Sauder Woodworking Co., the $450-million wood industry manufacturer of ready-to-assemble and other furnishings, says it has contracted with Siemens in a comprehensive upgrade of IT and telephony.

Register online or at the door for the 3rd Dollars & Sense of Going Green Conference, March 17-18, at the Marriott East in Indianapolis, IN.

Association of Closet & Storage Professionals offers a new three-level certification program for closet professionals.

Westridge Cabinets Ltd., Alberta's largest integrated manufacturer of kitchen cabinetry, has been acquired by Signal Hill, an equity firm. The company is advertising for positions opened for cabinetmaker and draftsman.

Recycled denim jeans get a new lease on life in the d-Blue Collection, one of eco-friendly furniture company d-Bodhi's 2011 IFFS Street Art collections.

Conifex Timber Inc. (TSX VENTURE:CFF) says it launched a $45 million bioenergy generation project at its Mackenzie sawmill site, with commercial production of electricity expected in the summer of 2012.

The recreational boat industry, a significant part of the wood interiors and custom cabinetry manufacturing market, expects sales to rise 10 percent this year, up from 132,000 last year but well below the 300,000 average annual sales prior to 2007.

OSHA penalizes a countertop fabricator for exposing workers to silica particles, then added lock-out tag-out penalties. Home Depot extends a deal with U.S. Remodelers, and timber growers earn $50K and acre in truffle mushroom farming on live oak and filbert tree roots. Expansions flood millions into the wood interiors markets, including $310 million for MPV RV, a trailer and RV producer, and $18.5 million at hardware manufacturer Blum.

The Southern Yellow Pine market gave a little back this week. We saw prices of most grades and dimensions fall slightly, with #2 leading the way. The volume was also down due to the storms battering the Southeast this week. - Bill Nocerino, Forest2Market

Eric Clapton’s wood guitars, including a 1948 Gibson, could net millions in a charity auction today at Bonhams, New York City.