ZEELAND, MI -- Herman Miller Inc. announced it achieved a 20.3% rise in net income for the first quarter that ended Sept. 2. The company says year-over-year gains were achieved in sales, orders and net earnings even before factoring the impact of the extra week of operations included in the year-ago period. Sales for the quarter reached $449.7 million and orders for the quarter exceeded $500 million for the first time in more than five years. Read more.