Brent Karner and ClearLake Furniture

Vermont Woodworker of the Year: Brent Karner Congratulations to Vermont Woodworker of the Year, Brent Karner of Clear Lake Furniture for his innovative design of high end stacking chairs for the University of Vermont's Memorial Lounge.
Congratulations to Brent Karner of ClearLake Furniture in Ludlow for being selected Vermont Woodworker of the Year. The award was presented to Brent last Friday by Mike Rainville, President of the Vermont Wood Manufacturing Association, VWMA. It was in recognition of his work in designing and crafting 150 eco-friendly, stackable cherry wood chairs for the University of Vermont's Memorial Lounge on UVM's Burlington campus.
Have you ever noticed that chairs in auditoriums are rarely handcrafted of solid wood and rarely comfortable? Well it seems that Richard Cate, UVM Vice president for finance and administration decided to change that. He insisted on finding a competitive bid for beautiful, comfy, high quality, Vermont made STACKABLE chairs and Brent Karner's proposal fit the bill.
Brent, his brother and two of their craftsmen at Clear Lake Furniture spent 3 months designing and building the chairs. Each chair contains 41 separate pieces. Sheahan and Sons Lumber in Weatherfield transformed 400 local, sustainably harvested logs from Bethel, VT into 6,150 pieces of wood designed to Brent’s specs. The seats were crafted by Don Heaton Upholstery in Chester, VT. Everything from A to Z was locally made in Vermont!
Isn't it great to see another example of Vermonters leading the way in the American Made manufacturing movement?

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THE AUTHOR

Peggy Farabaugh

She is a CEO who brakes for salamanders, has bottle-fed rescued squirrels and spent her vacation building furniture for a rural school in Costa Rica. She believes in the future and in the people who will build it. A former distance-learning professor at Tulane University with a master’s in environmental health & safety, she turned an interest in forest conservation and endangered species into a growing, local business. She delivers rainforest statistics at breakneck speed, but knows how to slow down and appreciate the beauty of a newly finished piece of heirloom furniture.

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