Dion Thornton is one of America's top sales professionals. While in retail furniture sales, his chosen profession, he sold more than any other salesperson in the nation, according to Furniture Today.

Dion was born in California. He lived there and then in Hawaii until the age of 12, when his family moved to his parents' native home of Mississippi. In Brandon, Mississippi, Dion worked at Miskelly Furniture where he was designated by Furniture Today as America's Top Retail Sales Associate. The entire time he worked retail he remained the top sales associate, month after month, never losing that standing. Not even once! Furniture Today published an article about him and from that, offered him a position writing articles on the art of selling. He contributed articles to that publication for almost a year.

Lexington Home Brands took notice of the articles and hired him as a manufacturers' representative. He relocated to Chicago, where he rose from the junior partner of a four-man team to the number two guy on the team. He was fortunate to have a wonderful mentor and lead representative for the territory help him with his transition from retail to wholesale. That person was Fred Heagarty. Fred was instrumental in Dion's success as a manufacturer's representative.

It was hard for a southern boy to survive up north, so Dion and his family were thrilled with an offer to move to a warmer climate. Ultimately, he ended up in Florida, where he's been since 2002.

He left the case goods business in 2007 and went to work with a motion manufacturer, Southern Motion, a family-owned business that is the darling and the envy of the entire motion furniture industry. He found his home there and is blessed to work for such an outstanding organization.

He covers the state of Florida as their representative but also holds the title National Sales Trainer. In that role, he travels the country holding sales meetings with stores that carry the Southern Motion line.

Recently, Dion was named the H Guy Lipscomb Man of the Year. This is the highest award given by Southern Motion and is voted upon by the sales organization. It is given to the person whose career you'd most want to emulate.

Dion currently lives in Orlando.