Nov. 2, 2023

 

Each year, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) recognizes uncommon excellence that advances responsible forest management and forest conservation with FSC-US Leadership Awards. This year, Mark Richey Woodworking was unanimously chosen for the award.

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Based in Newburyport, Mass., Mark Richey Woodworking operates a 130,000-square-foot, approximately 100-person factory that is powered by wind and solar and collects and burns manufacturing waste for heat in a biomass furnace. The company, which also owns and manufactures WallGoldfinger corporate furniture, has been an FSC Chain of Custody supplier since 2011.

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Ted Wright, executive director of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, nominated Mark Richey Woodworking for the award.

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“I met (company President) Mark (Richey) through the FSC certification process of a small property in New Hampshire,” Wright wrote in his nomination letter. “Mark was influential in driving the FSC certification of the property … .

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“I had several conversations with Mark and through that process I realized Mark’s deep passion for responsible forestry, especially FSC. I knew an FSC Leadership Award would be a good fit for this company. I am honored to nominate them.”

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The FSC first shared the news of the award informally at a green building event earlier this fall in Washington, D.C., and officially on Nov. 2 in a press release recognizing the company “for bringing green manufacturing and sustainable practices to complex corporate, institutional and residential interior and exterior architectural millwork and furniture projects across the U.S.”

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Mark Richey Woodworking has done, and is doing, a variety of high-profile projects utilizing FSC sustainably harvested woods, including Novartis’ corporate headquarters, the Harvard Art Museum wooden exterior and the Shalin Liu Performance Center, all in Massachusetts (shown at right).

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Mark Richey Woodworking has been in business since 1981, carrying out architects’ visions for stunning interiors and exteriors in collaboration with general contractors. Its WallGoldfinger Furniture division, based in Vermont, has been in business since 1971, making some of the world’s most beautiful, often elaborate and technology filled boardroom tables and more for office projects around the world. The company is also minority and woman owned, Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) certified in Massachusetts and New York City, and nationally Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certified.

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To reach Mark Richey Woodworking, including to inquire about utilizing FSC woods, call (978) 499-3800 or email mrw@markrichey.com. To reach WallGoldfinger to inquire about furniture projects, including utilizing FSC woods and substrates, call (802) 278-5800 or email sales@wallgoldfinger.com. Learn more at markrichey.com and wallgoldfinger.com.

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The FSC is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of forests. Created in 1993, the FSC sets the standards by which forests are certified, offering assurance to consumers and businesses that the wood products they buy originate from well-managed forests. More than 4,000 companies and 160 million acres of forestland are FSC certified in the United States, Canada and Mexico. For more information, visit us.fsc.org.