global furniture group celebrates its golden jubilee · global furniture group celebrates its...

09.26.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS

CITED:“AN INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE PAYS THE BEST INTEREST.” —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

“THE PARADOX OF EDUCATION IS PRECISELY THIS - THAT AS ONE BEGINS TO BECOME CONSCIOUS ONE BEGINS TO EXAMINE THE SOCIETY IN WHICH HE IS BEING EDUCATED.” —JAMES A. BALDWIN

Global Furniture Group Celebrates its Golden Jubilee

50 years ago Saul Feldberg founded Global Furniture with the strategy of building “…a product that the average person can afford.” The company pioneered what has become the mid-market segment of the office furniture industry in North America. The celebrations at Global are rightfully continuing throughout its 50th year. At NeoCon 2016, the company hosted a packed celebratory party in its Chicago showroom, and last week it celebrated again with the grand opening of its newly redesigned headquarters showroom in Toronto.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 3…

Back to School: Pratt Institute’s Five New Continuing Ed Programs

A&D professionals spend a lot of time trying to keep up with changing standards, new tech, and cutting edge work strategies. This week, we got word of five new programs the Pratt Institute in New York City is introducing to its School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS). Not all continuing ed options are created equal, but there are ways to make your time and dollars count in choosing a continuing education course. Here, we explore Pratt’s new offerings and research tips on finding the best fit.


2016 ARIDO Awards and Gala

This year, as in many years past, the annual gala dinner to announce the winners of the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) Awards sold out weeks in advance, with 600 guests in the Toronto Hilton ballroom. officeinsight’s Canadian correspondent David Lasker reports on the 2016 winners and gala highlights.


09.26.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 2 OF 37

Wood, metal, stone, glass, quartz, cement surfacing. www.tuohyfurniture.comTryg Tables

http://bit.ly/1iqB2Hx


events

Night view of the celebration at Global Furniture Group’s headquarters. Photography courtesy of Global Furniture Group.

We celebrate anniversaries as a way of reminding ourselves how lucky we are to have been (pick your predicate: healthy, married, alive) or in this case, in business. 50 years ago Saul Feldberg founded Global Furniture with the strat-egy of building “…a product that the av-erage person can afford.” In the process of building many such products, the company pioneered what has become the mid-market segment of the office furniture industry in North America.

The celebrations at Global are right-fully continuing throughout its 50th year. At NeoCon 2016, the company hosted a packed celebratory party in its Chicago showroom, and last week it celebrated again with the grand open-

ing of its newly redesigned headquar-ters showroom in Toronto.

The showroom is a tour de force designed by Toronto’s Johnson Chou. Occupying the first three floors of the five story headquarters building, it has been designed with careful consid-eration of the history of the company and the history of the building and its location. Most importantly, it has been curated to effectively stimulate the creativity of visitors in thinking about how Global’s products might be used in new and unexpected ways. We’ll have more to say about the showroom in a later issue when appropriate pho-tography is available to illustrate these ideas.

Global Furniture Group Celebrates its Golden Jubileeby Bob Beck


eventsThe invitees to this particular party

were mostly Canadian clients and dealers along with a few journalists. I counted three generations of Feld-bergs on hand and there may have been more for all I know. One of the most touching scenes I observed was one of Saul Goldberg’s young grand-daughters walk over, take him by the hand and lead him across the room to meet someone. This is a proud family business, and the family was well represented.

Even though the crowd numbered more than 700, guests were made to feel welcome and wanted by unhurried conversations with all the host fam-ily members as well as the executive team. The dealers I talked to were very happy to discuss what a pleasure it was to have Global as a mainstay of their businesses. The most frequently heard words being integrity, loyalty, honorable and obliging.


events

The food and drinks were wonderful, as you’d expect, as well as thoughtfully distributed throughout the space. And the atmosphere was one of respect and admiration more than raucous celebration.

Saul Feldberg kicked off the brief formal part of the evening with a wel-come and a talk. People were crowded around the small platform and “hang-ing” from all three floors as he spoke of his pleasure in seeing something he created thrive and grow into one of the largest office furniture companies in the world. He talked about the rewards of his shared experiences with his co-workers, his dealers and their custom-ers, and especially his family. And he thanked each of them for their loyalty and support, so vital in achieving the company’s success.

