BIFMA Executive Director Tom Reardon talks to WoodworkingNetwork.com about the state of the contract furniture industry, NeoCon and the success of BIFMA's level certification program for furniture sustainability.

HIGH POINT, NC -- Residential furniture manufacturers and distributors reported that new orders were up 11% in March 2011 compared to March 2010 , according to the monthly Furniture Insights survey by consultant company Smith Leonard.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the release of a final rule that streamlines and simplifies standards while reducing employer burdens.

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL -- Watch it now, on demand for free as the editors of Woodworking Network examine how the trend to greener wood products is impacting techniques and technologies for sanding and finishing.

At NeoCon, The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Assn. Intl. announced it will collaborate with NSF International to develop product category rules to help the furniture industry develop trustworthy sustainability claims. Ann Arbor, MI-Based NSF is also working on wood flooring standards.

At NeoCon, Gunlocke has incorporated wood and wood veneers into training tables offered in its Trio line of collaborative workspace furnishings.

Even before the furnishings firms announced ambitious market moves on Day 1 of NeoCon - with acquisitions by Haworth of Legacy Furniture and AIF office systems maker AIF buying CAF Contract Seating - they jockeyed for prominent parking positions across from Chicago's Merchandise Mart.

ALGONQUIN, IL-- MEGA Home Improvement of Algonquin, received the 14th annual Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics from the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois (BBB).

Haworth Inc. announced this morning at NeoCon that it is purchasing healthcare furniture manufacturer Legacy Furniture Group, based in North Carolina.

TORONTO -- The Woodworking Machinery & Supply Expo (WMS) announced the debut of the First-Time Exhibitor Recognition Program.