The Woodwork Institute, a California nonprofit corporation, was established in 1951 by a progressive group of forward-thinking firms to promote the greater use of Architectural Millwork products throughout California. In the Institute's early research, it was determined that the primary reasons that wood products were losing out in the marketplace was the lack of industry standards and quality control.

The Institute published its first Manual of Millwork in 1953, distributing it to the architectural, design, and specification writing communities free of charge. The Woodwork Institute Manual of Millwork established the industry standards for the materials, construction and fabrication techniques, installation, and finishing of architectural millwork. Throughout the years the Institute has refined and upgraded the Manual of Millwork, leading to the current 2003 Edition.

Shortly after the first Manual of Millwork was published, the Institute addressed the area of quality control by establishing the "Certified Compliance Program" which has grown in acceptance and use to the point of requiring five full-time "Directors of Architectural Services" (inspectors).

Approximately 80% of all commercial and institutional construction projects in California require compliance to the Manual of Millwork within their standards; of those, approximately 50% require Certified Compliance.

The Institute currently has Active Members (individuals and/or firms primarily engaged in the manufacture and/or distribution of millwork products), Associate Members (individuals and/or firms primarily engaged in the supplying of goods and services to Active Members) and our newest category of M3 Members (individuals who have demonstrated mastery of the Manual of Millwork as well as their trade).

Above left: 1st Anniversary Meeting in 1952. Right: Board Meeting in 1956 at the Hotel Californian in Fresno, Ca. Standing: Bernard B. Barber, Jr. and Perry Acuff; seated, left to right: Tom Work, C.E. Morrison, Rex Sporleader, Phil McCoy, Harry Libby, Roy Young, Ernie Atkinson, Byron Taylor, Leonard Tivol, Sherry Karns, Elmer Vivian, Stan Gustafson, Jack Little, Les Harter, and Adolph Warvarovsky.