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Karen Koenig
Editor

Karen M. Koenig has more than 30 years of experience in the woodworking industry, including visits to wood products manufacturing facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. As editor of special publications under the Woodworking Network brand, including the Red Book Best Practices resource guide and website, Karen’s responsibilities include writing, editing and coordinating of editorial content. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media. She can be reached at [email protected]

Ray Cotton

Woodworking Industry News

Lumber Liquidators Compliance Officer Resigns

Lumber Liquidators' chief compliance office has left the embattled flooring manufacturer as fallout from reports that the company sold "toxic" laminate flooring from China continues. Cotton's resignation comes as the company deals with allegations that the formaldehyde testing firm it hired sent homeowners screening test kits with false accreditation labels.
By Karen M. Koenig, June 12, 2015 | 11:27 am CDT
Hardwood-Lumber-NHLA.jpg

Woodworking Industry News

Hardwood Ad Checkoff Amended, USDA Seeks Comments

The USDA is once again seeking public comments on the proposed Hardwood Checkoff program following seven editorial amendments made to the proposal. Similar to program such as "Got Milk," "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" and "Pork, the Other White Meat," the hardwood checkoff program would be a collective marketing effort funded by the lumber producers and run by an industry-governed board; coordinated through the USDA.
By Karen M. Koenig, June 10, 2015 | 3:59 pm CDT
H.M. Richards

Woodworking Industry News

Upholstered Furniture Maker H.M. Richards Expands Operations

GUNTOWN, MS — Upholstered furniture manufacturer H.M. Richards is investing $8 million to expand  operations at its facility in Guntown, MS. The expansion is expected to create 500 jobs.Founded in 1997, H.M. Richards currently has 977 employees. For the expansion, the residential furniture maker is purchasing land adjacent to its 900,000-square-foot facility to build the new plant.
By Karen M. Koenig, June 9, 2015 | 9:45 am CDT

Furniture

Producing Furniture: From the Ground Up

Full Grown takes zero-waste furniture manufacturing to new levels. Owned by designer Gavin Munro, the UK-based firm literally grows its furniture into the desired shapes. And with each piece of furniture produces, Munro says, "There's no way not to see it came from a tree.Read UK Designer Grows Complete Furniture Pieces on Woodworking Network.Visit Full Grown's website at FullGrown.co.UK 
By Karen M. Koenig, June 8, 2015 | 4:16 pm CDT
Schad Family-Abby-Diana-Matt-Tim-Verna-Brandon-and-Colleen-Norris.jpg

Woodworking Industry News

Nucraft Expands Contract Furniture Facility

COMSTOCK PARK, MI – Contract furniture maker Nucraft  recently broke ground on a 47,700-square-foot expansion to its manufacturing facility. When completed, Nucraft will have nearly 300,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
 
“Nucraft is pleased to continue to invest in West Michigan, a community that we’ve called home since our founding in 1944,” said Matt Schad, CEO.
By Karen M. Koenig, June 4, 2015 | 2:52 pm CDT
Full Grown, furniture

Furniture

UK Designer Grows Complete Furniture Pieces

 Gavin Munro has grown his business literally from the ground up.  “We’ve taken a complete rethink of how wood is used as a material,” says Munro, a furniture designer and owner of Full Grown, an ecological, zero-waste producer of wood furniture.Instead of traditional methods — harvesting trees, milling, shaping and assembling the wood into furniture —   “We’ve bypassed that completely and we now grow trees directly into the shapes and forms that we want,” he says.
By Karen M. Koenig, June 2, 2015 | 2:18 pm CDT