7.23.08 | Jasper, IN | National Office Furniture will introduce a new environmentally-friendly, high-performance finish called ­IntegraClear™ in August. IntegraClear is made using National's ultraviolet finishing process that increases durability and enhances the depth and clarity of the wood grain. 

7.23.08 | Kennesaw, GA | Tracy Cook joined The Mohawk Group as Director of Brand Strategy, to lead the communication strategies for Karastan Contract, Lees Carpets, Bigelow Commercial and Durkan and help to differentiate the individual brands. Most recently, Ms. Cook served as the vice president of marketing for InterfaceFLOR. 

7.23.08 | Cypress, CA |— SitOnIt Seating was presented with the OFDA Dealers Choice Manufacturer of the Year Silver Award. This is the second time that SitOnIt Seating has been recognized by this organization, bringing home the bronze title in 2003. The winning manufacturers were determined by the results of the Association's sixth annual OFDA Dealer Manufacturer Satisfaction Index Survey which asks dealers to evaluate manufacturing business partners in training, product lines, service and support, sales and marketing, management, and technology. 

7.23.08 | Winston-Salem, NC | Beaufurn's Loua-33 pulls together unique curves and bold upholstery to create a design that is both enticing and inviting. This modern Italian lounge chair boasts an oak wood veneer available in bleached natural or espresso finish. It can be upholstered in any of Beaufurn's fabrics or COM for a truly custom look. www.beaufurn.com

7.23.08 | Plainview, NY | Emcor subsidiary, Welsbach Electric Corp. of L.I. received contracts for upgrades and maintenance of traffic signals and traffic control devices throughout Nassau County, NY. The contracts include:

• Countywide Maintenance and Repair of 1,800 traffic signal control devices
• Signal Replacements along historic Peninsula Boulevard
• Central System Upgrades of traffic controllers and cabinets to the 2070 technology

7.23.08 | Carson, CA | Lonseal, Inc. received three  international certifications for its flooring products and are now certified according to ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001:2000 and 14001:2004, as well as the AS9100:2004 from the Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG).

7.23.08 | Green Bay, WI | Debbie Breunig, Vice President of Healthcare for KI, was appointed to Bellin College of Nursing Board of Trustees. In addition to her nursing background, Ms. Breunig is also an alumna of Bellin College and will provide insight of the college from a student's perspective. In her position at KI, Ms. Breunig is responsible for the development and execution of business and marketing plans and has directed the launch of several award-winning products.

7.22.08 | Dallas, TX | Kim Hogan joined HOK’'s Interiors Practice as Senior Vice President and Interior Design Director in the Dallas office. She brings more than 20 years of experience in project management, client and team leadership. Ms. Hogan joined HOK from Corgan Associates, Inc., where she served as Principal. 

7.22.08 | New York, NY | Harter and Interior Design magazine will host Heart's Desire, a cocktail party and fundraising auction to benefit the International Children's Heart Foundation and Ability Aids India International on Thursday, July 31, 6:30-8:30 pm at Harter, 150 East 58th Street, 11th floor, NYC. The silent auction of custom-designed hearts were created by noted design luminaries. 

7.22.08 | Las Vegas, NV | The 2009 BIFMA Leadership Conference will be held January 29-30, 2009 in Las Vegas, NV prior to Super Bowl weekend. A limited number of rooms have been contracted. To make a room reservation, contact the BIFMA office directly at T: 616.285.3963.

7.22.08 | Zeeland, MI | Herman Miller's Education Solutions team's March 2008 survey revealed that student expectations surpassed technology as the number one factor driving new needs for higher education learning spaces. Comparisons from a previous 2006 survey show that student expectations rose to 37% from 9% in 2006 and technology rose to 22% from 7%.  The survey also found that the most valuable aspect of effective learning spaces is the support of student and faculty engagement. Further survey results covered suggestions for higher education presidents, characteristics of effective learning spaces, and characteristics of ineffective learning spaces.

7.22.08 | Muscatine, IA | The Allsteel Boston Resource Center, designed by HOK earned silver certification in LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI), bringing to four the Allsteel showrooms to achieve LEED-CI certification in two years. In order to attain LEED-CI certification, HOK and Allsteel considered site selection, energy saving technologies, material selection, indoor environmental quality. 

7.22.08 | Norwalk, CT | EMCOR Group, Inc. announced that its EMCOR Government Services (EGS) business was awarded a contract for facility operations and maintenance support at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA,  managed by the California Institute of Technology. EMCOR Government Services will perform and be responsible maintenance support to the space flight operations facility, diagnostic services, HVAC operations and maintenance, custodial services, grounds maintenance, and elevator maintenance.  

7.21.08 | Sarasota, FL | Vista System International supplied its modular and customizable sign system to Art Design for installation at Metro-Israel, a motorcycle & scooter distributor. The project is part of an ongoing re-branding campaign launched by Metro-Israel. The customer requested illuminated, curved, modernly designed signs to fit in existing niches. 

7.21.08 | Irvine, CA | Manny Gonzalez, principal for KTGY GROUP, will speak on “Multifamily Design: Latest, Greatest, Most Efficient” at the Southeast Building Conference (SEBC)/Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) GreenTrends event at the Orange County Convention Center, International Drive, Orlando, FL, July 30-August 2. Mr. Gonzalez will speak on August 1, from 8:00-10:00 am to discuss the trends in design components making their way into the multifamily market. 

7.21.08 | Portland, OR | Yost Grube Hall Architecture (YGH), joined the 1% Program of Public Architecture that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge one percent of their billable hours to pro bono work. Eighteen of YGH's full-time employees pledged a total of 455 hours annually to non-profit organizations. 

7.21.08 | Chicago, IL | Dr. Kishor Khankari was named an Associate Partner at Syska Hennessy Group in the Sustainable Design and High Performance Building Technology practice. Dr. Khankari is an expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics and will manage CFD undertakings nationwide. Prior to joining Syska Hennessy Group, Dr. Khankari was a lead consulting engineer at ANSYS, Inc. 

7.21.08 | Dulles, VA | Bluelounge, a Pasadena-based multidisciplinary design studio known for such solutions as The SpaceStation, Cool Feet and the CableBox, received a Bronze International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) from the IDSA and Businessweek, for The Sanctuary. The IDEA competition recognizes the most innovative product and product concept designs of the year. The Sanctuary lets users charge their cell phone, iPod®, PDA and headset simultaneously in one compact location. It contains a universal cell-phone charger compatible with over 1500 electronic devices from over 35 brands

7.21.08 | New York, NY | Paul Spencer Byard, as reported in the New York Times, died of cancer on July 15.  Mr Byard, a land-use lawyer returned to school in his late 30s to become an architect and went on to be an important figure in the renovation of some of New York's most prominent landmarks, including Carnegie Hall and the Cooper Union Foundation Building.  Mr. Byard's last big project in Manhattan was the renovation of the New York Historical Society building on Central Park West.