Woodworking and animals really haven't had much in common…at least, until now. At the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers's AWFS Fair 2009, which will be held July 15-18 in Las Vegas, cabinets from the smartSHOP, a fully operational cabinet shop at AWFS Fair 2009, will be donated to The Animal Foundation, the largest open-admission animal shelter and multi-service agency to support the humane treatment of animals, in the Las Vegas valley.

While its charitable aspect offers much to cheer about, the main purpose of smartSHOP, of course, is educational. To this end, it will use equipment from 16 exhibitors to demonstrate how all the processes of cabinet construction, from data input software to cabinet assembly, can be automated. "Seeing the smartSHOP in action will be educational for all our exhibitors and attendees," said Marguerite Hoffman, VP of trade shows, AWFS. "We appreciate our sponsors, who made this happen. And out of it comes another great end product—the chance to help a deserving local charity."
 
AWFS's biennial international AWFS Fair brings together the home and commercial furnishings industry, including manufacturers and distributors of machinery, hardware, lumber, construction materials and other suppliers to the furniture, cabinet manufacturers and custom woodworkers.
—Nielsen Business Media