He's a chairman and a chair man.

• Position: Wayne Lyon, chief executive officer of LifeStyle Furnishings International Ltd.

Wayne Lyon always thought his future was in plastics. Earlier in his career, he managed the team that created the first plastic vending-machine cups, cottage-cheese containers and ring holders for soft-drink six-packs.

So how'd he end up surrounded by wood? He's now chairman, CEO and president of Thomasville-based LifeStyle Furnishings International Ltd., the largest furniture maker in the world. "I could never have conceived of furniture as part of my business life 40 years ago."

Two years ago, Lyon was president and chief operating officer of Masco Corp. when the Taylor, Mich.-based plumbing products giant decided to sell its furniture division. He talked to dozens of potential buyers. In the end, 100 managers bought it - with the stipulation, Lyon says, "that 'By the way, Wayne, we'd like you to come and run it.'"

So Lyon formed LifeStyle in August 1996, creating one of North Carolina's largest private companies. It has about 33,000 employees, including 11,500 in the state. Its products range from generic office furniture to high-tone brands such as Drexel Heritage, Henredon and Lexington.

Lyon has grown to like his new business, but he's not crazy about the commute. He and his wife, Maryann, make weekend treks back to their old home in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., from their house in Sedgefield, near Greensboro.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Lyon got a chemical-engineering degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1955 and a...