We recently held a drawing for employees to win a few overstock items.  Among these were the 1774 in Rubberwood, and Russ (from Shipping) won a set of them.  He had some friends over at Maple Ridge Cabinetry construct and finish the piece below, using the legs he had won.

The hand carving on the Basket Weave leg is incredible, giving the appearance of flexibility to something that is not actually woven.  On this particular piece, I love the way that the rich, dark finish accents the “woven” section of the leg, as well as the fullness of the Grapevine Molding.  The intricately hand carved details are not hidden, but neither are they overplayed.  Putting two components that are both so artistically done into one piece of furniture could easily lead to a crowded feeling; but the rich, dark tones of the finish create the perfect medium.  Instead of crowding, these different styles accent each other just enough, yielding a gorgeous end result.

We have just received our copy of the 2010 Annual Congressional Report for our Congressional District, and we are quite pleased to find a picture of our congressman (Paul Broun) touring the Osborne Wood Products plant with our Lean Champion, Bob Ward.

On Thursday, June 3, 2010 we hosted a tour for the Stephens County Economic Development Authority.  Attending the tour were several project leaders with that initiative, including Congressman Broun.  Because of the success of Osborne Wood Products – as well as the extent of our involvement in our community – the SCEDA wanted to tour the plant and see our production team in action, as well as learn a bit about the company’s history and key components in our growth as a company.  Some points that were of interest to the SCEDA group were our business goals (such as being able to ship every order same-day in the not-too-distant future), as well as the fact that – when many in GA were having to lay workers off due to the current economic environment – we were actually able to bring on additional staff  and keep “going strong” as a business.

Pictured below is the photo of Mr. Ward with Congressman Broun, followed by the page excerpt from the Congressional Report.

We at Osborne Wood Products, Inc. would like to wish you all a very happy Independence Day.  Whether your celebration includes grilling with family and friends, enjoying a fireworks display, or going out of town; we hope you all have a safe and happy holiday.  In honor of Independence Day, Osborne Wood Products will be closed on Monday, July 5th.  Of course, you can always order online, and we will be back in the office first thing Tuesday morning, July 6th.

We here at Osborne Wood Products want to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day.  In honor of those who have given their lives in the service of our country, we will be closed for the holiday on Monday, May 21 2010.  We will reopen for business on Tuesday at 8:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.

Our heartfelt gratitude and condolences go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones in military service.  We appreciate your sacrifice.

KBIS Crew Interviews Osborne Marketing Director Christian Smedberg

In the Fall of 2009, Superior Woodcraft had the opportunity to bui

ld a table with our Basket Weave Island Legs – part number 1774 – for a fundraiser for the Doylestown Hospital.  This gorgeous table (featured below) brought in $1,100 for the hospital.  It turned out, however, that the buyer was a previous Superior customer, and once they learned that Superior made the table, they thought to see if they could get it in Cherry (the original table being Oak).  So the fine folks at Superior made them a Cherry table, and donated the Oak table to a YMCA fundraiser!  All in all, over $2,000 was raised with these tables, between the hospital and the YMCA.

Here is the table made with the Basket Weave legs (part 1774) while drying, prior to finishing.

Here is the finished masterpiece!

In March, we were contacted by Superior because of two new fundraisers in their community.  The Travis Manion Foundation – in memory of a 1st LT USMC Travis Manion, who was killed during his second tour of duty in Iraq – held an auction to raise funds for their services to the families of fallen and wounded servicemen, scholarships they make available, and other such needs in the community.  Additionally, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts held a fundraiser for their educational program, through which they make available to children – at no charge – musical performances which celebrate a host of different countries and cultures.  For these fundraisers Superior made two butcher block tables using our 1408 Wilmington legs.  See pictures below.  Both fundraisers included auctions, both of which were held last night, April 26.

The two butcher blocks just after painting, before distressing took place

The gorgeous finished table, complete with distressing.

