CITY OF COMMERCE – Ten distinguished woodworking and furniture industry executives have been selected as judges for the AWFS 2011 Fresh Wood student woodworking competition.

Panelists include:
* Margaret Casey, director of programming for the World Market Center in Las Vegas and vice president of the Sustainable Furnishings Council Board of Directors
* Andy Glantz, owner of Zenith Design, a custom furniture firm in Arizona, and current president of the board of trustees of The Furniture Society
* Alan Harp, an Atlanta-based furniture designer and former instructor, Georgia Tech Advanced Wood Products Laboratory.
* Garry Knox Bennett, an internationally known furniture maker; Award of Distinction winner, The Furniture Society; and Fellow of the American Craft Council
* Greg Larson, a former computer engineer and cabinetmaker, currently director, New England School of Architectural Woodworking (NESAW)
* Merry Mabbett-Dean, owner/interior designer, Absolute Office of Oregon; and a Fellow and past president of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA).
* Juan Morales, principal/VP operations of Contract Resources/Villa Hallmark, an upholstered furniture manufacturer
* Jason Phillips,VP,creative director of Phillips Collection, a home furnishing and accessories design/manufacturing company
* Marc Spagnuolo, owner and creator of TheWoodWhisperer.com an instructional woodworking video blog and trade magazine contributor
* David Wade, Master Craftsman, Maloof Woodworking

Fresh Wood judges begin their work in May, with a round of preliminary judging, then come together at the AWFS®Fair in Las Vegas, July 20-23, 2011 to select the winners.

Fresh Wood is a student woodworking competition open to full-time students in an accredited high school or post-secondary woodworking or related program and part-time students in an accredited post-secondary woodworking or related program who are transitioning into a career in woodworking or design within North America. The competition has six categories at both school levels: case goods, chairs, open, production/contract, reproduction and tables.

About AWFS

The full-scale international AWFS®Fair, scheduled for Wednesday - Saturday, July 20 – 23, 2011 in Las Vegas, has become a critical hub for international commerce in the woodworking industry. The AWFS®Fair brings together the entire home and commercial furnishings industry, including manufacturers and distributors of machinery, hardware, lumber, construction materials and other suppliers to the furniture, cabinet manufacturers and custom woodworkers.

SOURCE: AWFS Fair