Contact: Maridith Geuder
Gov. Haley Barbour will join Mississippi State President Charles Lee and other state officials and university officers on campus Friday [Jan. 23] to officially open an advanced technology facility for furniture research, teaching and service.
A 1:30 p.m. public ceremony formally will designate the Franklin Center for Furniture Manufacturing and Management, which includes laboratories, classrooms, offices, and an auditorium/distance learning center. Also featuring a 3,000-square-foot showroom, the building was designed by Pryor and Morrow Architects of Jackson and Columbus.
The L-shaped, 35,000-square-foot structure at the intersection of Blackjack Road and Locksley Way is named for the Houston businessman whose lead contribution of $1 million was supplemented by a $3 million legislative appropriation in 2001 and by other significant contributions from the private sector.
Hassell Franklin is founder, president and chief executive officer of Franklin Corp., a major Chickasaw County furniture manufacturing enterprise. A 1959 industrial management graduate, he was MSU's national alumnus of the year in 1995.
"The work undertaken in this new facility will have a goal of securing the future of Mississippi's furniture industry by increasing its international competitiveness," Lee said. Collaborating units in the new institute include the colleges of Business and Industry, Forest Resources, Engineering, and Architecture, as well as the MSU Extension Service, he added.
"The Institute for Furniture Manufacturing and Management is part of our university's commitment to help the furniture industry keep pace with the demands of a highly competitive high-tech world," Lee said.
Mississippi's furniture industry employs more than 50,000 and contributes $4.1 billion to the state's economy.
Mississippi State operates the largest university-based furniture research program in North America and has conducted broad-based furniture research for more than 17 years. Officials at the land-grant institution indicated substantial savings have been realized by manufacturers through the furniture research program.
"The assistance that Mississippi State has provided, especially in implementing cutting-edge work processes, has made our company significantly more competitive in the global marketplace," Franklin said. "I'm confident the new institute and this facility will have a major impact on the future of our industry."
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information on the ceremony or Franklin Center, telephone Karen Brasher of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center at (662) 325-8530.