Gat Creek wins AHFA's Sage Award for environmental excellence

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, October 15, 2012

Pat Bowling, left, and Bill Perdue, right, of the American Home Furnishings Alliance present this year’s Sage Award for environmental excellence to Gat Creek, led by Gat Caperton.

Other finalists for the award, sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and now in its fifth year, were Ethan Allen, which received honorable mention, Naturepedic, Rowe and Wearbest/Bella-Dura.

Gat Creek is a Berkeley Springs, W.Va.-based case goods manufacturer that works exclusively with domestic hardwoods harvested from Appalachian forests. It received its Forest Stewardship Council chain of custody certification in 2008.

More than 95% of its raw materials are sourced within a 350-mile radius of its factory, according to the manufacturer.

Gat Creek tracks 100% of its waste streams and has reduced its emissions of hazardous air pollutants by 90% and volatile organic compound emissions by 40% in the last ten years, the company also reports.

"It's kind of an all-star cast in here. I'm honored and humbled by that," President Gat Caperton said in accepting the award, referring to the competition for this year's honor.

Gat Creek also is a past winner of the West Virginia Environmental Leadership Award for minimizing waste, liquid and air emissions and has attained Silver Exemplary status from the Sustainable Furnishings Council.