Contact: Bob Ratliff
A planned Mississippi State furniture research facility will provide added technical and other supports for one of the state's leading industries.
To be housed in a 25,000 square-foot building at the university's Forest Products Laboratory, the Furniture Research Unit will continue to focus on the development of a variety of new programs to further advance furniture manufacturing and the competitiveness of the furniture industry in Mississippi.
Currently, more than 50,000 Mississippi workers are producing about 70 percent of the nation's upholstered furniture.
"During the 1999 session, the Mississippi Legislature enacted a bill funding $3 million for the construction of this much-needed building," said forest products department head Cynthia West. "An additional $750,000 is being sought through a capital campaign to fully fund the facility."
West said the new building would contain office space, a research laboratory and storage areas, as well as classrooms and an auditorium for industrial training and conferences.
"Since its creation by the Legislature in 1987, the Forest Products Laboratory's Furniture Research Unit has assisted the industry in building a strong technological base," West said. "Current estimates indicate that research conducted here saves Mississippi manufacturers more than $3 million annually. The new facility will allow that support to increase."
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For additional information on the Furniture Research Building capital campaign, contact Keith Gaskin at (662) 325-3815; e-mail kgaskin@cfr.msstate.edu.