LONDON—Smith & Fong Co., manufacturer of Plyboo bamboo architectural plywood and textured wall systems, announced it has significantly expanded its presence in the United Kingdom and Europe, with a London office and centralized warehousing in the Midlands for its full line of bamboo and palm plywood and paneling products, according to company president Angus Stocks.“Smith & Fong views the U.K. and Europe as major architectural and design markets that are central to our growth strategy,” Stocks said. “We want to connect and deliver our products in the European region to support a growing demand.”The company has partnered with IQ...

TRENTON, N.J.—Boasting an improved capsule designed specifically for use in business and hospitality settings, SolaBev is the latest technology introduced to the single-serve beverage market. In addition to the ability to address the higher-volume needs of commercial enterprises, the company announced its partnership with TerraCycle to provide a recycling solution for its capsules.According to a 2014 National Coffee Assn. report, the use of single-serve brewing systems continues to rise, due to their convenience and efficiency. For offices and hotel lobbies especially, single-serve machines eliminate any instances of leftover, unused coffee. With the additional option to recycle the SolaCap capsules...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Cascades Tissue Group and Green Seal are celebrating the 10th anniversary of a partnership ensuring the responsible manufacturing of environmentally preferable products.Following a practice that began over 50 years ago, and long before sustainable development become fashionable, Cascades has made a concerted effort to introduce innovative products that offer enhanced environmental and hygienic value. The company’s green efforts are reflected not only in the composition of its products, but in its production methods. It recycles and reuses every drop of water between 10 and 40 times, and has reduced its energy consumption by 7 percent since 2010. Over...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes GFL USA to its Green Product & Service Directory. As a leading amenity resource throughout Europe for over 20 years, GFL offers individual cosmetics, accessories and dispensers that demonstrate leadership in design and environmental sustainability. With an ultra-modern production facility in northern Italy, collections include Ecocert Organic, COSMOS organic, Ecolabel and Nordic Ecolabel certifications. GFL cosmetic formulas have a high level of biodegradability and are designed using eco-compatible and hypoallergenic raw materials. GFL looks for suppliers that share its ecological vision and when possible, chooses those within...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Viridian Reclaimed Wood announced the introduction of Zigzag, a new line of affordable reclaimed wood paneling derived from shipping crates, according to Viridian co-owner Joe Mitchoff. “Zigzag paneling is named after a winding river canyon on the slopes of Mt. Hood for a reason,” Mitchoff said. “It’s rugged, variable and looks amazing in wide-open spaces.”Differing from most of Viridian’s paneling products, Zigzag is budget-priced, making it ideal for environments that require large-scale coverage.Zigzag features heavy patina and includes some painted boards that can easily be culled before installation, if desired. It comes in mixed widths and thicknesses with...

WEST CALDWELL, N.J.—Combining the energy-saving benefits of LED with outstanding color quality, MaxLite introduces Energy Star certified 7-watt MR16 lamps for commercial, retail, hospitality and other general lighting applications.The LED lamps replace 50-watt halogen bulbs in miniature recessed, track and cabinet lighting fixtures with more than 80 percent energy savings and a much longer life. Offered in GU10 and GU 5.3 bases, MaxLite MR16 lamps are designed with Chip On Board (COB) LEDs that deliver wide, uniform light and excellent color rendering, achieving an 80-plus CRI for the Energy Star certified 2700K and 3000K models. A 90 CRI model,...

ALAMEDA, CALIF.—HotelTap has added a new feature to its popular “digital log book in the cloud” to aid hoteliers in their preventive maintenance processes. Room Logs: Preventive Maintenance is designed to create digital task and subtask logs for routine room inspections. The Silver Palms Inn in Key West, Fla., is the first user of HotelTap with the new Preventive Maintenance tool added. Ideal for operators of limited-service hotels with 50+ rooms, HotelTap uses a social media network format to improve communication, task completion and maintenance management. The system replaces notebooks, paper tickets, sticky notes, internal e-mails, spreadsheets, text messages and...

WOODRIDGE, Ill.—Danze, Inc. and Gerber Plumbing Fixtures announced that Michael Werner has stepped down from his role as President & CEO of Globe Union Group, Inc., including its Gerber and Danze businesses, effective immediately. Werner will continue as a consultant for the next several months to ensure a smooth transition.  As a long-time entrepreneur and strategic visionary, Werner joined the company to help Globe Union build a robust branded business through acquisitions and organic growth. In his 13-year tenure, he has achieved that and more, as Gerber and Danze are now leading participants in the kitchen and bath industry....

CHARLESTON, S.C.—AM Conservation Group, Inc. (AMCG) announced that Michael Quinn has been named the company’s President and CEO. Quinn assumes this role from Todd Recknagel, AMCG’s current CEO, who will remain on the AMCG’s Board of Directors. Under Recknagel’s leadership, AMCG completed three acquisitions and achieved significant growth, positioning the company for its recent acquisition by Kohlberg & Co.Quinn joins AMCG with an extensive track record of senior leadership experience across industries, most recently as President and CEO of Aurora Products Group, a supplier of burial, memorial and technology products to the funeral industry. Prior to his tenure with...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Doug Borden and Smart Valve to its Green Product & Service Directory. The patented water valve sits on the hotel side of the water meter. It is designed to compress the air in water pipes and improve meter reading accuracy, resulting in cost savings on water, sewer and water heating bills. Spring tension reduces flow surges, helping with over-consumption and over-spinning of the water meter during heavy usage. Over pressure can cause increased consumption of water and additional maintenance costs. Most water devices are designed to work...