble start in 1932 as a tiny business in Beecher Falls, Vermont—to guide our business choices and values.
When we search for new vendors, we seek those with artisans who have honed their skills to perfection. Women-run businesses are driving forces behind many of our category offerings.
Jaime Young, President of Young & Co., oversees the manufacturing of unique and inspired accent and lighting options, like our best-selling Farida Alabaster Lamp.
Janice Minor, President of Janice Minor Export Inc., creates beautiful and unusual decorative pieces for us, including our popular Large Gold Leafed Clam Shell.
They are just two of the many women we have the honor of collaborating with on a regular basis.
Philanthropy
Our CEO’s personal charitable trust, the Irfan Kathwari Foundation, provides philanthropic donations to local universities, arts organizations, and more, while also supporting overseas education initiatives and disaster relief for our associates.
Scholarships
$700,000+
given to students
1,000+ children
of associates received awards
The Irfan Kathwari Foundation has provided scholarships for the college-bound children of Ethan Allen associates for more than two decades. Students complete an application, and a committee awards individual scholarships based on academic achievement, community service, and perseverance in the face of personal obstacles.
So far, these scholarships have helped more than 1000 students pay for tuition, room and board, and other education-related expenses.
ENDOWMENTS
Ethan Allen headquarters are located in Danbury, Connecticut, which is also the home of Western Connecticut State University (Westconn). To support local economic development, to empower local high school and college students, and to train the educators of the future, Mr. Kathwari and the Irfan Kathwari Foundation have established two endowments.
$1 million
given to support the Western Connecticut State University
Honors Program
Westconn's Kathwari Honors Program, built on the fundamental assumption that knowledge is an open set of questions and ideas to be explored, rather than a closed set of facts to be memorized, consists of highly interactive and interdisciplinary classes that are designed to foster both academic and civic excellence among outstanding students.
$250,000
given to future educators
who enroll at Westconn
The Kathwari Inner City Minority Scholarship Program helps to recruit promising local students into Westconn's undergraduate teacher education program. Preference is given to minority students in Danbury who want to pursue careers as K–12 educators in the Danbury public schools.
Disaster Relief
From local projects spearheaded by our community Design Centers and manufacturing plants, to the humanitarian efforts funded by our CEO's philanthropic trust, the Irfan Kathwari Foundation, Ethan Allen's commitment to giving back permeates every part of our culture.
Response to Covid‑19
over 200,000 units
of PPE produced
Since April 2020, through our partnership with the Carolina Textile District as one of 60 participating manufacturers, Ethan Allen has helped to produce 179,230 units of PPE and continues to help produce 40,000 on a weekly basis.
Our skilled craftspeople turn provided doctor-approved antimicrobial fabrics into much-needed, washable medical-grade masks, as well as disposable fabric gowns.
Masks are distributed to local schools, and both masks and gowns are given to nearby hospitals and other locations where essential workers need them.
Hurricanes in Honduras
In November 2020, two hurricanes, one of them a Category 4, took aim at Honduras and Guatemala. When the Honduran government issued red alerts, we began working with the 500 associates in our Honduras workshop to take preparedness measures before the storms hit.
As the hurricanes brought immense flooding to the region, we worked to help our associates find safety, transporting them by boat or dump truck to shelters or to the homes of family and friends. Despite our best preventive efforts, 149 of our associates lost everything. Our plant manager immediately went to work, making sure our associates had at least the essentials that they needed: food, clothing, shoes, bedding, diapers, and medications, plus face masks for the COVID-19 pandemic that was well underway.
149 families
helped
Our associates received cleaning kits to help people salvage what they could of their homes, plus empty drums for storing clean water. Yet these supplies, along with the generous donations of fellow associates, weren’t enough to help those who had nothing left.
Seeing the need, the Irfan Kathwari Foundation stepped in, donating one refrigerator, one gas stove and gas cylinder, and one full-size bed to each associate. Instead of facing food insecurity, our associates can now prepare and store food for themselves and their families, and they can have a comfortable place to sleep as they begin putting their lives back together.
People First
We’re on a mission to improve the lives of our associates and their families by offering exemplary working conditions, competitive benefits, and enhanced quality of life.
