Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Sustainable Furnishings Council Adds 3 to Board
February 28,
2017 by Larry Thomas in Business Strategy, Industry 
The Sustainable Furnishings Council, an advocate for the responsible sourcing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of residential furnishings, has added three people to its board of directors.
The new members, who will serve three-year terms, are Rene DeKok, president and CEO of ScanCom, a Vietnam-based manufacturer of outdoor furnishings; Erika Heet, editor-in-chief of Interiors magazine; and Matt Huber, vice president and marketing director of retailer Belfort Furniture.
"I am excited to have Rene, Erika and Matt as the newest members of the SFC Board of Directors as we begin our second decade of service to the industry,” says SFC Board President Steve Freeman of Room & Board. “Their knowledge, commitment and excitement about our cause will certainly help us achieve our goals going forward."
New appointees are working alongside returning board members Peggy Burns, Circle Furniture; Gat Caperton, Gat Creek; Kathryn Richardson, Libeco; Mitchell Gold, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams; Amy Smith, World Wildlife Fund’s Global Forest & Trade Network; Warren Clark, Home Trends & Design; Albert Gore, SolarCity; and Jillian Pritchard Cooke, Wellness Within Your Walls.
The board will execute key SFC initiatives for 2017, including the "What's It Made Of?" initiative, which was announced at the organization's 10th anniversary celebration last October and will launch officially in March. The organization will continue to focus on helping furnishings companies reduce their environmental footprint, and helping shoppers shop for and buy sustainably manufactured furnishings.
The SFC staff will expand in 2017 to include a new member services manager, who will ensure member companies are vetted and served with a suite of membership benefits. Educational programming at industry events and online will be robust and substantive. Programs such as the popular GREENleaders certificate course and the new #GetYourGreenOn interior design competition will continue to educate businesses about what’s cutting-edge in the arena of sustainability, provide useful strategies for creating a healthy home, and teach businesses how to be successful in a low-carbon economy.
The SFC executive committee is comprised of Freeman, president; Burns, vice-president; Caperton, treasurer; and Richardson, secretary. Susan Inglis is SFC executive director.