The grand opening ceremony of the Sudoma sawmill was held on November 14, 2015 in the village of Dedovichi, Pskov region in Russia The Sudoma sawmill manufactures high-quality finish materials: thermo-treated and impregnated timber and profiled goods.

Past president and longtime AWFS volunteer Harry "Skip" Hem passed away on Nov. 13 following a long battle with cancer. He was 71.

Republican Governor Rick Scott announced $1 Billion tax cut plan during a visit to Eastern Architectural Systems, a window millwork firm.

Window and door giant JELD-WEN named Mark A. Beck President and CEO effective November 30, 2015. Kirk Hachigian, who is currently in these roles, will continue as Executive Chairman of the Board for the $3.5 billion company.

Hexion Inc. has recently announced an expansion of its waterborne epoxy resin production capacity in Tianjin, China. The project, which will take advantage of the most modern technologies including a new reactor

Black Bros. Co. has agreed to purchase the distribution rights for Rapha Membranes from KKA Enterprises of McDougall, Ontario, Canada.

The Pasadena, CA Convention Center has been confirmed as the site for Cabinets & Closets 2016, being held March 22-24. The annual event - which features a full-day conference, plant tour and expo hall - is dedicated to home remodeling professionals specializing in building kitchen cabinets, closets, and other home storage designs.

The Home Depot sales grew 6.4% third quarter, while its big box competitor Lowe's quarterly sales increased 5%. Both companies will expand next year as they expect the housing boom to continue unabated. Biggest growth came from professional builders and remodelers.

Martha Stewart's American Made furniture and home furnishings line opened a store at Amazon's Handmade marketplace, leaving eBay where it opened in 2013. The online custom woodworking and maker markets are heating, with Custommade.com trailing and Etsy facing big challenges for the custom made crafts marketplace. Handmade at Amazon, launched Oct. 8, 2015, has more than 200,000 items from 10,000 approved artisans.

A federal courtroom in lower Manhattan yesterday saw Car-Freshener Corporation take action to protect its brand against upstart Exotica Fresheners Company. Let the battle of the tree-shaped car fresheners begin!