President of Gunlocke, Don Mead, is hoping to see some really ugly furniture this year. The company is sponsoring its first "Office Needs for Good Deeds" online office makeover contest that will help one lucky non-profit organization snag about $75,000 in free office furniture. That equals about enough to redo a 1,200-square-foot space.
Nominations will be taken beginning today, February 2nd, and the contest runs through April 16. Though Gunlocke will supply what is needed, depending on the office that wins, the contest will showcase its Silea line of casegoods.
To enter, local, regional or national public charities and private foundation non-profit organizations will need to submit pictures of their offices along with a 500 word (maximum) written description of their work within the community and how a possible office makeover will positively impact their ability to better serve their communities. A panel of judges will then select 10 to 15 semifinalists, out of which one grand prize winner will be chosen. Companies entering will be judged on their devotion to execute the non-profit's mission, their positive influence on the community and the need for a more efficient workspace. The winner of the contest will be announced on April 30, 2010.
"At Gunlocke, we're always looking for ways to help those who help many," said Mead. "Being able to provide a deserving organization with a beautiful, new office that will allow them to better serve their community is something we are very excited and proud to be able to do. Through the use of our products, especially the new Silea line, we hope to help the winning organization increase their productivity and ultimately have a positive impact on their outreach into the community."
"Before Christmas," Mead said, "we heard a lot about how giving at non-profits dried up. They felt a lot of pain in 2009. Just this last week, I was traveling and reading how giving has fallen off significantly. We challenged ourselves, guided by our corporate values. Let's face it: Non-profits are strapped. A team of our members at Gunlocke said, 'Hey, let's try something like this.' That kind of gave birth last fall or late winter this concept. Then (Marketing Director) Mike (Kull) and his team ran with it."
With so many non-profits out there that need new office furniture and so many that do good work in the communities they serve, Kull said judging will be the most difficult part of the contest. How do you choose between a group that helps children recover from cancer or another that specializes in aid to Haiti? "We're looking forward to getting a mix of responses," Kull said. "We're going to stay pretty open minded. But judging will be the most challenging part of it. Folks online can present their need in 500 words or less. They need to explain to us: How will furniture help them be more productive to get the job done? Then we're going to have online voting. The community at large can select the top finalists. And from that, a panel of judges will decide."
Mead said the company has a long history of being very active both money, talent and time in the communities where its members operate. "It's part of our values of the organization, so when we do well, we can connect our success to the community," he said. "A month or so ago, we started challenging ourselves: What are some of the opportunities for us to extend that value system out a little bit? Our goal is to partner with our customers to do something to help non-profits and charities in our communities."
Gunlocke hopes its dealers will take the lead and urge non-profits in the communities they serve to apply. Mead said the first step is promotion. "A lot of the leadership here are pretty actively involved with non-profit boards of directors," Mead said. "They see the state of some of these offices. These non-profits do what they do. But the offices are atrocious." The company chose its Silea casegoods line to donate because of its flexibility, Kull said. It can easily fit in a variety of office footprints and there are many innovative storage and wire management capabilities built in. "I can picture this being Silea, plus a host of other (office furniture lines)."
Online entries will be accepted from February 2nd to April 16 at http://www.gunlocke.com/gooddeeds. Additional sponsors and products of the Gunlocke "Office Needs for Good Deeds" online contest include Johnsonite Space modular resilient flooring and wall base, Luxo Terea task lighting and Loft uplighting, as well as Pratt & Lambert Accolade acrylic latex interior coatings.
Steelcase To Restore White-Collar Workers Salaries After Cuts Last Year
GRAND RAPIDS -- Steelcase Inc.'s executives and white-collar workers will see their salaries restored in March to year-ago levels before they were cut 5 percent to 12 percent due to the state of the economy, the company confirmed Thursday.
Jim Hackett, President of Steelcase, sent a message to employees at the office-furniture maker Thursday morning announcing the reinstatement, spokeswoman Jeanine Holquist said.
Last March, the company's highest-paid executives saw cuts of 10 percent to 12 percent, and all salaried workers took a 5 percent pay cut. The cuts were to last for one year.
"It wasn't a guarantee that they would be reinstated," Holquist said. "But the company no longer felt that an employee's base pay can remain a hedge to the risk and unknowns within the economy."
The across-the-board pay cuts for salaried workers were the first in the history of Steelcase, which employs about 13,500 globally. Wages for hourly workers were not cut last year.
Hackett took a 12 percent pay cut while the remaining executives saw a 10 percent cut. The drop brought Hackett's annual base salary of $900,000 down to $792,000.
