Residential furniture maker Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. said its profit for the first quarter ended Sept. 30 rose 11% compared to last year and said orders improved in October. "Beginning in fiscal 2017, we will be well positioned to begin an accelerated growth phase, towards sales of $1 billion," remarked CEO Farooq Kathwari. That would represent an increase of 25%.

Owners of Hobby Lobby, a national crafts and hobbyist supply store with a substantial high tech in-house retail display manufacturing plant, are reported to be under investigation for illegal imports of antiquities. Federal agents intercepted a cache of ancient Cuneiform clay documents as they were being shipped by FedEx to Hobby Lobby headquarters in Oklahoma City.

The nation's largest cabinet manufacturer continues to grow. MasterBrand Cabinets announced it is expanding its operations at the Auburn, AL, facility, adding a third shift and 150 employees. This will bring the total number of employees at the plant to 530.

A woodworking and makers collective, The Forge, in Greensboro, NC, has named Joe Rotondi as its first executive director. He cooperative work center provides tools and machinery for 3D printing, rapid prototyping, woodworking, electronics and other fabrication activities.

There will be no Hardwood Checkoff promotions program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has stopped the rulemaking process on the controversial "Hardwood Lumber and Hardwood Plywood Promotion, Research and Information Order." The termination is effective Oct. 29.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Leitz Tooling announced the appointment of Brian Meier as Director of Technical Sales for Leitz USA.Meier has been in the woodworking industry for nearly 23 years.  His background includes inside sales management as well as manufacturing and production engineering, focusing on tooling and applications in architectural millwork.

WASHINGTON - Lumber Liquidators will pay the largest fine ever issued for Lacey Act violations after pleading guilty in federal court to felony and misdemeanor charges related to its importation of some hardwood flooring from China, made from illegally logged Russian timber. The hardwood and laminate flooring manufacturer is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 1, 2016.

Problems in sales of kitchen cabinetry and vanities followed Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS) into the third quarter, with sales in the category down 5 percent. The rest of Masco's home improvement categories brought operating profit growth and flat net sales in the third quarter of 2015.

As the collaboration between COMAU Robotics and B&R continues to mature and expand, the companies can already boast ten thousand units installed and operating all around the globe.

The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has announced its new Education & Research Foundation Wood Studies Scholarship.