Presidential Bench

Obama, China's Xi agree to work together

In late May, we received a phone call from the Office of Protocol at the U.S. State Department. To make a long story short, for symbolic reasons (Redwood only grows natively in the U.S. and in China), we were chosen to build a custom bench for President Obama to present as a gift to President Jinping of China. Many details went into it. from incorporating the number 8 into the design (because the Chinese believe it is an auspicious number) to exact engraving in both English and Chinese. It was a sprint job that had to be designed, edited, approved and installed in days. We got it done and it made the press Saturday June 8, 2013 when both Presidents stood before the bench and then sat in it for a symbolic photo. We are honored to have participated in this process and thank the State Department for their trust in us to get this done.

White House Briefing for June 08 where the Forever Redwood Bench is mentioned between minutes 22 and 25 as a symbolic gift of a deepening relationship between the U.S. and China.

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