Zeeland-based Herman Miller, Inc., and Holland-based Haworth, Inc., applied similar pay cuts last year. Both companies have not reversed those measures as of yet.
Holquist said Steelcase's reinstatement does not signify a change in the office-furniture marketplace.
It "is not an indication that short-term business conditions are better than what we expected," she said. "It does not change anything that we've previously said."
The company's fiscal year runs through February.
Last month, Hackett predicted that performance probably will come in below analysts' expectations.
The company's stock closed at $7.01 Thursday, unchanged from Wednesday. In the 52 weeks, the stock's price ranged from $3.03 to $7.68.
Tuohy Winner of BEST OF NEOCON 2009 Silver Award for Occasional Tables
Tuohy manufacture of fine, high end contract furniture is Winner of BEST OF NEOCON 2009 Silver Award for Occasional Tables.
Cubist Tables present an exceptional blend of functional pragmatism and a fine art quality in form. Cubist Tables are available in a variety of geometric configurations, materials and sizes.
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For a quote please contact 1-800-792-1602
Brentano Opens Brand Spankin' New Studio Despite Difficult Times
Wheeling, IL (December 2009)—When Brentano moved to their current corporate headquarters in February of 2008, President E-Kwan Chen and Vice President Iris Wang were excited to be uniting the company in one building. Their previous location was comprised of three separate units which limited interaction between the departments. In addition to bringing all employees together, Wang and Chen felt that building a new studio for Brentano’s design team would be a great way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their company.
Because the studio was essentially built from scratch (the space was previously an old warehouse) Wang and Chen were able to create a space that would have plenty of room for inspiration, imagination, and creativity, all according to their own plans without the constraints of preexisting conditions. Additionally, Wang demonstrated her commitment to what she calls “green mindfulness” when working with the architects, opting for many eco-friendly elements in both the design and in materials. Items such as a power exhaust fan to circulate air and dual level fluorescent lighting fixtures are examples of some of the many energy saving and highly efficient technologies being used. Many fixtures and materials were chosen for their green stories, such as the wood doors made from FSC certified wood and insulation that uses both post consumer recycled content and regional materials.
In addition to using energy saving technologies and recycled and certified materials, there are eco-friendly architectural design elements of the space. For example, many commercial buildings are not permitted to have opening windows. Wang made it her priority to be zoned appropriately so as to allow fresh air in place of summer air conditioning. The openable windows, along with the large skylight in the ceiling, allow for an abundance of natural light. The lights can also be switched to incandescent or fluorescent settings, allowing for close examination of colors. The space also has boards for pinning up inspirations, current projects, and potential future patterns.
Construction of the studio began in May of 2009, many months after it became clear the economic downturn was going to persist. When asked about her decision to continue with building the space, Wang says they decided to do so for three reasons: first, they had started the project and wanted to see it through, second, in anticipation of future growth, and third, because she believes that while she can’t change external problems, she can do her best to influence the internal atmosphere. By continuing to build the studio, her goal is to demonstrate the importance of keeping focused, especially in difficult times.
Green features of the studio include:
* Outside air economizer and power exhaust fan * High-efficiency rooftop HVAC units * High-efficiency fluorescent lighting * Dual lighting fixtures and controls * Exterior wall insulation exceeds thermal requirements, 10% of the product is processed locally, reduces insulation construction waste by 50%, is a renewable-based foam insulation made from using castor oil instead of a petroleum-based product. * Interior sound attenuation insulation is a certified noise reducer insulation, uses 20% post consumer recycled content, and 20% of materials are regional (within 500 miles of the project). * Wood doors meet green air quality standards, are FSC certified wood, 70% of every door uses recycled, regional, rapidly renewable. Uses low-emitting materials. * US Green Building Council (USGBC)-recommended openable exterior windows use pre-consumer recycled materials and low-emitting glass. * Ceiling tile manufacturer is a founding member of the USGBC, exceeds requirements for use of recycled content and low emitting materials. * Porcelain floor tile contains 20% pre-consumer recycled material.
An Icon of Modernism; The Barcelona Chair
The Barcelona Chair appeared in history as the modern classic furniture design entry of the German Pavilion in the Ibero American Exposition of 1929, which was hosted by Barcelona, Spain. The design of the Barcelona Chair and Ottoman is result of the collaboration betwwen two Bauhuas architets: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his fellow architect and desinger as well as life-partner and companion Lilly Reich. The German Designer's inspritation for the Barcelona Chair originated in the design of folding chairs of ancient times. Interpreted in the campaign of Modernism, the Barcelona chair remains to this day the icon of a twentyeth-century cultural movement of the self-consciousness., the single most recognized chair among modern classics.
