Daily News Archive
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March 10,
2013 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on March 11, 2013
The American Home Furnishings Alliance has honored Carlton Craig of Stanley Furniture and Gene Barrow of Bassett Furniture with the Safety Leadership Award.
Craig, product compliance manager for Stanley; and Barrow, manager of product engineering for Bassett, received the awards were presented at a furniture safety work group meeting March 6 at AHFA headquarters in High Point.
Both Craig and Barrow sit on AHFAs Advisory Committee on Safety, which represents the furniture industry on safety issues and serves as an advocate before various governmental and regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Their contributions to this committee are enormous, said Bill Perdue, AHFAs vice president of regulatory affairs. They are called on to help research emerging product safety issues--not when it is convenient for them, but whenever the need arises.
Craig and Barrow also serve on the ASTM International Furniture Safety Committee chaired by Perdue. The ASTM committee maintains safety standards for furniture tip-over, bunk beds and horizontal glass for desks and tables.
Perdue described Craig and Barrow as safety champions in the home furnishings industry.
They have not only worked to ensure that our industrys safety standards remain up-to-date, relevant and effective, but they frequently call for--and participate in--webinars and seminars to help educate their industry colleagues, he said.
Craig has been with Stanley Furniture since 1973, when he held a part-time position in the companys moulding department while still in high school. He has held positions in drafting, engineering and product development and was named to his current position in 2009.
Barrow has been with Bassett since 1999.
March 10,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on March 11, 2013
Bassett Furniture Inds. (NASDAQ: BSET) has declared a $.05 per share on outstanding common stock.
The dividend is payable on May 31 to shareholders of record at the close of business May 15.
March 10,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on March 11, 2013
Bassett Furniture Inds. (NASDAQ: BSET) has declared a $.05 per share on outstanding common stock.
The dividend is payable on May 31 to shareholders of record at the close of business May 15.
March 10,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on March 11, 2013
The Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library has announced winners of design competitions for scholarships to students studying Interior design and furniture design.
Xie Xin, a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University won a $10,000 Award for Interior Design. Kai-ning Huang, a graduate student at The Savannah College of Art & Design, won a $10,000 Award for Furniture Design. In addition to the $10,000 awards, they have been given memberships in the American Society of Furniture Designers and American Society of Interior Designers professional associations.
The Bienenstock scholarships are open to any junior, senior or graduate student enrolled in an accredited college design program. Each winner will be awarded the scholarship funds during the April High Point Furniture Market.
Our founder, Sandy Bienenstock, advanced his long-standing desire to invest in the education and future of the furniture industry by establishing the Library itself and by initiating the Bienenstock Scholarships, said Charles Sutton, president of the Library Board. The intention of these scholarships is to encourage and inspire the best and most creative minds and help them to develop their talents. To that end, this year we added a scholarship in interior design to our long-standing award in furniture design, creating two substantial national scholarships.
The competitions are a collaborative effort among the ASFD, ASID and the library. The ASFD founded the furniture competition and leads the judging. The ASID sponsors and judges the interior design completion. The library hosts the competition and funds the scholarships. This is an annual competition, and a new contest will be announced in November.
Entrants in the furniture design competition were asked to design a chair that was visually stunning, appropriate for manufacturing, fiscally feasible, and suitable for mass production, said Sutton. Our goal was to arrive at a design that could be marketed to the residential and/or contract trade.
While the decision was difficult, the Delta Chair by Kai-Ning Huang stood out as the outstanding design submitted," said Dudley Moore, ASFD president and chairman of the Furniture Design Committee. "The form of the chair was unique and visually stunning, and the modular aspect of the chair made it a great solution for public environments. We were impressed by the designers thoughtful consideration of creating a comfortable personal space for people in todays increasingly congested world. Furthermore, in a word, the chair was just flat-out cool.
Interior design competition entrants were asked to design a project including both residential and commercial spaces to a set of specifications.
Of Xie Xins winning design, the judges noted, This design is a great combination of creativity and function. It shows a wonderful understanding of the inhabitant, and a sensitive and lyrical expression of design that was both functional and a highly creative work of art.
Students from 18 colleges and universities submitted qualifying entries to the Librarys 2013-design scholarship competition. All judging was blindwith no name or college shown with the submission. A panel of industry experts juried each competition.
March 10,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on March 11, 2013
Bedding vendor Simmons and bedding retailer Sleep Country/Mattress Discounters have partnered to replace 31 mattresses at Seattle's Jubilee Womens Center.
Jubilee Womens Center is a non-profit that helps women transition from homelessness into independent living. The company has also donated Comforpedic from Beatyrest mattresses to two recent graduates of the center, who were robbed of all their possessions while preparing to move into their new residences.
After learning of the plight of Bernida Simmons and Celeste Tanner, whose moving truck containing all of their personal belongings was stolen in the midst of their move to independent residences, Simmons Bedding, in partnership with one of its leading Seattle retailers, Sleep Country/Mattress Discounters, reached out to Jubilee Womens Center, with an offer to donate replacement mattresses for the women, as well as supply the organizations sleeping quarters with brand new beds. In the spirit of paying it forward, Bernida Simmons, who currently owns a mattress, will be donating her new Comforpedic mattress to the Jubilee Womens Center to be auctioned off at the nonprofits charity fundraiser, a gift estimated to yield up to $2,500.
Getting recharging sleep is critical for anyone to be able to tackle the day--even in the best of circumstances, said Scott Smalling, chief of specialty innovation at Simmons, who learned of Simmons' and Tanners situation from a local Seattle newscast. Jubilee gives these women the resources they need to make over their lives. The least we can do is help make over their beds.
Sleep Country/Mattress Discounters is honored to work with Simmons Bedding on making this donation happen, said Jarrett Tomalin, marketing and community relations coordinator at Sleep Country USA. Organizations like Jubilee are making a huge impact on the lives of the women they serve, which makes our community a better place for all.
Through training, community housing and support services, Jubilee Womens Center provides women exhausted by the struggles of poverty with the skills they need to achieve economic self-sufficiency. The thirty-one new mattresses will replace all of the beds currently used in the organizations two community-housing buildings, which previously could accommodate 27 women.
We are so grateful for the mattresses provided by Simmons Bedding, says Cheryl Senson, director of Jubilee Womens Center. This donation will enable us to better serve the women who pass through our doors looking for safety, security and comfort. Simmons Bedding is providing a comfortable place for our residents to rest and recharge as they prepare for stable and fulfilling futures.