City Furniture has completed a $1.5 million compressed natural gas (CNG) station on its Tamarac headquarters campus. South Florida’s top-selling furniture retailer, the company is one of the first U.S. furniture retailers to build its own CNG station and convert the majority of its delivery fleet to run on CNG. The firm plans to convert its entire 85-truck fleet by 2016.
“Going ‘all-in’ with CNG’s technology is right for our company and great for our communities,” said City Furniture President Keith Koenig. “As a clean, green domestic energy resource that increases U.S. energy independence, CNG will be a boon for the nation’s economy, and it aligns perfectly with our team’s ongoing commitment to be innovative environmental stewards.”
Dignitaries at the station dedication included Florida Office of Energy Director Patrick Sheehan, who noted City Furniture is one of the first privately-owned retailers based in Florida to adopt CNG for use by a sizeable fleet of medium-duty trucks delivering goods directly to consumers. TruStar Energy built the fueling station.
The decision to convert City Furniture’s fleet to CNG followed years of research, Koenig noted. “We knew CNG burns cleaner, with a smaller carbon footprint, it’s economical, and nearly all natural gas fuel used in the U.S. comes from North America. We researched vehicle manufacturers and station builders throughout the U.S., met with CNG station owners and county leaders,” he explained. Meanwhile, the company expanded its network to 26 stores – and added online ordering – which stretched its market for deliveries from the Keys through Central Florida.
Ranked among Furniture Today magazine’s Top 100 U.S. furniture retailers, City Furniture is already widely known as a “green” innovator – from constructing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified stores, and manufacturing upholstered products with soy-based cushions, to recycling millions of pounds of cardboard and 500,000 pounds of Styrofoam annually. Employing more than 1100 associates, the company has 16 City Furniture stores in its network, and it owns and operates 10 Ashley Furniture HomeStore locations. In 2013, the company opened its first City Furniture showrooms at The Villages, establishing a brick-and-mortar presence in Central Florida.
