Hickory Chair's green effort honored with Sage Award
By Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, November 23, 2008
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Upholstery and case goods maker Hickory Chair has won the first-ever Sage Award, recognizing environmental leadership, presented by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and Cargill BiOH Polyols.
The company was recognized at an awards reception held during the AHFA's 2008 Sustainability Summit here.
The award salutes companies that are environmental leaders and contribute to their community, while remaining profitable. Hickory, N.C.-based Hickory Chair was cited for efforts to involve employees at every level in environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
Hickory Chair has about 570 employees and has added about 90 workers since 2005. A decade ago, the company began its Employees Dedicated to Growth and Excellence, or EDGE, program for continuous improvement.
The company regularly collects employee suggestions for improvements to its facility that would reduce costs and increase efficiency, said Dennis Ester, facilities manager for Hickory Chair.
Ester said those improvements helped the company this year as it became certified under the AHFA's Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture program. The EFEC program aims to move environmental concerns into daily business practices and create financial savings from waste reduction and better management of resources and raw materials.
In 2008, employees implemented 1,100 improvements at the 97-year-old company, the AHFA said. Most dealt with better machine utilization, reduced energy consumption, process improvements that eliminated rework or wasted materials, elimination of non-value added operations and improved productivity.
In 2007, the company cut landfill waste by 178 tons and aims to cut another 125 tons this year, said Ester. Since 2001, the company has reduced its oil use by 49,000 gallons even as its facility grew, he said.
Turning off lights in unused areas has helped reduce energy costs by $30,000 this year.
“What a simple thing, making sure lights are off at the end of the day,” Ester said. “We just had to be a little bit smarter about what we did.”
A wood grinder has improved the use of wood scrap as boiler fuel and resulted in a $450,000 savings on fuel oil. Ester said that dirt on a boiler tube can reduce its efficiency by 10%, so the company cleans its boilers twice a year, instead of once before they are inspected.
Company President Jay Reardon said the only unlimited resource in the company is the brainpower of its workers.
“This continual improvement program results in hundreds of actionable ideas for environmental and operational enhancements every year,” he said.
The company has not closed plants in the last five years, Reardon said, and employees have continued to receive raises and bonuses.
Hickory Chair was awarded a $2,500 check from Cargill's BiOH polyols business unit to be donated to the charity of the company's choice.
Company names were removed from the 14 Sage Award entries before they were forwarded to 10 judges, who represented industry organizations, environmental and charitable groups, and the trade and consumer press.
The Sage Award wasn't designed to find the greenest product or the greenest company in the industry, but to focus attention on improvement that others can follow, said Andy Counts, AHFA's CEO.
In addition to Hickory Chair, finalists for the 2008 Award included Cisco Bros. of Los Angeles and Valley Forge Fabrics of Pompano Beach, Fla.
All three companies were honored in a video tribute sponsored by Cargill that highlighted their outstanding environmental accomplishments.
Videos will be posted on AHFA's Web site at www.ahfa.us and on www.BiOH.com.