ON-SITE MEDICAL CARE & MORE
2-time winner
Great Places to Work® Mexico Certification
Many of the 1,000 associates in our in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico, workshops live in small villages within 25 miles of our plant. To make it possible for them to come to work, we provide free transportation, and we offer two low-cost meals per day in our workshops.
Our free onsite medical clinic is staffed by a doctor and a team of experienced nurses. We provide a free pharmacy stocked with over-the-counter medications for issues like influenza, stomach bugs, or muscle pain. In addition to offering onsite medical care, we partner with a local physician to provide free medical care for every associate’s family member.
To maintain a healthy balance between work and family life, our associates enjoy a five-day work week and work 6% fewer weekly hours than the government requires. We also offer twice the annual bonus given by competing plants.
These are just some of the reasons our Silao workshops have twice been honored with Great Places to Work® Mexico certification.
More than 80%
of associates have received free care
More than 500 associates craft wood furniture in our Choloma, Cortes, Honduras, workshops, where they receive free onsite access to medical care. The clinic provides health information, including educational lectures, performs lab tests, and sponsors seasonal health initiatives, like flu vaccine clinics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our clinic set up a separate entrance for associates who had symptoms and oversaw the implementation of precautions in the workplace, like social distancing and masking.
Ethan Allen Honduras also sponsors a free health fair every year. Awarded “Best Health Fair” for five years in a row by the Medical Enterprise System of Honduras’s Institute of Social Security, each health fair offers a free breakfast along with a range of free consultations with medical specialists, like pediatricians, nutritionists, orthopedists, and gynecologists.
During the event, associates and their families receive medical services like eye exams and vaccines, all free of charge. More than 200 consultative visits take place at our health fairs each year, including almost 100 free dental procedures performed by a team of more than 20 dentists.
social responsibility
We're proud to be champions of environmentally sustainable manufacturing, fair labor standards, and economic opportunity for everyone, all over the world.
Gender Equality
At Ethan Allen, we work every day to capitalize on the talents of women, promoting them to leadership positions in both our retail network and in our corporate management.
Company Leadership
76%
of the leaders in our retail network, including Design Center managers, district, and regional managers, are women
41%
of the leaders at our corporate headquarters are women
64%
more women in corporate leadership than the average Fortune 500 company
SUPPORT OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
At Ethan Allen, we consistently look to our roots—our humble start in 1932 as a tiny business in Beecher Falls, Vermont—to guide our business choices and values.
When we search for new vendors, we seek those with artisans who have honed their skills to perfection. Women-run businesses are driving forces behind many of our category offerings.
Jaime Young, President of Young & Co., oversees the manufacturing of unique and inspired accent and lighting options, like our best-selling Farida Alabaster Lamp.
Janice Minor, President of Janice Minor Export Inc., creates beautiful and unusual decorative pieces for us, including our popular Large Gold Leafed Clam Shell.
They are just two of the many women we have the honor of collaborating with on a regular basis.
Philanthropy
Our CEO’s personal charitable trust, the Irfan Kathwari Foundation, provides philanthropic donations to local universities, arts organizations, and more, while also supporting overseas education initiatives and disaster relief for our associates.
Scholarships
$700,000+
given to students
1,000+ children
of associates received awards
The Irfan Kathwari Foundation has provided scholarships for the college-bound children of Ethan Allen associates for more than two decades. Students complete an application, and a committee awards individual scholarships based on academic achievement, community service, and perseverance in the face of personal obstacles.
So far, these scholarships have helped more than 1000 students pay for tuition, room and board, and other education-related expenses.
ENDOWMENTS
Ethan Allen headquarters are located in Danbury, Connecticut, which is also the home of Western Connecticut State University (Westconn). To support local economic development, to empower local high school and college students, and to train the educators of the future, Mr. Kathwari and the Irfan Kathwari Foundation have established two endowments.
$1 million
given to support the Western Connecticut State University Honors Program
Westconn's Kathwari Honors Program, built on the fundamental assumption that knowledge is an open set of questions and ideas to be explored, rather than a closed set of facts to be memorized, consists of highly interactive and interdisciplinary classes that are designed to foster both academic and civic excellence among outstanding students.
