Sage Awards Finalists Announced

October 20, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on October 2008 Cisco Brothers, Los Angeles; Hickory Chair, Hickory, N.C.; and Valley Forge, Pompano Beach, Fla. are the finalists for the inaugural Sage Award competition, which recognizes environmental accomplishment in the home furnishings and bedding industries.

The American Home Furnishings Alliance and Cargill’s BiOH Polyls business unit, which teamed up to create the competition, announced the finalists at a breakfast Tuesday morning during High Point Market in the Eco Pavilion at Market Square.

Cisco Brothers has been producing high-end sustainable furniture using natural materials since 1990. The company helped revitalize South Central Los Angeles when it decided to stay in the neighborhood after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and has been a critical component to the area’s redevelopment, providing training and employment for many families. In 2006, founder Cisco Pinedo developed a dilapidated industrial building in High Point to create a home for Cisco Brothers’ market showroom that uses thousands of pounds of regenerated wood, steel, brick and other materials.

Hickory Chair employees implemented more than 1,200 improvements in 2007 for better machine utilization, reduced energy consumption; process improvements that eliminated rework and wasted materials; eliminated non-value-added operations; improved productivity and reduced energy and material usage. The 97-year-old company has implemented these and other environmental practices while growing profits and growth, adding an average of 30 employees a year the past three--all while holding prices for more than five years even as employees received raises and bonuses.

Valley Forge produces textiles for upholstery, bedding and drapery for the hotel, furniture manufacturing and cruise ship sectors. In 2007, after several years of research, the company launched FRESH (Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards for Hospitality). FRESH fabrics are made from synthetic yarns developed from pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled products, mostly post-consumer PET plastic beverage bottles. The fabrics are 100 percent recycled content. Valley Forge works on more than 1,100 hotels per year, ranging in size from 100 to 5,200 rooms, making for a tremendous positive environmental impact for FRESH fabrics.

Fourteen entries, including retailers, manufacturers and suppliers, were submitted for consideration by a panel of 10 judges from the industry, environmental and social organizations, and trade and consumer press.

The three finalists will be spotlighted and the 2008 winner announced at a reception Nov. 13 during AHFA’s Sustainability Summit at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C. Cargill’s BiOH Polyls also will sponsor the event.