By Dianne M. Pogoda
COMPANY NEWS
GE, BEST BUY, TEENS + TECH: GE Appliances and Best Buy are partnering to connect teens from underserved communities with technology, training and mentorship to help them on the road to successful futures. It’s part of the Best Buy Teen Tech Center® Give Back Event, which will run in-store and on BestBuy.com through April 13. The companies previously initiated a pilot program in GE’s headquarters city of Louisville, Ky., at the West Louisville YMCA. During this promotional event, 10 percent of all purchases of GE Profile™ 600 series laundry products, up to $150,000, will be donated to support the Best Buy Teen Tech Centers, where teens have access to technology and other tools to prepare for careers. The program is on track to open 100 centers by 2025, reaching more than 30,000 teens annually.
HOMEWERKS BUYS WAXMAN LINES: Homewerks Worldwide has purchased the Shower and Specialty Plumbing business from Waxman Consumer Products Group. The acquisition includes lines of showerheads, shower accessories, faucets, valves and packaged plumbing repair. The products are supported by a portfolio comprising brands such as PlumbCraft® plumbing repair, Body Moods® showerheads, and AquaLife® faucets. Homewerks develops, sources, and markets plumbing products for home and commercial use under the Homewerks™, Tosca®, Aqua Vista®, Home2O™, LDR® and Exquisite® brands as well as private label retail brands.
CAMBRIA ADDING FOUR S&D CENTERS: American quartz manufacturer Cambria USA will open four sales and distribution centers in the U.S. within the next year, bringing its total to 22. Each center will include a showroom that’s open to the public. A 32,000 square-foot center will open in Milford, Mass., in May; Houston and Duluth, Ga., will each get a 22,750 square-foot space, opening in June and September, respectively; and a 22,750 square-foot building is slated for Manassas, Va., opening in April 2023. Cambria is also adding 50,000 square feet of space to its slab manufacturing facility at its Le Sueur, Minn., headquarters — the fifth time in 15 years the company has expanded that facility.
AIA CITES TOP K&B FEATURES: A new study from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Home Design Trends Survey, says demand for kitchen-related features like working pantries, coffee bars, outdoor kitchens and additional kitchen facilities was on the rise last year. Respondents also revealed accelerated demand for drinking water filtration, smart appliances, induction cooking and higher-end appliances, and more natural light in the kitchen and the bath. The report said the size and number of bathrooms is also increasing, and the most popular bath features include larger walk-in showers and stalls without tubs, universal design and radiant-heat floors. Residential Design Magazine has more.
KALAMAZOO, URBAN BONFIRE MERGE: Two big brands in outdoor appliances and entertaining, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet and Urban Bonfire, have come together to form Pleina Group, a multi-brand holding company in the U.S. and Canada. Each will operate independently and maintain their current headquarters, manufacturing and partnerships. Pete Georgiadis, chairman and CEO of Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Kalamazoo Outdoor, is the new chairman and CEO of Pleina Group, while Ryan Bloom remains president of Montreal-based Urban Bonfire and is Pleina’s new chief vision officer. Pleina will specialize in products, designs and experiences in outdoor cooking and entertainment solutions.
WHIRLPOOL’S SUSTAINABILITY PUSH: Whirlpool Corp. has accelerated its commitment to sustainable operations through investments in renewable energy, retrofitting its manufacturing plants, and on-going energy, water, and waste reduction projects. Last year, the appliance company said it reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 27 percent, among other efforts, speeding its progress to meet its Net-Zero target by 2030. Its manufacturing sites are on track to their goals of using 100 percent renewable energy and Zero Waste to Landfill operations. Read more in Whirlpool’s 2021 Sustainability Report.
PEOPLE NEWS
OBITUARY: CHRIS CASSON MADDEN: Chris Casson Madden, author, interior designer and an early HGTV personality, died March 2 from complications after falling in her Vero Beach., Fla., home. She was 73. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Madden began her career in publishing, wrote several books, including Interior Visions in 1988, Kitchens in 1993, A Room of Her Own in 1997, and The Soul of a House — Decorating with Warmth, Style and Comfort in 2015. A bestseller, A Room of Her Own was inspired by her sister’s suicide and she advocated for the home as a healing, calming space. She designed a furniture collection for Bassett Furniture Co., and licensed lines for Austin Candles and Mohawk flooring. She had her own magazines, including “At Home with Chris Madden” with Hearst, and hosted an HGTV show, “Interiors by Design,” which ran from 1995 until 2003. This resulted in her designing the Sanctuary line of throws and pillows for Bed Bath & Beyond, and in 2004, she launched her most successful product effort, a namesake furniture and housewares collection for JCPenney, which grew to more than 2,000 pieces and was one of the best-selling designer programs of the era. She is survived by her husband, Kevin, two sons and three grandchildren.
QUEST PROMOTES TWO: Quest Engineering, a maker of custom cabinets and closet systems, has named Brenda Radziwon Director of Sales & Marketing and Brendan Sigler Director of Project Management. Radziwon was previously Key Account Manager for Midwest Multifamily Sales, and has now joined the management team and is responsible for day-to-day operations of all company sales and marketing activities. Sigler, most recently Project Manager, also joins the management team and now heads all project management functions, and oversees all operations of the field technician and project management teams. Learn more about Quest here.
CHAPTER NEWS
ADAPTIVE KITCHENS IN NEW JERSEY: On April 12, the Northern New Jersey Chapter presents “Designing Adaptive Kitchens for Active Aging Clients” with Kimberly Little, a trade representative for Sub-Zero Group. The 0.1 CEU-qualified session takes place at the Pine Brook, N.J., showroom of Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove, 25 Riverside Drive. The chapter’s board meeting starts as 5 (open to all members), and the event begins at 6 pm, with appetizers, dessert and refreshments. In the session, Little will examine active aging, adaptive kitchen design and connected, smart appliances that are high-performance and functional. Registration is $25 before April 8, $30 after. Learn more and register here.
KBIS RECAP AT CHICAGO MART: Anyone who missed KBIS in Orlando can catch up with a full day of learning, product intros and CEU-qualified sessions on April 19, hosted by the Chicago Chapter. The event takes place at the Merchandise Mart, is $50 for NKBA members, $100 for non-members and runs from 10 am to 8 pm. It includes roundtable discussions on social influencers, tech tips, marketing and selecting staff and subcontractors, plus a keynote on design trends. Lunch and a cocktail hour are also included, and select showrooms in the Mart will share their “best of show” KBIS products. Sponsors include Dacor; Middleby Residential; Bosch; Miele; Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove, and BauTeam. Students are $35; Cocktails only, $25. Register here.
CORNHOLE TOURNEY IN TEXAS: The Texas North Plains Chapter, in collaboration with NARI North Texas, will hold the 2022 Corn Hole Tournament on April 19. The cost is $40 per team of two to play (register by April 11), but no charge to watch the fun. The tournament takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, after the April chapter meeting, which starts at 3 pm. Sponsored by Levantina, Milwaukee, Dorian Bahr, Kohler Signature Store, Lima-Stanley Design, Neat Method and Stile & Rail Design Studio, the event takes place at Levantina’s Stone Center Dallas, 2250 Morgan Parkway, Suite 140, Farmers Branch, Texas, in the Mercer Business Park. Click here for more info.
