Max Dyer, Co-President & CEO, KMC Furniture, LLC

Invest: spoke with Max Dyer, co-president and CEO of KMC Furniture, about the acquisition of Kincaid Furniture’s upholstery business, the company’s commitment to Alexander County, and the value of skilled craftsmanship. Dyer also discussed workforce development, domestic sourcing, and the careful use of automation. “We’re glad to make it a locally owned company again and look forward to many more years of growing here,” he said.

What can you tell us about the acquisition of Kincaid Furniture’s upholstery business, and how is it shaping KMC Furniture’s priorities?

Our story is unique. KMC Furniture is a new company formed through a partnership among me, my aunt Kim Kincaid, and my longtime colleague Cole Mehlman. My grandfather and great-grandfather founded Kincaid Furniture in Hudson, North Carolina, in 1946. The company was purchased by La-Z-Boy in the late 1980s.

When La-Z-Boy decided to divest several businesses it had owned for many years, we saw an opportunity. Mehlman and I had worked together within La-Z-Boy on the Kincaid Furniture side of the business. We approached the company about purchasing the Kincaid upholstery operation and its factory in Alexander County.

This is a wonderful county, and we have great employees and an extraordinary concentration of skilled labor here. Nine employees have been with the company for more than 40 years, and our longest-tenured employee will have worked in this factory for 50 years in October. We did not want to see that legacy disappear or the facility close.

A business that had operated as part of a public company for many years has now been purchased by members of the family that originally owned it. It is once again a locally owned, family-owned business, and its headquarters are in Alexander County.

What makes Western North Carolina an attractive place for the company’s next chapter?

Western North Carolina is a wonderful place to do business. It has strong resources, good transportation, and a generally business-friendly environment. Beyond those advantages, the culture of the people here is particularly important. There is a commitment to supporting companies and a positive attitude toward production, manufacturing, and especially furniture.

The tenure of our employees demonstrates that culture. Having so many people who love what they do and perform their work well is unusual. The level of skill and craftsmanship in this region is something we cannot find anywhere else in the furniture industry.

What does KMC Furniture’s commitment to maintaining and expanding operations locally mean for the company and Alexander County?

For the company, it represents a long-term commitment to Alexander County. We are also bringing together business functions that had been spread across different locations when the operation was part of a larger public corporation. Under that structure, finance might be handled in one state and purchasing in another, with many shared services and a significant focus on the bottom line.

Now that our headquarters and employees are based in Alexander County, we can consider the best short- and long-term solution for each decision. That can mean partnering with local vendors with whom we can build relationships or having our purchasing, finance, and other team members together in one place.

This approach adds jobs in Alexander County and leverages the relationships and skills available throughout the area. We have received great support from the county and the state, including help with training, hiring, and other needs associated with growing the business here.

How is the company balancing automation and emerging technologies with traditional craftsmanship?

We want to prioritize skilled labor in the areas where it creates the greatest benefit for the consumer. We still make custom upholstery one piece at a time. Each frame is built individually by one person, and we use techniques such as eight-way hand tying. There are time-honored ways of making furniture that automation cannot improve upon at this point.

Our employees also match patterned fabrics and apply them carefully. That is especially important because we produce a custom-ordered line. A consumer or designer selects what they want, and we manufacture it according to those specifications.

Technology and automation still have an important role in our operation. We use them to remove wasted effort and excess labor that do not add value to the product. We would rather have our people use their skills to improve the furniture than spend their time moving materials around the facility.

Our back-end system is highly advanced for the industry. We scan components to exact locations and can see on a screen where each component is located. Systematizing those processes reduces time and waste while improving speed and the product itself.

How is Alexander County helping KMC Furniture recruit and develop the workforce it needs?

Bringing in new talent is always challenging, even when an existing pool of skilled workers is available. However, we have grown our team by almost 10% so far in calendar year 2026, and we have achieved strong results from that expansion.

Part of that success comes from the skilled labor already present in the region. The area has a strong workforce, positive attitudes toward work, and a culture that supports manufacturing. We also provide significant training, and we use resources available in the community to do that.

For example, there is an excellent community college network around us that provides and supports skill-specific training. We have been able to find the people and capabilities we need in Alexander County, and that is a key benefit of operating here.

How are inflation, supply-chain disruptions, tariffs, and changing material costs affecting the business?

Relationships are a major part of our business. We make every effort to purchase from suppliers located near us so we can develop strong working relationships and become more meaningful to our vendors, while they become more meaningful to us.

Cost fluctuations are real challenges, whether they come from fuel and transportation surcharges, tariffs, or changes affecting imported components and materials. We are somewhat insulated from those pressures because we purchase and use a significant amount of U.S.-made materials and resources.

Whenever possible, we buy from companies manufacturing domestically. The best-case scenario is to purchase from manufacturers that are both domestic and local, whether we are sourcing fabrics, cushioning, or other components.

Where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth in Alexander County and the furniture industry?

One of the greatest opportunities is to introduce more young people entering the workforce to skilled craftsmanship jobs. Building something tangible can be rewarding. There is real value in creating a product you are proud of, that gives you a sense of accomplishment, and ultimately benefits somebody else.

We can provide opportunities to people from this area and remind them that skilled occupations can be well-paying careers. Jobs like ours have historically offered benefits such as 401(k) plans. Alexander County also offers an excellent quality of life and cost of living.

There is a strong balance here: People can work in a beautiful part of the country, apply their skills and craftsmanship to a product, earn a good living, and build a strong livelihood for their families.

Are there any additional points you would like to highlight about the company and its relationship with the community?

It is important to remember that this region has historically produced some of the finest furniture. We need to retain those traditions and the businesses that preserve them.

I appreciate Alexander County, its commissioners, and the citizens of Taylorsville and Alexander County for supporting us. It has been a good start for our business. We’re glad to make it a locally owned company again and look forward to many more years of growing here.