July 8,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Leather Upholstery on July 9, 2012
Leather furniture vendor DeCoro will debut its 2012 collection at private showcase August 13-16 near Vancouver, British Columbia.
This is DeCoros first North American appearance in three years. The showing will be a private viewing, by appointment only. In 2009, DeCoro announced it was liquidating its operation in China. The company now manufactures its goods in Cambodia.
The event at the UBC Boathouse in Richmond, 30 minutes south of Vancouver, will offer more than 20 models.
The Vancouver event will be a great opportunity to introduce our 2012 furniture collection to the public, said DeCoro Founder Luca Ricci. Our new state-of-the-art factory in Cambodia has given us the opportunity to innovate, while preserving the beautiful craftsmanship and details already found in our furniture.
DeCoro also partners with Amici dei Bambini Association, a nonprofit organization that helps find adoptive families for children in orphanages. For every item it produces, DeCoro donates 75 cents to the groups efforts in Cambodia.
To attend the Vancouver event, Canadian customers should contact Mannie Bains, DeCoros western Canadian sales representative before July 31 at infodecoro@decoro.com. U.S. customers can contact Allen King at aking2605@verizon.net.
July 8,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on July 9, 2012
High Point Furniture Market has teamed with Olioboard.com to develop a new contest to select a ninth Style Spotter for the October show.
Olioboard is an interior design online two- and three-dimensional "moodboard" creator. This is the first time that Market has opened up the social media program to more than eight tastemakers.
At each High Point Market, the award=winning Style Spotters program selects home fashion trendsetters to showcase top Market products and trends on Pinterest, a Web site that lets users organize and share photos on virtual pinboards. The Spotters present exhibitors with signs that promote their selection and offer a QR code and URL for the Market Pinterest board. Market attendees also participate by voting on the pinboards and products, by generating likes or by re-pinning.
We wanted to have even more interaction with our home furnishings communities, and this crowd-sourcing contest will allow the Market community to select our next Style Spotter, said Cheminne Taylor-Smith, vice president of the High Point Market Authority. Olioboard is a perfect site for this contest because it allows members to create 2D and 3D room designs, while highlighting their own style viewpoint. Voters will be able to vote daily for the person that really showcases an eye for design, which is what the Style Spotters are all about.
Nominations for the ninth Style Spotter will be accepted through July 23 by filling out a form here. All nominees must have a social media presence, and must be a qualified attendee for the October High Point Market, such as an interior designer, a retailer or a member of the media.
A panel will select 15 finalists who will compete in an Olioboard contest to win a slot on the Style Spotters. Olioboards online moodboard application will allow these 15 finalists to create digital moodboards and room designs using a collection of product photos from the April Market.
Finalist will have one week to style their boards, and they can create multiple boards. Designs must be complete by July 31. Voting on the finalists boards will run August 1-22. All High Point Market attendees will be able to vote for their favorite Olioboard. When voting closes on August 22, the design with the most votes will win and the finalist will be named to the Style Spotters for the October Market.
The winner will join the fall roster of Style Spotters, which were announced last week: Traci Zeller, Traci Zellers Blog, @TraciZeller (Spring 2012 winner); Gretchen Aubuchon, Fashion + Decor, @fashionanddecor; Lori Dennis, DesignCamp.com, @loridennisinc; Julia Buckingham Edelmann, Material Girls, @buckinghamid; Janel Laban, Apartment Therapy, @AptTherapy; Cassandra LaValle, Coco + Kelley, @casslavalle; Stacy Naquin, Stacy Naquin blog, @StacyNaquin; and Jason Oliver Nixon, Demystifying Design, @JOliverNixon.
The High Point Market has received international recognition for the Style Spotters and has been named one of the top brands using Pinterest. Social media and branding experts such as Blogworld, Hubspot, Social Media Today, Likable Media, eModeration, and FrontLine touted the Markets Style Spotters program as a unique way to take advantage of brand building on Pinterest.
We are excited to now work with Olioboard as part of our social media strategy, says Taylor-Smith. The site has been named one of the hot new tech start-ups that is changing the face of retail, and the tools Olioboard offers will make this an incredible event for the Market.
Style Spotters are also promoted on the High Point Markets Facebook page and on Twitter, using the Market hashtag #hpmkt. To discover more about the Style Spotters, go here.
July 8,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Legal on July 9, 2012
from http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x1880836260/Rep-Bill-Huizenga-wants-Federal-prisons-out-of-manufacturing
Rep. Bill Huizenga is lending a shoulder to new push against a federal program that for decades some have perceived as having a competitive edge over the private-sector furniture industry.
Huizenga, R-Zeeland, Mich., testified June 28 before the House of Representatives Small Business Committee that Federal Prison Industries, or FPI, also called UNICOR, is taking work away from small businesses due to their access to cheap labor. Its not a new charge. U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Huizengas predecessor, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, in the 1990s attacked laws that mandated federal purchases come from FPI first where possible.
Read Full Article...
July 7,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Business Strategy on July 8, 2012
from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57468243/china-boosts-state-firms-as-entrepreneurs-struggle/
Reformers say China needs more entrepreneurs like Liu Peijian. His chain of furniture stores employs 60 people. But Beijing's response to the deepest economic slump since the 2008 crisis is to pump money into state industry, leaving businesspeople like Liu who create jobs to fend for themselves. Across town from Liu's office is a project that exemplifies China's mini-stimulus: An $11 billion steel mill being built by a government company and financed by state banks. It will employ 5,000 people or one job for each $2.2 million of investment. Spending like that of Baosteel Group, owner
Read Full Article...
July 6,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Community/Charitable Support on July 7, 2012
from http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_21023567/american-furniture-ceo-jabs-awarded-ameican-heritage-award
American Furniture Warehouse president and chief executive Jake Jabs has received the Anti-Defamation League's American Heritage Award for serving as an example to others through his leadership, dedication and energy. The award is given to an individual who personifies the ideals of the nation and the spirit of the Anti-Defamation League. Jabs adds the award to a résumé that also includes an induction into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame, Colorado Easter Seals' Champion
Read Full Article...