He ended his speech by introducing his son, David Feldberg, who learned the business at Global before being tasked to organize Teknion, where he is now president and CEO. The young-er Mr. Feldberg talked about learning

the business at his father’s knee and about what a great mentor his father had been throughout his career. He ended his speech by introducing his younger brother, Joel Feldberg, the current CEO of Global.

Global’s international leadership team. L to R: David Glass, Sr. VP Sales + Marketing, Canada; Jon Abraham, President, USA; Saul Feldberg, Founder; Joel Feldberg, CEO; Alan Breslow, Executive VP Sales + Marketing, USA.

Joel Feldberg, CEO of Global Furniture Group addresses the guests.


eventsIn welcoming the guests, all three

Messrs. Feldberg pointedly thanked the audience for their support, loyalty and role in building the company through 50 years of success. And ap-propriately, Joel Feldberg talked about building on that success for the future.

Based on the new products Global has introduced over the last three years, it is my opinion that Global is

poised for even greater success in the future. And there is no better way to see that for yourself than to experience them as displayed in the impressive Johnson Chou designed showroom at the Toronto headquarters. If you weren’t at the party, I’m sorry, but you should try to visit the showroom when you can. I’m sure the red carpet has not been pulled in! n

Ed.Note: On the following pages we present an article from our archives that tells the story of the early company and its evolution up to it’s 40th anniversary.

The attentive crowd.


events

V E R O T A B L E S designed by madsen & contois

srewsna gnihsinruf snoitpo gningised

8 0 0 . 5 8 5 . 5 9 5 7 a r c a d i a c o n t r a c t . c o m

http://bit.ly/16a1l8h


events

11 of 32officeinsightTM 5.29.06

The Global Vision of Saul Feldberg by David Lasker

Contʼd on page 12, Global . . . .

Founded in 1966, the Global Groupof Companies is a well-know mid-

market manufacturer of contract furniture, and one of the largest manufacturers and marketers of offi ce and institutional furniture in the world, producing seating, desking, wood casegoods and metal fi ling and storage, all of which sell through a broad network of dealers in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

Globalʻs fi rst product was a high-back executive chair in fabric and vinyl, the Executive series, that sold to the dealer for $68 in 1966. It created the budget seating market niche in North America. At the other extreme, several presidents and prime ministers have sat on the Concorde chair, which debuted in 1999. Concorde introduced Global s̓ easy to use patented push-button technology located in the arms. Seating remains a staple product at Global, which ships 150,000 chairs in an average week.

The privately held company, based in the Toronto suburb of Downsview, is still headed by its founder, Saul Feldberg,a Polish-born Holocaust survivor who founded the fi rm 40 years ago this month. Recently, he refl ected on where Global and the industry have been and where they r̓e headed.

…………………………………………OI: How did you enter the furniture

business?SF: I learned the trade by necessity. I

came to Canada in 1953. I was 17 and had to go out and work for a living. I landed a job at Nightingale Industries, a manufacturer of restaurant and beauty-salon furniture that eventually moved on to offi ce furniture. It was a small manufacturing plant consisting of 15 or 20 employees.

The industry was quite primitive. We were still using tacks and a magnetic hammer to upholster seats and backs. They introduced the compressor staple gun toward the end of 1953. It was a big breakthrough.

I learned the trade starting from the ground up, springing the seat and preparing it for the upholsterers. I started at 75 cents an hour. Later, I stepped up

into a more prestigious job as a cutter. I was cutting vinyl, primarily, for restaurant seating booths and breakfast nooks, and recovering theatre seats. At that time, the cost of vinyl was four or fi ve dollars per yard. Unfortunately, the vinyl wasnʼt stretchable. It was a challenge because I had to learn on my own, but I found a way to lay out patterns that saved tens of yards of material every day.

After that, I learned about the other parts of the manufacturing process: cutting the foam to size, upholstering, assembling, packing – the whole “how-to” from start to fi nish. I gained a lot of experience by improvising and making a product with my own two hands. After awhile, my savings paid for the whole plantʼs wages. By the time I was 21, I was made plant manager.

