Mark Richey Woodworking granted FSC US Leadership Award
7 November 2023Each year, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) recognises 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.
Based in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Mark Richey Woodworking operates a 130,000ft2, 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.
Ted Wright, executive director of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, nominated Mark Richey Woodworking for the award.
“I met Mark Richey, company president, through the FSC certification process of a small property in New Hampshire,” Mr Wright wrote in his nomination letter. “Mark was influential in driving the FSC certification of the property.
“I had several conversations with Mark and through that process I realised Mark’s deep passion for responsible forestry, especially FSC. I knew an FSC Leadership Award would be a good fit for this company.
The FSC first shared the news of the award informally at a green building event earlier this autumn in Washington, DC, and officially on November.2 in a press release recognising 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 US”.
Mark Richey Woodworking has done, and is doing, a variety of high-profile projects utilising FSC sustainably harvested woods, including the Obama Presidential Center now under way in Chicago and Novartis’ corporate headquarters, the Harvard Art Museum wooden exterior and the Shalin Liu Performance Center, all in Massachusetts.
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.
