Speaking to Manufacturing Today, Gat Caperton, President of Gat Creek, shared his interesting and impressive story about how he started his furniture manufacturing business. Gat Creek, now 26 years old with $25 million in sales and 165 employees, creates residential home furnishings built from Appalachian hardwoods. In the article, Caperton spoke about his ethos regarding the use of sustainable, locally harvested hardwoods and his work with The Conservation Fund, where he learned about protecting the forest. As a wood furniture maker located in Berkley Springs, the geographical center of the Appalachian Forest, Caperton is proud of the fact that there are more trees there now than at any time in the past 100 years. Also a source of pride for Caperton is the fact that domestic manufacturing is experiencing a revival and companies have reshaped the way they make products. Technology has changed the way Gat Creek manufactures furniture. It’s no longer an assembly line approach; artisans have their own work bench where they work on one to five pieces of furniture a day. When this person is finished, they [...]