Richard Forsyth dreamed of being an entrepreneur. Inspired by business magnate Richard Branson, Forsyth studied abroad in London during college, hoping to get an early start in entrepreneurship. After graduating, he worked in investment banking and private equity, learning about business operations and company culture. Through his private equity work, Forsyth was exposed to the art industry and saw an exciting opportunity to consolidate a fragmented market.
In 2005, Forsyth acquired a small poster print company in Florida that only had two major customers at the time. He envisioned transforming it into a vertically integrated art business. That company became Wendover Art Group.
The Wendover Luxury Lifestyle
Today, Wendover Art Group has grown over 17 times its original size into a leading designer, creator, and manufacturer of art in various mediums. The company partners with over 300 artists globally and studio and production artisans to produce premium wall art in its now 200,000-square-foot headquarters.
Beyond wall art, Wendover has expanded its product line to include lighting, textiles, and mirrors through strategic acquisitions of specialized American manufacturers. “We are dedicated to serving our customers as The Source for Art. By actively listening and spotting opportunities, we have expanded the aperture of Art and can now offer a wider range of options,” says Forsyth.
Wendover aims to provide a luxury lifestyle experience to its thousands of residential, hospitality, and senior living customers. The recent acquisitions bring Wendover’s collective expertise to over 180 years across art, lighting, textiles, and mirrors. Forsyth explains,
“We will provide that level of expertise to our customers, shorten lead times, enhance value, and serve as a source for domestically made and artisan-crafted products.”
Looking ahead, Wendover plans to further build out its luxury lifestyle vision over the next 1-3 years by thoroughly integrating its acquired brands and making its range of American-made products efficiently available to customers.
A Talent-Focused Culture
Its intense focus on culture and developing talent is integral to Wendover’s growth. According to Forsyth, “We’re a talent-driven organization. At the end of the day, it’s our people creating and our people making it happen.”
The company adheres to four core values: Honor, Team, Excellence, and Smart. Forsyth explains that they need engaged team members who align with these values to sustain growth, “To continue to be a growing, talent-driven organization, it’s crucial that our people continuously develop and improve themselves.” Specifically, Wendover looks for all-star talent with strong leadership traits: a team-first mentality, passion for continuous improvement, and a positive multiplier. Forsyth emphasizes, “We’re looking to select, attract, and recruit one top all-star at a time that can significantly impact the company and make us better.”
Developing Career Pathways
Once team members join, Wendover focuses intently on developing skills and leadership capabilities to support company growth. When setting goals, they carefully analyze the skills needed to improve or add in each department. This helps identify areas where they need to focus on developing talent to realize their objectives successfully.
The development process involves improving job-related soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills. Wendover believes leadership is crucial but hard to cultivate, so they consistently work to enhance leadership at all company levels.
Forsyth also emphasizes that professional development at Wendover goes beyond work skills: “It’s not just who you are while at Wendover; it encompasses your personal development and growth in all areas of your life. It’s who you are as a person in general. They all relate.”
The Wendover Difference
Forsyth credits his lifelong passion for team sports as instrumental in building Wendover’s successful team-centric culture: “A team mindset dominates the individual mindset, 100% of the time.”
According to Forsyth, Wendover sets itself apart in three major ways:
1. Its intense commitment to selective and thoughtful recruiting, then a heavy investment of time and resources into team member development.
2. Its consistent large-scale investments into the business itself, year after year, whether in technology, facilities, showrooms, or processes.
3. The ability to invest long-term and build for the future as an independent business as opposed to a public or private equity-backed company with shorter time horizons.
These pillars have enabled the tremendous growth of Wendover, from two customers in 2005 to thousands of interior designers, independent and specialty retailers, and major hospitality brands today.
With Forsyth’s growth vision, Wendover Art Group seems poised to continue its upward trajectory for years to come through acquiring specialized brands, serving luxury clients, and developing its team.
