Appliances Briefs

Huntington Beach, Calif.— BSH Home Appliance Corp. announced last month that it would relocate manufacturing from its Vernon, Calif., plant to a new site in the first half of 2004. The company said it is considering only U.S. sites for the relocation. "The home appliance market is extremely competitive. … Relocating some of our operations will reduce costs and give us greater flexibility in manufacturing," said president/CEO Franz Bosshard. BSH currently operates manufacturing facilities in Vernon, as well as New Bern, N.C., and LaFollette, Tenn. The Vernon plant, which BSH acquired in 1998, is expected to close in June 2004. It currently employs 220 workers.

Madison, Wis. — High-end manufacturers Sub-Zero Freezer Co. and Wolf Appliance Co. received the National Kitchen and Bath Association's continuing education credit for their Designer Factory Training Program. The two-day program, which is held at the companies' headquarters here, instructs designers on their products' design and performance. This year, the two companies will conduct more than 35 seminars for 1,300 trade customers. Each program consists of 14 hours of instruction, demonstrations and facility tours. For more information about the training program, contact Heather Prisbe at (608)441-5853 or hprisbe@subzero.com or hprisbe@wolfappliance.com.

LAS VEGAS — This gambling and entertainment mecca has seen its share of opening acts, but few like artist Michael Israel (at right), who opened the Brand Source/AVB convention at the Paris Hotel, here, last month. Prior to executive director Bob Lawrence's opening speech (TWICE, Sept. 1, 2003), with patriotic music in the background, Israel painted the BrandSource logo on a black canvas with numerous paint brushes and hands filled with paint. He also spun the canvas so the audience kept guessing what he was painting. Israel also painted a tribute to the New York Fire Department, showing the rescue of a child. Both paintings were auctioned for charity at the convention.