5.17.08 | Chicago, IL | Okamura, a Japanese office furniture company, will open a showroom in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and plans to participate for the first time in NeoCon. The company, with close to $2 billion in total sales,   hopes to triple North American sales in particular over the next three years through an increased presence in the U.S. Okamura currently markets Contessa, an award winning ergonomic mesh chair, through Teknion. Other award winners from Okamura include Baron, an ergonomic mesh chair, and the Cruise &Atlas creative work station.

5.16.08 | Indianapolis, IN | is.group held its Annual Meeting May 7-10 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Among the highlights of the meeting were:

• is.group released 2007 audited financial statements to every shareholder.
• Sanford was named BPGI Vendor of the Year, and Smead Manufacturing walked away with Non-BPGI Vendor of the Year and RDC Vendor of the Year awards.
• Stephen M.R. Covey, author of the best-seller The Speed of Trust gave the keynote speech.
• 3 seats on the is.group Board have been filled by first-time directors.

5.16.08 | Alexandria, VA | Covering 2008, with more than 35,000 attendees in Orlando, FL, would seem to belie the doom-and-gloom economic reports, with interest in tile and stone remaining solid. The Remodeling/Contractor and the Commercial Builder segments showed the sharpest increases in attendance since the 2006 Orlando edition of Coverings, rising 56.6% and 41%, respectively. Architects and Designers in search of new resources also increased by 40%. Though Coverings 2008 delivered a return on investment for both exhibitors and attendees, alike, the show’s board of directors has taken a more cautious approach to what would have been the first regional edition. Coverings L.A. Boutique, planned for November 19 and 20 at Long Beach Convention Center, has been postponed.

5.15.08 | Marlton, NJ | Healthcare contracting services company Novation, Irving, TX, awarded a furniture contract to GLOBAL to supply their members with GLOBAL –The Total Office, The Evolve Furniture Group, and GLOBAL care product lines. GLOBAL’'s Novation contract began May 1, 2008.   

5.15.08 | Chicago, IL | Häfele will host Mr. Hans-Jörg Mueller of HEWI,  a German manufacturer of bath fittings and architectural hardware, on May 28, 5:30-6:00, beverages and hors d'oeuvres, 6-7:00, lecture, in its Chicago showroom, 154 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL. Mr. Mueller will review the current trends in materials, colors, design and regulatory influences, discuss the relationship between a manufacturer's expertise, market demand, and product designs, and look at the manufacturer's commitment to innovation as the primary driver for product development.  CES credits are available. 

5.15.08 | Salem, NJ | Mannington Commercial is the first floor covering company to be awarded NSF 332-2007 Draft Standard Gold Certification for all of its commercial inlaid resilient flooring. This is an achievement that recognizes the brand as environmentally preferable (EPP Certified) for meeting the rigorous requirements of the Sustainability Assessment for Resilient Floor Coverings standard.

5.15.08 | Muscatine, IA | HON Company will have a well-known "Office" visitor on Monday, June 9, 2008 during NeoCon World's Trade Fair as the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.  Rainn Wilson, who plays the eccentric paper salesman, Dwight Schrute, on the series, The Office, will make a day-long appearance in HON's Showroom, Suite 1130. Mr. Wilson will be in the HON showroom from 10-11:30 am and again from 1-3:30 pm.