Catawba Valley Furniture Academy celebrates 2 graduates

HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Furniture Academy, a partnership program between Catawba Valley Community College and a number of key N.C. furniture manufacturers in western North Carolina, recently celebrated two graduates from the program: Jaime Ramirez of Conover, N.C., and Maximo Cruz-Lopez of Hickory, according to a recent report in the Hickory Daily Record.

The training academy, conducted in the evenings and taught by artisans currently employed by local furniture manufacturers, is designed to prepare a future workforce for the furniture industry.

Founding industry partners are Century Furniture, Lee Inds., Lexington Home Brands, Sherrill Furniture and Vanguard Furniture.

Supporting partners of the program include: American Home Furnishings Alliance, Atlantic Packaging, Autoquip Corporation, Bassett Furniture, City of Newton, CR Laine, Dimension Wood Products, DUO-Fast, Ethan Allen, Fairfield Chair, Fairgrove Furniture, Geiger International, Gerber Technology, Harris Handling , Haworth Health Environments, Heritage Home Group, HBF Textiles, HSM Solutions, Heico Fasteners, Heritage Home Group, Image Inds., Leggett & Platt, N.C. Works Career Center Catawba, Precedent, Snyder Paper, TD Arhaus, TCS Designs Inc., Thomasville-Drexel, United Sewing and Wesley Hall Inc.