Springfield man appears on Steve Harvey’s TV show

The April 24 episode of “Steve” features Springfield resident Jermaine Ward presenting host Steve Harvey with a custom-made chair.

Ward, who owns Monte’s Custom Furniture, said he was inspired to start working on the chair earlier this year

because of his mom, who he describes as a “huge Steve Harvey fan.” At the end of February, before the chair was complete, he contacted the producers of the show and let them know what he had in the works.

“One of his producers was really excited about the chair,” Ward said. “She inquired about the weight, when I would have it completed, and she wanted me to send pictures. Then about a week later, she asked if I could get the chair out there by April 8 for a taping of the show the following day.”

The TV show is produced in Los Angeles, and Ward decided to drive the 130- pound chair to California himself, rather than shipping it.

“It was an exciting trip,” Ward said, noting that the producers gave him eight tickets to the show taping so that he could bring family members with him.

Building custom chairs is nothing new for Ward, who has also built a variety of other pieces, ranging from baby furniture to dog beds. He previously presented Mayor Jim Langfelder with a similar chair that is now on display in the lobby of Municipal West at 800 E. Monroe Ave., although Ward noted that the one he made for Harvey is “fancier and bigger.”