A. Leon Capel Jr., a rug industry icon and second-generation Capel Inc. leader, has been named an industry fellow and nominee for election into the American Furniture Hall of Fame.

Capel Rugs is a leader in the rug industry today due in large part to the creativity, leadership and innovation of A. Leon Capel, Jr. This well-deserved nomination honors Leon's contributions to Capel Rugs and the rug industry during his 60-year career.

In 1954, Leon Capel returned from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to join his father's rug manufacturing firm in Troy, N.C. Along with his brothers Jesse S. Capel and Arron W.E. Capel, Leon Capel fostered industry partnerships and expanded product offerings as they grew the company into an industry powerhouse. A master of creativity, Mr. Capel is known for devising unusual promotions to drive showroom attendance at market and for developing innovative in-store rug display racks that have now become the industry standard.

A U.S. Army veteran, Capel is an active contributor to his state and community, serving on the Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina and as a past director for the N.C. Energy Policy Council. He is past president of Montgomery Memorial Hospital, U.S. Carpet Golf Trade Assn., Troy Rotary Club, Montgomery United Services, Troy Industrial Development Commission, Trinity United Methodist Church, Methodist Men's Club and Montgomery County Elephant Club. He is past chairman of the Trinity Methodist Church Board of Trustees, Montgomery County Boy Scouts of America, Save Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Montgomery Country Club and First Health Hospital. He also was the county chairman for two North Carolina governors - James Holshouser and Jim Martin.

Capel's other involvements include service on the Governors Travel Council for Exports to Europe, the Far East and South America, the North Carolina Department of Commerce for Domestic Exports and advisory boards at the High Point, Dallas and Atlanta market centers.

The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is an international, industry-wide organization founded to honor those individuals whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the continued growth and development of the U.S. furniture industry, as well as to research, collect and preserve the industry's cultural, economic and artistic history. For more information about the Hall of Fame, visit www.furniturehalloffame.com.