DELRAY BEACH, FL - Twin-Star International Home Furnishings celebrated their fifth annual “Take our Daughters and Sons to Work” Day earlier this month. Product Director, Jacqueline Todd, showed the employee’s children how to color and build 3-D miniature mantels.

Other activities included making bird houses with Customer Service, playing dress up, holding job interviews with Sales, learning teamwork by building real mantels in Operations. The Marketing and I.T. departments held on-camera product interviews along with a pizza and ice cream party.

The children of Twin-Star employees diligently colored a 3-D miniature mantel that they eventually cut out and assembled.…

EAGAN, MN - The Outdoor GreatRoom Company, a manufacturer of outdoor living products, has redesigned its Website at www.outdoorrooms.com.

Company officials say the main goal of the redesign was to ease navigation for customers and dealers easier browsing the site. An improved photo gallery (featuring gorgeous images such as the one on the left), updated home page, and a new modern design throughout are key features of the site.

A sliding gallery on the home page shows off gas fire pits and fireplaces, outdoor kitchen islands, pergolas, and electric fireplaces, some of the companies’ key products.

FORT LEE, NJ - Couristan’s annual Outdoor Living Merchandising Promotion, taking place March 24th through June 30th, offers sizzling deals on a full assortment of outdoor/indoor area rugs—as well as two dynamic merchandising display options that help drive summer sales.

Designed to showcase all 13 of Couristan’s weather-resistant area rug colLections, the “Without Walls” Display Unit gives dealers the ability to fully customize their featured assortment and provides an easy-to-browse shopping destination for today’s hottest outdoor/indoor area rug trends.

Housing (40) 2-foot by 4-foot area rugs, “Without Walls” measures just over 5 feet (T) by 3 1/2 feet…

SYRACUSE, IN - Poly - Wood, Inc, manufacturer of outdoor performance furnishings, has opened a POLYWOOD® permanent show space in the Outdoor Living section of the International Trade Plaza at Dallas Market Center (DMC). The move-in for the showroom space, located on the building’s first floor, will be in time for the Dallas Total Home and Gift Market held March 26 – 29, 2014.

As a leader in the recycled lumber furnishing industry, POLYWOOD® now will exhibit the latest in all-weather furnishings, including hundreds of individual pieces that will be available going forward for year-around wholesale buyer access. The Outdoor…

KINGSTON, NC - Field Controls has introduced a new product that combines a chimney cap, chimney fan, and flue damper in one convenient, high performance package. The Flue Sentinel® Chimney Fan and Damper is constructed of high-grade stainless steel, with a heavy duty fan and damper, and can be installed in new or pre-existing chimneys. It is available in three sizes for chimneys with 8-inch, 12-inch and 16-inch openings.

The new Flue Sentinel® comes complete with a control kit that interfaces with the gas logs and automatically opens the damper and engages the fan before allowing the fire to start.…

NASHVILLE - Innovative Hearth Products (IHP), the manufacturer of Lennox Hearth Products and FMI Products (including wood and pellet-fueled stoves as well as fireplace inserts), has issued a statement about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new standards for wood heaters. Known as the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), the proposed rule’s goal is to reduce air emissions that endanger public health or welfare.

Mark Klein, president and CEO of IHP, states that the company welcomes efforts by the EPA to update standards for the hearth industry that encourage cleaner products for the environment. However, IHP has concerns that…

WADENA, MN - Homecrest Outdoor Living has tapped Michael Mettendorf as its new vice president of Global Sales, effective immediately. Mettendorf has more than 25 years experience in consumer products sales, now spending almost 10 years in the casual furniture industry.

From 2005-2012, Mettendorf served as GM/VP of Sales and Marketing for New River Casual Furniture, starting and building their North American operations. In addition, he has been in senior sales and marketing leadership roles with Terra Flame Home, Surya, Fox River Mills, Daka Designs and Sara Lee Corp.

Mettendorf brings a strong appreciation for the Homecrest brand; in…

SALT LAKE CITY - Operation BBQ Relief has expanded its relief efforts (begun in May 2011 to feed tornado-stricken residents in Joplin, Missouri), thanks to a custom-designed truck donated by Heat & Glo® Fireplaces.

The truck, which includes a 14-foot box fully equipped with thermostatically controlled ovens and refrigerators, will allow Operation BBQ Relief to better serve more individuals, in more locations, after disaster strikes.

Operation BBQ Relief is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that has expanded its offerings to offer meals, hope, and friendship to communities across the United States adversely affected by natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes,…