Oak Express Recognized With National Arbor Day Foundation's Top Award

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Oak Express Recognized With National Arbor Day Foundation's Top Award

Oak Retailer's Tree Planting Efforts Considered Best Corporate Program

DENVER, COLORADO, Apr. 25 -/E-Wire/-- On Saturday, April 28, 2001, The National Arbor Day Foundation will honor furniture retailer and manufacturer Oak Express at its 29th annual Arbor Day Awards celebration in Nebraska City.

Oak Express, a retail division of the Denver-based Furniture Row Companies, will receive the top corporate award, "Promise to the Earth" Award, which recognizes leadership in the cause of tree planting, conservation, and environmental stewardship. Oak Express is being honored for its participation in the "Trees for America" Campaign and its commitment to environmental stewardship.

For every purchase made at Oak Express stores last summer, the company planted a tree. The result -- 150,000 seedling trees planted in the fire damaged Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming and Targhee National Forest in Idaho. "Future generations will enjoy recreational activities such as camping, hiking, and fishing; and the wildlife will have an improved habitat because of Oak Express' kindness," said John Rosenow, president of the National Arbor Day Foundation.

"The 'Trees for America Campaign' was a perfect fit for us," said Woody Boyd, general manager of Oak Express stores. "We're proud that our products are all natural woods and in giving back to nature by planting trees, we hope to leave a healthy, fruitful legacy for generations to come."

Trees Aren't the Only Story Helping to replant the national forests isn't the only environmental effort from Furniture Row Companies, parent company for national retailers Oak Express, Sofa Mart, Denver Mattress Company, and Bedroom Expressions. Furniture Row is committed to environmental stewardship.

Over the past two years, Furniture Row has aggressively reengineered its manufacturing and waste processes at its wood manufacturing facilities to be more efficient and environmentally friendly. "Given our industry, working with wood, we recognize the need to be environmentally responsible and we knew we could improve in this area so we sought to make our manufacturing facilities among the best in the country," said Fred Schneider, general manager of Pacific Frames, Furniture Row's manufacturing facility.

Given the company's commitment to conserving natural resources, virtually every process and byproduct was examined to see where improvements could be made. A new computerized cutting line enables the company to maximize and increase the yield of each piece of timber, ultimately reducing waste. The company also explored ways to increase the use of veneers and engineered materials in its furniture designs to provide additional stability and beauty, as well as reducing the amount of natural resources used.

Additionally, the company switched from solvent-based products to much more environmentally friendly water-based coatings. "There are plants in Europe that use this special coatings process, but we're one of a handful in North America to employ such strict standards," added Schneider.

But it doesn't stop there. The company even searched for ways to use sawdust, the natural by-product of the manufacturing process. Now when the sawdust leaves the facility, it becomes bedding for livestock, and ultimately soil-enriching material. In the winter months, an "air handling system" at the Furniture Row plant filters out the sawdust collected throughout the facility; the filtered air is vented back into the building and used as a heating source, reducing the need for fossil fuel-fired heating systems.

In addition, Furniture Row also strives to work with equally dedicated suppliers who provide environmentally sound materials such as recycled box materials.

A Continuing Commitment "It's one thing to have implemented all of the enhancements," said Schneider. "It's another to continue our commitment and to set new industry standards. That's why we believe that this commitment needs to be carried out by every employee, vendor, and supplier on a daily basis. While we can't be our industry's watchdogs, we can certainly strive for setting new levels of improvement, and we will."

Oak Express, a Furniture Row Company

http://www.furniturerow.com

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