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Shermag wins top Canadian award

By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, January 19, 2003

Toronto — Shermag became the first Quebec-based company to win the top design award at the Canadian Home Furnishings Market here last week.

It was Shermag's night at the revamped 2003 Canadian Home Furnishings Medallion Awards event. To kick off the evening, the manufacturer's retired chairman, Serge Racine, received a lifetime achievement award. Then the company's Sofas International division won honors in both the premium category for fabric upholstery and the Grand Medallion for the overall winner for its group Sky.

The awards were organized by the Ontario Furniture Manufacturers Assn. in collaboration with the Quebec Furniture Manufacturers Assn. and Furniture West. The Medallion awards, a successor to the Trillium awards given out for the past 28 years, celebrate achievements in the marketing, design and construction of home furnishings produced in Canada.

A jury of 15 Canadian furniture retailers used specific criteria to evaluate products in a variety of categories and in good/better/best price ranges, called popular/premium/prestige. The Grand Medallion went to the product receiving the highest point total regardless of category.

Shermag President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Casselman said winning the top prize was "a very pleasant surprise.... This industry is deep in creative talent."

Engelite Lighting dominated in lamps, winning all four categories: country/colonial with Country Garden, modern/contemporary with City Lights, traditional with Taj Mahal, and transitional with Phoenician.

Other multiple winners were Campio Furniture, Dinec, Dutailier, Kingsdown Canada, Le Meuble Villageois and Superstyle Furniture.

Campio's Leather Chair 808 won in the occasional chairs/prestige, while its Modular Leather Sectional 296 won in upholstered suites, leather/premium.

Dinec won in casual dining/prestige with Studio, a group styled for urban apartments and condos, said President Pat Gervais. Dinec also won for marketing concepts with its D36 point-of-sale work center, which allows the consumer to use a touch-screen computer to customize furniture with options such as table legs, chair legs and upholstery covers.

"We're a marketing-driven company, and receiving the award was a nice pat on the back," said Gervais.

Dutailier won motion chair awards in premium with its 17440 and prestige with Berlin.

Kingsdown Canada won sleep system awards in premium with Sleeping Beauty Gold Crown and in prestige with VZ123 and VZ234.

Superstyle Furniture's 17 won in occasional chairs/premium, and its 518 won for accent furniture/prestige.

Le Mueble Villageois won two awards with furniture from the same collection. The Classic Contemporary 9500 won for wall systems/prestige and formal dining room, seven-piece suite/prestige.

A couple of years ago, Villageois made a commitment to improving the quality and design of its products. The company entered the awards program for the first time last year and won two awards then also.

Bogdon & Gross Furniture took an award for the fourth consecutive year, winning in home office, three-piece suite/premium for its Mission group.

A complete list of winners will be posted on the OFMA's Web site at www.ofma.ca.

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