FIAG 2026

Craig A. Ruse is a veteran of the North American furniture industry with 55+ years of sales leadership, brand building, and territory development across the U.S. and Canada. A Chicago native who began his career after college on the G.I. Bill, Craig has consistently grown businesses for leading manufacturers, often simultaneously serving as both top-producing sales representative and sales leader. 

After graduating high school in 1965, Craig served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War (1966–1968) and earned an honorable discharge. He attended Ball State University (1969–1973) before launching into home furnishings with TOUCH-LITE, INC., selling innovative touch-activated table lamps—quickly landing Playboy Enterprises as his top Illinois customer. 

He advanced to Raymor/Richards, Morgenthau, Inc. (1974–1977), moving to New York City as Assistant National Sales Manager and supporting a 25-rep national sales force across iconic design brands including Howard Miller, Artisan House, Stone International, Thonet, and Raymor Imports. In 1977, Craig transferred to Minneapolis to represent Ello, Preview, and Techline, then returned to Chicago in 1979 as an independent rep for Ello and Techline across IL, MI, MN, and WI. 

A pivotal relationship with Andrea Taddia of Stone International led Craig to orchestrate Stone’s North American shift from Raymor to Ello, and he was named National Sales Manager for ELLO International. For eight years he led the division while remaining Ello’s top rep, recruiting and developing a stronger sales organization and managing the Stone International showroom for North American clients at the Milan Furniture Fair. At Milan in 1981, Craig met Pasquale Natuzzi—an encounter that launched the defining chapter of his career. 

In 1982 he married the love of his life Laada and together they have three wonderful children Natasha, Lexie, and Julian.  They enjoy being able to spend time with them and their grandchildren Austin, Camryn and Finn. 

From 1982 to 2005, Craig represented Natuzzi Leather, building his territory from three to eight states (IL, MI, MN, IN, ND, SD, NE) and assembling a seven-person sub-rep team under Craig A. Ruse NET (Natuzzi, Ello & Techline) Sales, Inc. He remained the #1 sales representative for Natuzzi for most of this 23-year run—often simultaneously leading Ello and Techline in sales—surpassing $50 million in shipments with Natuzzi alone and earning more than $1 million annually at peak. 

Following the national downturn in 2005 and structural changes at Natuzzi, Craig transitioned to Simon Li (2005–2007) and then KUKA (2007–2008), maintaining broad multi-state coverage. He returned to Natuzzi in 2008 as National Sales Manager for Canada, before joining HTL (2014–2015) to represent IL, MI, and WI, where he grew the business and opened new accounts. 

In 2015, Craig joined CHEERS/Manwah as Vice President of Sales for Canada, initially serving as both VP and sales representative. He built the Canadian business to scale, then recruited and trained regional reps for Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia over a nine-year tenure. 

Since 2024, Craig has served as Senior Sales Advisor and Representative at MOTO Motion Furniture, partnering with ABC Warehouse, Darvin Furniture, and leading initiatives across Canada. He chose MOTO to align with a fast-rising motion specialist “making a difference” in the industry, bringing his trademark blend of hands-on territory development, team building, and long-view strategic judgment. 

Craig’s career is defined by opening markets, elevating brands, and developing high-performing sales teams—always with a builder’s mindset and a relentless focus on results.