Toy Industry Assn. Gets New President
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 4/10/2006
After months of turmoil, the toy industry has chosen a new leader.
Carter Keithley, currently president and CEO of the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Assn., will become president of the New York-based Toy Industry Assn. effective May 1.
Keithley takes the top spot following the resignation of Tom Conley, who led the group through a turbulent 2005, during which it lost its New York showroom buildings to condo developers, forcing a decision on whether to move the American Intl. TOY FAIR (No. 55 on the Tradeshow Week 200) and the American Intl. Fall Toy Show out of New York. The group decided in May to keep them both in the city. It chose a new showroom location in Lower Manhattan in November, then reversed its decision and is still scouring the city for a site.
TIA Chairman Arnie Rubin, president of Funrise, called Keithley "well suited to the leadership needs at TIA." He added, "His experience with consumer products industries, safety standards, international trade, and industry promotion are right on point with the needs of an organization such as TIA."
Employed for 10 years by the HPBA in Arlington, Va., Keithley has 30 years of association management experience, beginning at SmithBucklin.
He has been a volunteer director and chairman of several industry groups, including the Assns. Council of the Natl. Assn. of Manufacturers and the Natl. Council of the Housing Industry. He is also an appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act Advisory Committee.
Keithley will be introduced to TIA members at the group's annual ToyCon meeting and conference April 30–May 2 at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Phoenix.
