Member News: SKS Expands, Kohler’s Green Plan, New Poggenpohl President

Happenings for, about and of interest to NKBA Members.

COMPANY NEWS

• SKS EXPANDS WINE FRIDGE LINE: Signature Kitchen Suite has broadened its wine refrigerator collection with a 24-inch panel-ready undercounter model. It features SKS’s Wine Cave™ technology, which mimics a classic wine-cave environment; minimizes vibration and temperature fluctuations; limits light exposure, and optimizes humidity, protecting collections from damaging environmental elements. With SKS’s Signature Sommelier™ app, wine collectors can manage their collections with photos of labels and shelf placement. Wine Ring’s patented software learns preferences and makes recommendations, including food and wine pairings, based on wines stored. For more information on these and other appliances, and dealers carrying the line, visit SignatureKitchenSuite.com.
• BRIZO HELPING ST. JUDE: Premium faucet brand Brizo®, part of the Masco/Delta portfolio, is participating in an online auction benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Brizo® became the first National Sponsor of the St. Jude Dream Home® Giveaway program in 2010, and to date has provided over $6 million worth of luxury kitchen and bath fittings and monetary donations to support St. Jude’s mission of fighting childhood cancers and other catastrophic pediatric diseases. Now, the brand is part of the “Fashion for a Cure” silent auction to raise funds for the hospital. Individuals may bid on “fashionable items for a fashionable lifestyle,” including Brizo products, artwork, home goods, designer fashion, collectible wines, personal services, jewelry and more. Bids will be accepted here through Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. (Eastern).
• KOHLER’S GREEN PLAN: Kohler Co. released its annual 2020 Believing in Better Metrics Report outlining progress in reducing the company’s GHG emission intensity, waste-to-landfill intensity, water-use intensity and other key social and environmental commitments. KBB reports that Kohler is committed to providing access to safe water for communities around the globe, delivering innovative solutions to address pressing social issues and strengthening its efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion. To read more, visit KBB Online here.
  

  

• MATERIAL BANK BUYS CLIPPINGS: Sampling platform Material Bank, part of the SANDOW group, has acquired London-based procurement platform Clippings for an undisclosed price. Business of Home reports that Clippings, founded in 2014, comprises a free online marketplace for mostly commercial design projects. Designers use it to source product from more than 650 brands; Clippings handles shipping and logistics and earns a margin on sales. For now, Sandow says the marketplace service will continue to expand in Europe, but there are no immediate plans to bring it to the U.S. However, Clippings’ other business — licensing technology to design brands for a turnkey solution to power their e-commerce — will be expanded to firms eager to do more business online but don’t have the resources to build their own tools from scratch.
• LIEBHERR PARTNERS WITH ENCOMPASS: To strengthen its supply-chain services, German-based Liebherr has partnered with Encompass Supply Chain Solutions Inc., a leading provider of replacement parts and supply-chain services for a diverse range of brands. The three-year partnership provides Liebherr with repair parts support for its residential and commercial refrigerators and freezers. Encompass will manage the parts supply chain for Liebherr’s home refrigeration line, which includes the Monolith line of luxury freestanding refrigerators, column and under-counter units, commercial freezers and wine storage.

CHAPTER HAPPENINGS

• RIB COMPETITION IN ALASKA: The Alaska Chapter is hosting a rib cook-off and silent auction on Sept. 9 at the Allen & Petersen Cooking and Appliance Center in Anchorage. The cost to attend is $25 for members and $30 for non-members, or those wishing to enter the cook-off must bring at least two cooked racks of ribs — the ribs are your entry, no cash fee. Winners will be determined by guest voting, and will receive a grand prize of $250, 1^st prize of $100 and 2^nd prize of $50. Allen & Peterson will provide side dishes, and a silent auction will benefit the Alaska Home Builders Care Endowment Shoebox Program. Attendees earn 0.1 CEU; Register here.
• WINE TASTING IN CAROLINA: Join the Piedmont Blue Ridge Carolina Chapter for a Welcome Back Wine Tasting on Sept. 9 at the Eagle Mountain Vineyards & Winery in Landrum, S.C. A seminar, “Designing the Home Oasis With Wine” will be presented by Trent Roth with Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau. Roth will explore spaces designed to enhance the home wine experience, what designers and architects should consider in terms of accessibility and convenience. Wine and charcuterie are included in the ticket price of $19 for members and $29 for non-members. Attendees earn 0.1 CEU; Register here. 
• CERTIFICATION UPDATE IN WISCONSIN/UPPER MICHIGAN: Wisconsin/Upper Michigan will discuss the process and benefits of NKBA Certification on Sept. 15. The virtual presentation will include some of the chapter’s own certified members talking about their experiences and sharing their insight. There’s no charge to attend, and participants earn 0.05 CEU. Click here for info.
• POST TIME IN KENTUCKY: Join the Kentuckiana Chapter for twilight racing at Churchill Downs — membership appreciation night on Sept. 23. Tickets are $20 each and limited to two (2) tickets per person. This is the 4^th Annual NKBA Kentuckiana Chapter Classic, and includes networking and dinner at the Chef’s Table Buffet on Millionaire’s Row. Throughout the evening, there will be drawings and a few lucky attendees may go trackside to watch a race up close. Register here.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

• POGGENPOHL TAPS SPEER: Marcia Speer has been named president of Poggenpohl North America. She has more than 25 years in the high-end German cabinetry market, serving in roles including director of retail sales, director of market development and showroom manager. Poggenpohl is set to invest in innovative new products and retail showroom updates, including the launch of a flagship location in Manhattan’s SoHo.
• ALMO ADDS TO MID-ATLANTIC PREMIUM TEAM: Almo Premium Appliances has added L.T. Gilbreath and Mike McCarthy to its Mid-Atlantic Premium Team in territory management. Gilbreath, from Simpsonville, S.C., has 15 years of appliance industry experience, beginning as a sales associate for an appliance store, managing a boutique showroom, owning his own store — Macon Appliance Mart in Greenville, S.C. He joins Almo as territory sales manager of the Greenville metropolitan area. McCarthy, from Mount Pleasant, S.C., comes to Almo with over five years of experience as a sales account manager, calling on over 500 accounts in the South Carolina Low Country. He joins as territory sales manager of the Charleston, S.C., metropolitan area.
  

  

• DESIGN STAR HAMILTON GETS OWN SERIES: People magazine reports that Carmeon Hamilton, winner of Design Star: Next Gen, will star in Reno My Rental, a six-episode remodeling series launching on Sept. 18 on the Discovery+ streaming service. The premise is helping renters in her hometown of Memphis, Tenn., reimagine their spaces without compromising their security deposits, permanent alterations or tearing down walls. Design Star: Next Gen, HGTV’s highest-rated show, rebooted in February on Discovery+ and Hamilton won top honors in a field of eight designers.

EVENTS

• AIA DALLAS, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN FOUNDATION TO HOST GALA: The Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Architecture and Design Foundation will host their first annual Impact Dallas Gala, a black-tie event on, Nov. 4 at The Thompson Hotel in the city’s newly redeveloped skyscraper, The National. Impact Dallas recognizes the role design plays in solving real-world problems, connecting communities and improving peoples’ lives. Co-chairs Katherine D. Seale, Hon. AIA Dallas, and Todd C. Howard, AIA, a former AIA Dallas president and president of th+a architects, will present community leader and lifetime achievement awards, and the gala will benefit public programming, scholarships that make college and careers accessible and bring diversity and equity to architecture, and grants that implement community-based design ventures like the AIA Dallas Emerging Leaders Program. For more details, click here.