The Deutscher Werkbund, an organization whose raison d'etre was to focus specifically on the German design industry employed Lilly Reich in 1912. Reich's affiliation with the Deutscher Werkbund and her architectural work with van der Rohe on their exhibition design and furniture design made them the natural choice for the Commission to design the German Pavilion in Barcelona. In 1921 van der Rohes' partner Lilly Reich, the organization's first female member was responsible for designing and organizing many of the Werkbund's international exhibitions . Until Mies van der Rohe departed for the United States in 1938 Reich and van der Rohe collaborated on many of these exhibition design projects . While it may be difficult to apportion the exact contributions that each designer made to a particular product, the fact that van der Rohe never again produced any furniture designs after their partnership ended, nor had he designed any furniture beforehand is an interesting and poignant note. His first patent on a furniture design was issued in 1927 and his last in 1937.In the mid-1920s Reich always deferred to van der Rohe in public, the reverse was said to have been the case in private.
An enormous responsibility rested on van der Rohe's shoulders to produce a very special building which would unmistakably announce the resuscitation of cultured Germany's prowess, and adequately showcase their creative achievements and commercial viability. The designers enjoyed instant acclaim by transposing an ancient and regal design into a modern setting. The Barcelona chair was shown off perfectly in the environment of the Pavilion. The Barcelona chair soon after attained the reputation of being "a design worthy of kings".
Mies van der Rohe made an important artistic statement. He showed how negative space could be used to transform a functional item into sculpture. Mies van der Rohe used leather straps to suspend leather covered cushions from a steel frame plated in chrome. The frame was initially designed to be bolted together, but was redesigned in 1950 using stainless steel, which allowed the frame to be formed by a seamless piece of metal, giving it a smoother appearance. Bovine leather replaced the ivory-colored pigskin which was used for the original pieces.
The functional design and elements of it that were patented by Mies in Germany, Spain and the United States in the 1930s have since expired. The Barcelona chair was manufactured in the US and Europe in limited production from the 1930s to the 1950s. Knowing that his design patents were expired, six years after Reich's death in 1953, van der Rohe ceded his rights and his name on the design to Knoll. This collaboration between Mies van der Rohe and Knoll renewed popularity in the design. Knoll claims to be the current licensed manufacturer and holder of all trademark rights to the design. In 1965, Knoll purchased the trademark rights to the Barcelona word from Drexel. In 2004, Knoll received trade dress rights to the design from the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office.
Although the intent of many architects and furniture designers of the Bauhaus era was to provide the "common man" with well-designed homes and impeccably manufactured furnishings, the Knoll Barcelona chair seems to defy this sentiment, as it currently retails for a minimum of USD$6,281. RWA Office Design Solutions supports the original concepts of the Bauhaus to create affordable, timeless designs for the masses. The line of modern classic furniture reproductions inspired by the Barcelona Chair available on RWA Office Design Solutions Web Site strickley maintain the design integrity of productions fabricated during the designers lifetime. The Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Chair is almost completely hand-laboured.
The dimensions adhere the the vintage intent of Mies van der Rohes original scale of the Barcelona Chair : 29 1/2"W x 30"D x 29 1/2"H Chair with flat chrome frame upholstered in individual leather tiles that are sewn together with leather piping and leather upholstered buttons. Springing by means of hide straps. Available in Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Red and White Italian Leather. These timeless Barcelona inspired designs do not include the "Brand-Name" but should not be categorized with tern 'Knock-Off". Knock-offs are made in the style of the Barcelona Chair, but the dimensions and materials have been completely altered.
an important artistic statement. He showed how negative space could be used to transform a functional item into sculpture. Mies van der Rohe used leather straps to suspend leather covered cushions from a steel frame plated in chrome. The frame was initially designed to be bolted together, but was redesigned in 1950 using stainless steel, which allowed the frame to be formed by a seamless piece of metal, giving it a smoother appearance. Bovine leather replaced the ivory-colored pigskin which was used for the original pieces.
Although the intent of many architects and furniture designers of the Bauhaus era was to provide the "common man" with well-designed homes and impeccably manufactured furnishings, the Knoll Barcelona chair seems to defy this sentiment, as it currently retails for a minimum of USD$6,281. RWA Office Design Solutions supports the original concepts of the Bauhaus to create affordable, timeless designs for the masses. The line of modern classic furniture reproductions inspired by the Barcelona Chair available on RWA Office Design Solutions Web Site strickley maintain the design integrity of productions fabricated during the designers lifetime. The Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Chair is almost completely hand-laboured.