$250,000
given to future educators who enroll at Westconn
The Kathwari Inner City Minority Scholarship Program helps to recruit promising local students into Westconn's undergraduate teacher education program. Preference is given to minority students in Danbury who want to pursue careers as K–12 educators in the Danbury public schools.
Disaster Relief
From local projects spearheaded by our community Design Centers and manufacturing plants, to the humanitarian efforts funded by our CEO's philanthropic trust, the Irfan Kathwari Foundation, Ethan Allen's commitment to giving back permeates every part of our culture.
Response to Covid‑19
over 200,000 units
of PPE produced
Since April 2020, through our partnership with the Carolina Textile District as one of 60 participating manufacturers, Ethan Allen has helped to produce 179,230 units of PPE and continues to help produce 40,000 on a weekly basis.
Our skilled craftspeople turn provided doctor-approved antimicrobial fabrics into much-needed, washable medical-grade masks, as well as disposable fabric gowns.
Masks are distributed to local schools, and both masks and gowns are given to nearby hospitals and other locations where essential workers need them.
Hurricanes in Honduras
In November 2020, two hurricanes, one of them a Category 4, took aim at Honduras and Guatemala. When the Honduran government issued red alerts, we began working with the 500 associates in our Honduras workshop to take preparedness measures before the storms hit.
As the hurricanes brought immense flooding to the region, we worked to help our associates find safety, transporting them by boat or dump truck to shelters or to the homes of family and friends. Despite our best preventive efforts, 149 of our associates lost everything. Our plant manager immediately went to work, making sure our associates had at least the essentials that they needed: food, clothing, shoes, bedding, diapers, and medications, plus face masks for the COVID-19 pandemic that was well underway.
149 families
helped
Our associates received cleaning kits to help people salvage what they could of their homes, plus empty drums for storing clean water. Yet these supplies, along with the generous donations of fellow associates, weren’t enough to help those who had nothing left.
Seeing the need, the Irfan Kathwari Foundation stepped in, donating one refrigerator, one gas stove and gas cylinder, and one full-size bed to each associate. Instead of facing food insecurity, our associates can now prepare and store food for themselves and their families, and they can have a comfortable place to sleep as they begin putting their lives back together.
People First
We’re on a mission to improve the lives of our associates and their families by offering exemplary working conditions, competitive benefits, and enhanced quality of life.
ON-SITE MEDICAL CARE & MORE
2-time winner
Great Places to Work® Mexico Certification
Many of the 1,000 associates in our in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico, workshops live in small villages within 25 miles of our plant. To make it possible for them to come to work, we provide free transportation, and we offer two low-cost meals per day in our workshops.
Our free onsite medical clinic is staffed by a doctor and a team of experienced nurses. We provide a free pharmacy stocked with over-the-counter medications for issues like influenza, stomach bugs, or muscle pain. In addition to offering onsite medical care, we partner with a local physician to provide free medical care for every associate’s family member.
To maintain a healthy balance between work and family life, our associates enjoy a five-day work week and work 6% fewer weekly hours than the government requires. We also offer twice the annual bonus given by competing plants.
These are just some of the reasons our Silao workshops have twice been honored with Great Places to Work® Mexico certification.
More than 80%
of associates have received free care
More than 500 associates craft wood furniture in our Choloma, Cortes, Honduras, workshops, where they receive free onsite access to medical care. The clinic provides health information, including educational lectures, performs lab tests, and sponsors seasonal health initiatives, like flu vaccine clinics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our clinic set up a separate entrance for associates who had symptoms and oversaw the implementation of precautions in the workplace, like social distancing and masking.
Ethan Allen Honduras also sponsors a free health fair every year. Awarded “Best Health Fair” for five years in a row by the Medical Enterprise System of Honduras’s Institute of Social Security, each health fair offers a free breakfast along with a range of free consultations with medical specialists, like pediatricians, nutritionists, orthopedists, and gynecologists.
During the event, associates and their families receive medical services like eye exams and vaccines, all free of charge. More than 200 consultative visits take place at our health fairs each year, including almost 100 free dental procedures performed by a team of more than 20 dentists.