Superior Woodcraft published a press release regarding the second two charities, and made mention of Osborne Wood Products in their press release.  The excerpt from that article follows:

The tables feature elegant turned legs, partially donated by Osborne Wood Products, providers of fine quality wood turnings, carvings and molding in Toccoa, GA. These legs will be joined using traditional mortise and tenon construction by the craftsmen at Superior Woodcraft. A solid wood butcher block top, hand-rubbed with a food-safe oil finish, is perfectly suited for direct chopping. Finishing at 36” high, these tables provide an ideal area for prepping meals or entertaining at home. Osborne’s Company Founder and CEO, Leon Osborne, commented on his company’s donation, saying “It is our pleasure to support our customers as they reach out to the needs of their communities. We believe that the backbone of our country is the value we share in supporting our communities.”

We are so glad to be able to contribute to these wonderful organizations, and grateful that Superior Woodcraft gave us the opportunity.  It is refreshing to see their commitment to community involvement.  This goes hand in hand with our statement of sustainability: We believe in developing, implementing, and maintaining innovative efforts to sustain and improve our quality of life, our community, and our planet; recognizing that these areas are interconnected.

Thank you, to everyone at Superior Woodcraft, for all your hard work!  And thanks for sending along these great photos!

We always encourage customers and strangers alike to swing by our booth and say hello, and were thrilled to see that so many people responded to that this year.  Every year, we return from the show with several hundred catalog requests to fulfill; evidence to us that we were able to meet with several hundred people, getting valuable feedback and letting them know how much we appreciate them.  Well, this time around, we did not have five or six hundred catalog requests to fill… We had nearly 1000!  That really says that this was not a “good show,” for us.  KBIS 2010 was phenomenal!  We want to take a moment and thank everyone who came by to say hello!

And for your enjoyment, pictures of the show:

Production team member Tim S. helps a customer in the booth.

Shipping team member Nathan S. answers questions about our corbels.

This is Erica, upon arrival back to the office after the show.

This is the mammoth task that awaited her...sorting through the lead retrieval tape from twice as many contacts as we usually see.

Erica's job was to find the sections containing requests for extra materials, clip them out of the main tape, and make sure those people got what they needed!

As you will note from the photos below, the Grapevine Molding was painted in gold and set in sections about the piece.  The lovely (and colorful) Angel Corbels found their home lending their support to larger angel sculptures in the mid-section of the layout.  You should note the sheer size of this tabernacle.  The Angel Corbel is 14 inches tall, 8 inches deep, and 3 1/2 inches wide; and yet in the middle of this piece they seem a bit smaller, which shows just how large the entire tabernacle is.  The magnitude of the work as a whole is incredible, and it is obvious that Werdehausen put an unbelievable effort into creating something excellent.

An overall shot of the whole tabernacle

Closeup shot of the 8200 Angel Corbels

Closeup shot of the gold-accented grapevine molding, 7422.96

Hello!  We just wanted to inform all of you that we will be closed tomorrow, April 2, 2010, in observance of Good Friday.  We will reopen for business 8 AM Eastern Time on Monday, April 5, 2010.

During this time our website will of course still be available to you, for all of your ordering needs.  Orders placed over the long weekend will be processed promptly, first thing Monday morning.

We hope that all of you enjoy time with friends and family this weekend.  We will see you Monday!

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Presenting for the seminar will be exterior and interior design professional Tim Revis, who has more than twenty-five years of design experience.  Revis presented his Masters Thesis on Historic Preservation and the Twentieth Century Kitchen, and the research for that thesis has given him a distinct perspective on kitchen design, especially where architectural embellishments are concerned.

The luncheon and seminar will commence at 11:30 AM on April 27, 2010.  Designers Walk is located at 168 Bedford Rd, Toronto, ON M5R 2K9.  Please come and enjoy this enjoyable and educational presentation, and stop by the Osborne Booth.  See more details here.