Bainbridge Island, WA, November 8, 2006--An industry veteran with more than two decades of experience is the new Western U.S. representative for Teragren (www.teragren.com), the nation’s leading manufacturer of environmentally friendly bamboo flooring, panels and veneer.
In his new role, Jim Johnson will work with distributors carrying Teragren products and will oversee sales in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming.
“Jim is well respected in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge to this position,” said David Knight, Teragren’s president and CEO. “We’re pleased to welcome him to the team.”
Prior to joining Teragren, Johnson worked at Kent, Wash.-based T&A Supply for 25 years, filling various positions before being named the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.
During that time, Johnson learned a great deal about the needs and strengths of retailers, as well as the challenges facing distributors and the manufacturers they do business with.
The potential to strike strategic alliances between various sides of the industry appealed to him, he said, when he accepted the position with Teragren.
“I think there’s an opportunity to create a win-win strategy between the manufacturer and the distributor, and I see my role to act as that liaison,” Johnson said. “I’m excited about it.”
Widely considered the industry leader, Teragren manufactures and imports a range of environmentally conscious bamboo flooring, stair parts and accessories suitable for residential and commercial uses, as well as a variety of bamboo panels and veneer for the furniture and cabinet industries.
An innovator in the green building movement, Teragren uses a proprietary manufacturing adhesive that emits formaldehyde at levels far below those allowed by the strictest standards in Europe and the U.S. It harvests bamboo only at maturity to avoid risk to the plant and ensure a durable, high quality product.
Teragren purchases bamboo from independent farmers in China, paying fair market value and encouraging proper stewardship of the valuable resource, and its manufacturing process is strictly controlled from start to finish.
Johnson said Teragren’s reputation as a company committed to developing sustainable, appealing products was a draw for him.
“With beautiful, environmentally sound flooring, the highest product quality standards and product performance that rivals oak or maple, Teragren has a great story to tell to the retailer as well as the consumer market,” he said.
