TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- A Tupelo man described as an icon in the furniture industry has died.
Action founder Alvin "Bo" Bland, 88, died Tuesday at Traceway Retirement Community in Tupelo.
Bland and Mickey Holliman started Action in May of 1970 with just 35 employees.
Holliman tells WTVA.com they leased a 20,000 square-foot building located behind the North Mississippi Medical Center.
Two years later, the company were bought out by Lane.
Holliman and Bland stayed with the company known as action lane.
Holliman says Bland was not only a business partner, he was a great friend for years and a mentor.
Southern motion CEO Guy Lipscomb says Bland was one of the great leaders in the industry, an entrepreneur and a visionary.
Mr. Bland is survived by his wife Judy, a son and two daughters.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by W. E. Pegues Funeral Directors in Tupelo.
