AHFA Presents Environmental & Safety Awards

Furniture World Magazine

The American Home Furnishings Alliance presented its 2007 Leadership Awards for environmental and safety professionals during a November environmental conference. Recipient of the Environmental Leadership Award was Joe Riddle, facilities/energy engineer, environmental manager at Bernhardt Furniture. This award is presented each year to individuals who demonstrate leadership within the AHFA environmental committee, take an active role in task groups, participate in committee projects and demonstrate proficiency in the skills required to manage their company’s environmental programs. Bernhardt Furniture also received the AHFA Environmental Excellence Award for corporate environmental performance. This award recognizes a member company that embraces the AHFA message of excellence and, as a company, is on the leading edge of environmental compliance and performance. Bernhardt is currently in the process of gaining EFEC certification for all five of its domestic facilities at once. EFEC is an industry-specific environmental management system created by AHFA. The Wayne Bumgardner Safety Leadership Award went to Donna Musik, environmental coordinator at Hickory Chair. This award recognizes a safety professional who exhibits leadership on the AHFA safety committee, takes an active role in committee projects and demonstrates excellence in managing a corporate safety program. It is named for Wayne Bumgardner, who retired as corporate safety director for Bernhardt Furniture after more than 30 years and who was a longtime member of AHFA’s HR/Safety Division, as well as the Safety Committee. Finally, environmental and safety executives from AHFA member companies recognized Brown and Caldwell, Integrita Group and Stratus Environmental with 2007 AHFA Suppliers Awards. The Suppliers Award acknowledges companies that embrace and lend their support and expertise to developing health and safety or environmental compliance tools for the AHFA membership. Brown and Caldwell helped develop the new Sustainable by Design certification program to recognize exemplary environmental performance among AHFA member companies. Integrita Group partnered with AHFA in developing an Integrated Safety Performance program for the membership. Stratus Environmental has provided ongoing technical support to the alliance on the boiler and plywood MACT (Maximum Achievable Control Technology) regulations, along with other air toxics issues. The American Home Furnishings Alliance – located in High Point, N.C. and Washington, D.C. – is the largest association of home furnishings companies in the world and represents more than 200 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, as well as 225 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide.