Thirteen AWFS members and association officers participated in the Second Annual Woodworking Equipment and Wood Processing (WEWP) Public Policy Fly-In to Washington, DC, meeting with congressional representatives from California, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Utah, North Carolina and Oregon. The Senate was voting on the Stimulus Bill at the time, allowing AWFS members to discuss the industry’s needs in a very timely fashion.

Contingents from the WMIA and WMMA also attended.

Any AWFS member can join other manufacturers in DC next year.

“We invite all members to become part of our group,” said Angelo Gangone, executive director, AWFS. “The three days will prove quite worthwhile to you and your company and benefit our industry. You don’t have to be on the board or on a committee – you just have to have a desire for your voice to be heard. With a new administration, the time is ripe to put manufacturing concerns in the face of our representatives. We need to let them know how the economy is impacting each of our companies.”

The full-scale international AWFS Fair, scheduled for July 15 - 18, in Las Vegas, will also feature exhibitors from the entire home and commercial furnishings industry and includes manufacturers and distributors of machinery, hardware, lumber, construction, materials, and other supplies to furniture, cabinet manufacturers and custom woodworkers.