Arkansas Business

Mary Browne Allen

For Mary Browne Allen, 36, furniture is her family business. Her father is Hank Browne, who founded Hank's Fine Furniture in 1975 and is the company's CEO.
Growing up, Allen worked part time and during the summers at Hank's. After graduating from Hendrix College in 1996 with a degree in business and economics, she began working at the furniture chain full time as a salesperson.
She was promoted to merchandise manager in 1999 and expanded Hank's inventory to include more middle- to upper-end vendors.
The move worked and the company continued to grow. In 2008, Hank's opened a 75,000-SF store in west Little Rock. Allen helped design the showroom and filled the store with inventory. Because of the success of that store, Hank's opened a 95,000-SF location in Rogers in 2010.
In 2010, Allen was named president of the company, which has 14 locations and three distribution centers. The company has about 300 employees and brings in between $50 million and $60 million in revenue annually, she said.
Allen has volunteered at the Arkansas chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
Allen said she's motivated to do the best she can and to continue to grow the company. "Now it's like a very personal challenge to continue" Hank's, Allen said. "I want to carry the company forward."