Frank Miller Lumber to Meet Architects, Designers, and Customers in Japan, Singapore and Australia

UNION CITY, Ind., June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- This month, Dan Hackett, CEO and president of Frank Miller Lumber, and Criswell Davis, architectural marketing manager at Frank Miller, will embark on an international trade mission, covering markets in Singapore, Australia and Japan. Frank Miller intends to use the excursion to highlight its growth into a thriving, global enterprise.

During the trip, Hackett and Davis will meet with many of Frank Miller's international clients, attend an American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) conference, and build relationships with architects and designers.

Singapore will be their first stop, where Hackett and Davis will attend the AHEC 17th Southeast Asia & Greater China Convention, the theme of which is "American Hardwood and Green Design: Life Cycle Assessment and the True Environmental Impact of Material Choice." During the convention they will have the chance to network with members of many different Asian trade associations and institutions, including The China National Furniture Association, the Malaysian Furniture Industry Council, The Singapore Furniture Industries Council, and the Singapore Institute of Architects, among others. The American Hardwood Export Council, with which Frank Miller is closely associated and a member of, is the leading international trade association of the U.S. hardwood industry.

Hackett and Davis will then travel to Perth, Australia, to visit with a customer who has organized a large architectural presentation featuring Davis as the keynote speaker, with many members of the Australian Institute of Architects in attendance. Hackett and Davis will also travel with their customer, giving presentations about Frank Miller quartersawn hardwoods to manufacturers and builders. They will also travel to Sydney to visit with another large distributor, giving presentations about quartersawn hardwoods around New South Wales and in Canberra, Australia's capital. The design of Canberra by American architect Walter Burley Griffin was, in part, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and his Prairie Style, which often incorporates quartersawn white oak.

"Frank Miller Lumber is a relatively small niche hardwood manufacturer with a very large international profile," said Davis. "Manufacturers and distributors around the globe are more interested than ever in how to set themselves apart from one another through unique product lines."

The final part of the trip will have Hackett and Davis traveling from Sydney to Japan, where they will travel extensively with their largest distributor. They will visit key manufacturers in Takayama, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Tokyo to try to learn more about each one and strengthen Frank Miller Lumber's relationships with its customers.

In the 1980s, Frank Miller's growing relationships with Japanese furniture manufacturers encouraged the company to significantly increase its quartersawn hardwood production. Thirty years later, Frank Miller is now one of the few providers in the world capable of producing hardwood in this manner, and one of the largest producers of quartersawn hardwoods in the world.

"As many already know, our products are specified by architects and designers around the world in high-end commercial and residential construction," said Hackett. "This trip will further cement Frank Miller Lumber's position in the world community of distributors, manufacturers, designers and architects."

About Frank Miller Lumber (www.frankmiller.com)

Frank Miller helps architects and designers realize the elegance and durability of quartersawn hardwoods in the most distinctive architectural endeavors. Established in 1903 and located in Union City, Indiana, Frank Miller produces exceptionally fine quartersawn and plain sawn hardwoods for manufacturers of fine furniture, cabinets, architectural millwork and flooring. Frank Miller's quartersawn products are used in high-end commercial and residential construction around the globe where there is a significant architectural/design element to the project's cabinets, millwork and flooring.

SOURCE Frank Miller Lumber