Hershel Alpert

ALPERT, HERSHEL a life long resident of New Bedford, MA passed away Friday, surrounded by his family.

Mr. Alpert, the son of George and Rose (Sederholm) Alpert was a graduate of New Bedford High School and Colby College. It was at Colby College that he met his future wife Barbara (Weiss) Alpert, the love of his life. They had four children, Beth, Bruce, Peter and Scott Alpert.

After serving time in the U.S. Army Mr. Alpert returned to New Bedford to work at Alperts Furniture Store, a family business. From 1964-1972, Mr. Alpert was President of Arlan's Furniture (a subsidiary of Alperts Furniture) with stores in Massachusetts, New York State and Florida. From 1972-1985, Mr. Alpert was President of Alperts Furniture Warehouse and Showroom, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Cinema Corporation (formerly Harcourt General Corp.) with 15 stores in New York, Ohio, Florida and Massachusetts.

In 1985 Alperts Furniture once again became a family business. He was President and CEO of Alperts Furniture, a 150,000 square foot furniture warehouse and showroom facility which was located in Seekonk, Massachusetts, three miles from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The store was considered amongst the most productive in the industry. Mr. Alpert was not only innovative but ahead of his time. Alperts was a highly systemic company and was fully computerized since 1972. Mr. Alpert was an icon in the furniture business. Alperts has been the recipient of the Brand Names Foundation Retailer of the Year award, the Retailers Association of Massachusetts Retailer of the Year, and the National Home Furnishings Association Retailer of the Year in 2005.

In 2007, at 75 years old, when Mr. Alpert sold the Alpert Furniture Company, he surprised many by becoming Principal of Alpert Consulting and becoming a consultant to the President of Serta International Mattress Company, rather than retiring. Mr. Alpert also lectured at the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth where he was a member of the faculty and the Senior Executive in Residence. He served on the Dean's Advisory Council at the Charlton College of Business, the Advisory Board at the Center for Marketing Research, and was a member of the UMASS-Dartmouth Foundation Board.

Mr. Alpert was a past President and Chairman of the National Home Furnishing Association and a past Chairman of the National Home Furnishings Foundation, where he served as a Trustee. He also served on the Board of the Home Furnishings Association, New England.

Mr. Alpert was also a member of the industry Board of Directors of the City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles, CA.

Mr. Alpert, who believed it was important to give back to his community, served on the board of the Buttonwood Park Zoological Society, where he was instrumental in bringing the new carousel to the Park. He also served on the board of New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and the United Way of Greater New Bedford, where he was a member of the Finance Committee, and was previously a member of the City of New Bedford Industrial Development Financing Authority. He also served as a Commissioner on the City of New Bedford Airport Commission. He was previously a Corporator of the Compass Bank Corp.

Mr. Alpert is survived by his four children Beth, Bruce (and his wife Heidi), Peter (and his wife Rebecca Drill) and Scott Alpert, his grandchildren, Leah, Marcus, Hannah, David, Daniel, Amanda and Laura Alpert and his sister Beverly Goldstein.

His funeral service will be held Sunday at 1 PM in Congregation Tifereth Israel, 145 Brownell Ave., New Bedford, MA with a burial in Plainville Cemetery, New Bedford, MA. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the charity of your choice, or to the Hershel and Barbara Alpert Charitable Fund/Fidelity Gift Fund, c/o Alpert Law LLC, 105 Chestnut Street #17, Needham, MA 02492. Arrangements by Sugarman-Sinai Memorial Chapel.