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A photo of a bedroom with wall panels featuring veneer core.

Material IQ Episode 005: “Specifying Fire Retardant Veneer Core Plywood for Interior Use (CFP 2026-1)”

July 30, 2026

In this episode of Material IQ, host Kenn Busch sits down with Alicia Powell of Columbia Forest Products to unpack the first domestically manufactured, third-party certified Class A fire retardant veneer core plywood.

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Material IQ Episode 004: A History of Decorative Laminate

July 20, 2026

Formica's brand historian Renee Hightree Darrington joins the Material IQ Podcast for a rare deep dive into the company's century-long design legacy — from its 1913 origins as an electrical insulator to the birth of mid-century modern icons like the "Skylark" boomerang pattern and Raymond Loewy's postwar pastels. Along the way: the real story behind matte finishes, Color-Core, and how paper (not plastic) built an industry — plus an unexpected sustainability angle tying Formica's history to forest health and carbon storage.

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Material Intelligence: Destination NeoCon 2026

April 24, 2026

Happening 7-10 June, 2026 at THE MART in Chicago, Illinois. Find Material Intelligence in Booth 7-5067 on the 7th floor.

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Milan Design Week and the Salone del Mobile international furniture fair, 21-26 April

March 17, 2026

Milan Design Week 2026 is set to be the world's leading design event. The entire city becomes a global stage for over thousands of events, products, exhibitors, and more.

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ExpoSICAM 2026

March 17, 2026

Happening 20-23 October 2026 in Pordenone, Italy.

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BDNY 2026

March 16, 2026

Happening 8-9 November 2026 at the Javits Center in New York City.

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Material IQ Episode 003: “Engineering a Better Panel with Climate-Positive Plywood”

February 12, 2026

In this episode of Material IQ, host Ken Busch sits down with Chris Tutuska of Funder (Genesis Products) and Meghan Bell of Garnica to explore a breakthrough in decorative panel technology: thermally fused laminate (TFL) pressed on a sustainably engineered poplar plywood core. The conversation dives into how Garnica’s meticulously cultivated, plantation-grown plywood—virtually void-free and carbon-neutral—solves historic challenges in using plywood in TFL applications while delivering superior strength, lighter weight, greater thickness accuracy, and improved tool life.

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Material IQ Episode 002: “Design: Resilient Flooring in North America”

January 26, 2026

A deep-dive discussion about resilient flooring designs that sell in North America with Peter Garlington of Interprint Inc, and Darius Helm, editor of Floor Focus magazine.

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