The furniture produced on his factory floor won't bear his company name, but that's fine with Anthony Pennisi. The owner of Domenick's Furniture Manufacturer in High Point, Pennisi's workers assemble the sofa frames, foam and upholstery sent to them by hospitality and health care furniture firms into finished products that they ship to medical offices, hotels and other customers.

As an "in-demand" contract manufacturer, his factory builds and services products for other furniture brands and private label companies that need help filling orders or customizing their goods. It's a business model fine-tuned by Pennisi, who is part of a furniture family with roots in Italy.