The chairman and chief executive officer of Ferdinand-based Keith Fritz Fine Furniture will receive a national award on Capitol Hill July 4. Keith Fritz will be honored with MADE: In America's inaugural William Thornton Award for Excellence in Craftsmanship. The company employs 12 craftsmen, who produce a collection of 40 standard pieces. Keith Fritz Fine Furniture has created tables for two former presidents and congressmen.

MADE: In America today announces that Keith Fritz is the winner of the inaugural William Thornton Award for Excellence in Craftsmanship. The award will be presented at the annual Take Pride in America celebration held at the United States Capitol on July 4, 2011. The William Thornton Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in craftsmanship by an American artisan. MADE: In America joins industry professionals in recognizing Keith Fritz as singular in the field of furniture design and construction, and congratulates the company and its employees for their long standing commitment to making --in America-- the finest hand-crafted furniture.

ABOUT KEITH FRITZ: Established in 1999, Keith Fritz Fine Furniture today employs 12 skilled craftsmen, who produce a collection of 40 standard pieces and work regularly with interior designers to customize individual commissions. Every piece of furniture in the Keith Fritz line is lovingly hand made by these American craftsmen. Dining tables are one of their specialties and they have had the honor of creating tables for two former presidents as well as congressmen, industry leaders and celebrities. The company also designs and crafts occasional tables, cabinets and distinctive mirrors.

Keith Fritz Fine Furniture is known for its modern interpretations of the best of 18th, 19th and early 20th century furniture design and for the use of exotic woods, as well as woods lumbered and milled in its own backyard. The company is represented in high-end decorative showrooms in Chicago, New York, Boston, Atlanta and Dallas, as well as the Michael Cleary showroom in Washington

“I am truly honored to have Keith Fritz Fine Furniture recognized in this way,” says owner Keith Fritz, “and to have the opportunity to share our American success story. I want to do everything I can to promote craft and craftsmanship in America. Our craftsmen in Southern Indiana love preserving the traditions of wood working and putting fine American furniture in the hands of interior designers and architects.”

ABOUT MADE: IN AMERICA: MADE: In America is a not-for-profit educational organization based in Washington, D.C. The group’s mission is foster a business climate conducive to the free exchange of ideas and information for the purpose of revitalizing and sustaining the competitiveness of American commerce and industry in a global economy. Made: In America is a coalition of business leaders, public policy makers, educators and concerned citizens dedicated to designing and articulating new and innovative ways to promote American enterprise in the 21st Century. The organization’s annual BEST: Made in America and Build it in America awards are the culmination of a deliberative year-long search to identify and honor America’s best businesses. The award was created to heighten public awareness of American- made products and a showcase the companies and individuals who create them.
In addition, MADE: In America also conducts the American Treasures Award program, established to recognizing and honor individuals making significant contributions to the American enterprise system. Beyond the awards programs, MADE: In America undertakes a wide range of other educational programs and services in cooperation with a network of coalition partners through the American Enterprise Initiative and In Service to American Business. These strategic educational initiatives are created for both manufacturers and consumers in order to shape public discourse and policy.

Source: Fritz Fine Furniture & InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=48012