Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture announced that it has become certified under the voluntary Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office.
CBP launched the C-TPAT initiative in an effort to help it work more closely with businesses to improve border security. To qualify for C-TPAT certification, shippers and importers must meet a variety of requirements in several categories, ranging from business practices and record-keeping to facility security and developing working relationships with supply chain partners on security issues.
Now that it is certified, Bernie & Phyl’s can expedite many Customs processes, receive priority “front of line” processing, and be subject to fewer inspections. CBP also assigns a supply chain security specialist to work with each C-TPAT-certified company to help the company enhance its own security procedures and those of its supply chain partners.
“We support the government’s initiatives to ensure the safety of the international trade system, and have embraced C-TPAT certification at the highest levels within our company,” said Robert Rubin, President of Merchandising and Marketing at Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture. “We are proud to be part of this program to improve supply chain security worldwide. Our company and customers will greatly benefit from our C-TPAT certification.”
Bernie & Phyl’s C-TPAT certification lasts for three years. The company will have to be revalidated after three years to make sure it is still in compliance with security guidelines and has implemented any new procedures C-TPAT has developed.
Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture is a privately owned furniture retailer based in Norton, Massachusetts. The family run business has seven stores in New England: Braintree, MA; Hyannis, MA; Nashua, NH; Raynham, MA; Saugus, MA; Warwick, RI; and Westboro, MA. Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture received the prestigious Better Business Bureau Local Torch Award for Excellence in 2009, 2007, and 2004, which is given to companies that embody the highest ethical standards. In 2002, the company was named “Retailer of the Year” by the National Home Furnishings Association, which is the highest honor in the retail home furnishings industry. The company ranks among the Top 100 furniture stores in the country according to Furniture/Today magazine.