OI: What led you to strike out on your own and start Global?

SF: I had been with Nightingale for almost 13 years. By then, Nightingale had reached a plateau of 40 or 50 staff and wasnʼt expanding anymore. A venture-capital group was planning a buy-out. At that point, I was running the show in terms of manufacturing. I also handled customer service. So I felt that after all my years of personal investment in the company, I didnʼt want to work for complete strangers.

A junior partner, Bill Kemeny, and I founded Global in 1966. Bill was an expert upholsterer who came to Canada in 1957 after the Hungarian Revolution. I was his boss at Nightingale. Today, at 80, Bill still gets to the offi ce before 8 a.m.

OI: Where did the company name come from?

SF: We thought big from the very beginning. Actually, when we went to our lawyer, we applied for two names: Global and Universal. Universal, it turned out, was taken. There was a Universal Chrome.

Canada barely had an offi ce-furniture industry. There were a few fi rms like Curtis, Murphy Miller and Royal Metal that no longer exist. Almost everything was imported from the United States. Cole Steel, for instance, opened a manufacturing facility here in the mid-

sixties to produce fi les and seating. And then, of course, there was Steelcase,but they didnʼt have many mid-priced products at that time.

In 1968, after I attempted to secure the business of Simpsons-Sears, their buyers said they would visit us and make a decision. At that time, we had only 10 or 12 workers in our small plant and I knew there would be a negative reaction to our size. So I asked our neighbor, who made manufactured doors, to lend me 20 people to make a positive impression. I briefed them on their new roles and

Saul Feldberg at Global s̓ first facility, c. 1966. In Global s̓ early years, he was a

designer, salesman, manager and plant foreman

Saul Feldberg with Global s̓ first prod-uct, a high-back executive chair in fab-ric and vinyl, the Executive series, that

sold to the dealer for $68


events


Contʼd on page 13, Global. . . .

. . .Global, Cont̓d from page 11

Global Ride

Global Karizma

when the buyers saw all those people drilling and putting screws in frames, he said, “You have 35 staff? Okay, you r̓e in.” I told that story to them 25 years later and they laughed.

OI: You saw at the outset that there was a big gap in the market?

SF: Yes. The Americans were producing a very high-cost product. The low-cost product was imported from Japan. This was back when the label “Made in Japan” meant an inferior if not very poor-quality product. So we were coming into our own at just the right price range.

Our slogan was, “Build a product that the average person can afford.” The 1969 Express Series included a low-back executive tilter that dealers sold for only $49. Overnight, car and real-estate salesmen, even people in gas stations, felt like executives with these chairs. They had been sitting on old, rusted kitchen chairs and now they were tilting. I still see some of those chairs around today.

We realized that to become a major player, we had to start manufacturing our own com-ponents.

OI: In 1971, Global took the fi rst step toward becoming a vertically integrated company. Why did you feel the need for such an ambitious undertaking?

SF: In those days, buying components like metal and wood frames and plastic parts could be diffi cult. We realized that to become a major player, we had to start manufacturing our own components. This would assure customers that we could deliver on time and that our product quality remained consistent. We entered into a partnership with a craftsman to open our fi rst metal plant. He would run his own show as long as he supplied us with material on time and we could oversee quality and cost. This combination gave us the ability to ship at a speed that no one else in the industry could match. Thatʼs still true today.

We built that fi rst associate company out of necessity. The model worked so well that it became a philosophy. Now we have over 30 associate companies supplying components to Global. Every company is its own profi t center. Together, these associate companies supply most of the components in our products. We can control the cost and delivery time and have superior quality. This vertical integration makes us unique. I donʼt know of any other company in our industry with such an arrangement. This has brought a lot of confi dence to our dealers and customers.

OI: How fast is “fast” at Global? Can you share some anecdotes about quick turnaround time?

SF: When Pope John Paul II visited the United States in 1988, he decided at the last minute to visit Philadelphia. A local supplier made arrangements to provide 1,000 chairs in white leather.

Three days before the event, something went wrong. We got an urgent call and fi lled the order within 48 hours. This became an industry legend.

Then there was that terrible day, 9/11. The offi ce of a prominent investment banker was destroyed. They put a call out the following Friday for 1,500 chairs and 1,200 desks. The following Sunday night, they were loaded off the Global trailers in New York. Their new offi ce was up and running on Monday morning.

Global Personal Tower


events



Saul Feldberg with Pope John Paul II. In 1995, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, 40 prominent Holocaust survivors

from around the world were invited to an audience with the Pope.

OI: You also helped pioneer another management model: the cell.

SF: During the seventies, I began organizing new employees into production teams of about 50. The members would learn about manufacturing, assembly, quality control and distribution. We found it effective to grow the company one cell at a time. Each cell was accountable. We could measure its productivity.

OI: When did you expand into the United States?

SF: As early as 1967 we had dealer reps in the southeast U.S. We expanded into the U.S. in a big way in 1971 with the leadership of our new partner, Joel Appel, the Chairman of Global Industries. We opened up a warehouse in New Jersey and put together Global Industries, our U.S. sales and marketing organization. Now we are a major factor in the U.S. market with 29 showrooms and 19 distribution centers located in key strategic markets.

OI: How did business change during the eighties?

SF: Computers changed everything. In the seventies, offi ce designers would fi rst specify the private offi ces for all the executives. Then, at the tail end of each project, theyʼd say, “By the way, we have $6,000 left in the budget. How many steno chairs can we get?”

When computers replaced typewriters, secretaries and administrative assistants suddenly became an important part of the equation because the computer systems they operated were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. From then on, employers made sure that these employees sat in nice comfortable chairs that felt good.

Then there was the rise of the home offi ce. It became a big market for Global. People bought our product not just because it was affordable, but because it was attractive enough to make them want to use it at home.

OI: What was the inspiration behind Global The Total Offi ce?

SF: Through the years, we were gradually widening our product range. Since 1974, when we launched Global Desks Concepts, we had the goal of rounding out the product line. Later we set up Descor to make affordable wood-veneer casegoods. Boulevard,our fi rst furniture system, launched in 1991. Actually, our systems furniture fi rst appeared in 1983, when we started Teknion. Teknion became its own success story, developing its own style, products and distribution. Today, Teknion is a publicly traded, independently operated company run by my son, David Feldberg, who is President and CEO. My son Joel Feldberg is Executive Vice President at Global.

We also added fi ling in the nineties. It took us some time to break into this part of the business because fi ling is a complicated and capital-intensive product. The steel has to be cut to size, welded and painted. To manufacture fi ling economically and compete with the big companies requires robotic welders. As part of the manufacturing process, fi les travel down the assembly line on hooks, just like in an auto plant. It was a signifi cant investment for us.

There used to be clear delin-eations in the marketplace. . . . Now the market is a big grey zone driven primarily by price and value.

OI: What is the predominant market trend affecting Global?

SF: Itʼs more a case of Global creating the trend that affected the market. There used to be clear delineations in the marketplace. There were low-, mid- and high-end manufacturers and they generally didnʼt compete against one another. Now the market is a big grey zone driven primarily by price and value. There are fl exible divisions as opposed to the hard divisions of the past. Globalʼs position as a value-based manufacturer is as valid now as it was when we began.

Contʼd on page 14, Global. . . .

At a Global senior management sales meeting in 1976, Saul Feldberg, center, is flanked at his right by the late Greg Gabou-

rie, designer of several best-selling chairs. Joel Appel, Chairman of Global Industries, USA, is at lower left.


a&d



In addition, Global has been able to extend its manufacturing and design capabilities to the healthcare market for hospitals and long-term care facilities.

OI: How will Global hold its own against the onslaught of low-cost Asian goods?

SF: We can compete with China because of our speed to market and diversity of product line. What the low-cost, offshore manufacturers gain in price advantage, they lose in logistics. Our dealers can custom order almost anything to arrive in a matter of days. This advantage makes us one of the few North American manufacturers – maybe the only manufacturer – to compete successfully against Asian producers in home-offi ce stores such as Staples and Offi ce Depot.

OI: What s̓ on the horizon for seating in the new millennium?

SF: Task chairs today are so adjustable and ergonomic that they r̓e not so much chairs as machines for sitting.

Wer̓e currently making the adjustment mechanisms more intuitive.

In 2003, we introduced the Ride chair, designed in-house. It has gearshift-like controls on each side of the seat that let you adjust tilt and height without having to strain to reach levers on the underside of the seat. It won Global our fi rst Best of NeoCon Award.

Karizma, introduced in 2005 and designed by Zooey Chu, has elastomeric bushings, like rubber engine mounts, that allow the backrest to fl ex in any direction. We call it the True Response Support System. The concept is to allow the chair back to mimic the user s̓ own back movement and offer full support, no matter how one moves.

You can see where this trend is heading. The fi nal step, and it s̓ such a big one that no manufacturer has done it, is the completely self-adjusting, “smart,” chair, driven by a computer chip. We could manufacture one today, however, it would cost $6,000 and no one would buy it at that price. To be practical in the marketplace, the smart component

would have to add no more than $100 to the cost of a $500 chair. We r̓e working on it.

In fact, we r̓e already integrating seating and electronics. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this past January, we introduced the Power Play chair, our fi rst media chair, with full surround sound and an integrated motion shaker. Itʼs our fi rst entry into the home entertainment industry and quite a departure for us.

OI: And fi nally, as a Holocaust survivor, youʼve had a remarkable life. Tell us a little about yourself.

SF: I admit that Iʼm a workaholic. I go to the offi ce at 8 a.m. and leave at 7 or 8 at night. I will squeeze in a visit with my mother, Eva, on my way home in the evening. For fun, I jog or speedwalk fi ve kilometers with Toby two or three times a week. Iʼm less regular about swimming and tennis. But Wednesday nights are reserved for a continuing, 45-year-old game of poker with old-time friends. We rotate to one another s̓ houses; the wives play gin rummy. Some have been my buddies since I arrived in Canada when I was 17. We didnʼt have big immediate families here, so weʼve always been there for one another, like family. Iʼm a great believer in loyalty.

………………………….. *David Lasker is associate editor

at Canadian Interiors and vice-president at MarketLink Communications, a Toronto PR fi rm, where he specializes in media relations. [email protected] This article was derived from a booklet prepared by Mr. L:asker to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Global Group ofCompanies.

Saul Feldberg, Joe Appel at Global s̓ 40th anniversary party

Global s̓ 40th anniversary party


ADVE

RTIS

EMEN

T

http://bit.ly/1DZveIy


a&d

The architecture and design fields proudly maintain a reputation for being on the forefront of progressive thinking and practice – sustainability, technology, business models – you name it. As such, A&D professionals spend a lot of time trying to keep up with changing standards, new tech, and cutting edge work strategies.

Part of that effort means hiring and creating partnerships with people of different skill sets who can help carry out that work with and for you. But, another part of the equation is actually educating oneself in the new skills or knowledge you desire. What we don’t know can be a powerful weak-ness (or maybe, what we know we don’t know but keep ourselves in the dark about).

This week, we got word of five new programs the Pratt In-stitute in New York City is introducing to its School of Con-tinuing and Professional Studies (SCPS). SCPS is a wing of the Institute offering nontraditional students credit and noncredit programs and courses in art, design, marketing, photography, digital design, fashion, perfumery and more. The school is geared toward people who want “educational advancement, career change and enrichment.”

Pratt usually adds one or two brand-new SCPS programs each September, so this year’s whopping five additions certainly caught our attention. But, not all continuing ed. options are created equal; and spending your disposable income on non-required educational advancement can be disheartening.

There are ways to make your time and dollars count in choosing a continuing education course. There’s nothing worse than spending time and money on a class that didn’t teach you anything new, so put in a little legwork and con-sider the following:

Back to School: Pratt Institute’s Five New Continuing Ed Programsby Mallory Jindra

Image: courtesy of Pratt Institute Photography: Cheryl Stockton


a&d>Focus on what you want to accom-

plish. Do you need NCIDQ, NCARB or other specific CEU credits? Do you have a side hobby you want to pursue; something not directly connected to your job responsibilities but that you’ve been wanting to try out? Is there a part of your job you feel less than confident about whenever it comes up in your day-to-day work?

>How much time and money do you want to invest? Are you looking for a one-hour CEU, a one-to-three day intensive workshop, or a spaced out, several session course spread across 10 weeks? Also, consider class size. Take time to shop around to find the best investment for what you want.

>For ideas, think about previous proj-ects you’ve worked on that had a portion you felt you were unequipped to handle. Consider other people on your team who have job responsibilities you’re “jealous” of. Or, simply consider your side hobby in a new, more impactful light.

>Tap into your network for recom-mendations on continuing education opportunities. Continuing education has its own reputation for being a bit hit-or-miss on quality. Chances are, your colleagues have attended

both awful and amazing courses and speaker series. Talking to your peers is a great way to weed out any junk courses you might have been consid-ering, or to find out about any worthy ones you didn’t know about.

Photography: Cheryl Stockton


a&dAt Pratt, SCPS Director of Marketing

Karen D’Angelo says that most people who sign up for their SCPS courses are prepped and ready to work.

“When people come to us, they usu-ally have a very good understanding of their weaknesses and of the skills they need in order to achieve their goals. Many have portfolios, and they want to advance quickly.”

In a Basics of Visual Design course, included in the Creative Interiors program, a number of students are coming to the table with accomplished

design careers already in place. “But, they were feeling like they

needed to expand their skills to keep up with new things they were encoun-tering in their jobs,” said Ms. D’Angelo.

To get your mind jogging, we’ve included a quick description, provided by Pratt, of each of the new programs. And, if you don’t happen to live in New York City, check out your area’s top A&D programs for offerings – you might be surprised by what you find.

>Creative Interiors Program. “This program will provide the principles,

techniques, and projects to design interior spaces and guide individuals to create a portfolio. Classes are offered in Manhattan. The program begins fall 2016 with additional courses available spring and summer 2017. This is a non-credit program and does not pro-vide NYIAD or NCIDQ credits toward certification.” To learn more about the Creative Interiors program, click here.

>Video Editing. “Start, edit, and fi-nalize a project in Adobe Premiere Pro. Learn a comprehensive workflow by an industry professional while develop-ing a craft in the art of video editing. Incorporate sound and graphics into projects and prep for color correction. Personalize Premier Pro and learn ad-vanced tools. Understand the delivery process and how to backup work. The instructor will provide demo footage, but students are free to use their own.” To learn more about the Video Editing certificate program, click here.

>Mobile (Indie) Game Design. “Build a core set of skills to design and develop games independently through the Certificate Program in Mobile (Indie) Game Design. Students will learn fundamentals in game theory, art direction, and how to develop a mobile game with the Unity game engine. In-dividuals will finish with prototypes that can be developed into finished games and publish in the app stores, and a skillset and portfolio you can scale beyond mobile to embark on a career path in game design.” To learn more about the Mobile (Indie) Game Design certificate program, click here.

>Business Communication for the Creative Professional. “This unique program is designed to prepare creative professionals to effectively present themselves and their skills as indispensable agents, providing the best solutions to clients’ problems in today’s digital market place. This certificate is for anyone whose respon-sibility includes communications in

Creative Interiors program requirements. Image: courtesy of Pratt Institute

https://www.pratt.edu/academics/continuing-education-and-professional/creative-interiors-program/

https://www.pratt.edu/academics/continuing-education-and-professional/pro-certificate-programs/certificate-program-in-video-editing/

https://www.pratt.edu/academics/continuing-education-and-professional/pro-certificate-programs/certificate-program-in-mobile-indie-game-design/


a&d

creative enterprises, including artistic and cultural organizations, design and architectural firms, entertainment, advertising, publishing, and other professional areas.” To learn more about the Business Communication

for the Creative Professional certificate program, click here.

>Fine Art. “The Certificate in Fine Art is a program of study in methods, techniques and materials that will in-spire and support individual’s concep-

tual and creative self-expression. It is also for those looking to pursue a study of art for individual growth or prepare a portfolio for entrance to a Masters pro-gram.” To learn more about the Fine Art certificate program, click here. n

Core courses for the Business Communication. Image: courtesy of Pratt Institute

T H E V I S C U S I G R O U Pexcel lence in executive search®

2 YEAR REPLACEMENT GUARANTEE

From Showroom Managers to CEOs

Stephen Viscusi 212-979-5700www.viscusigroup.com

https://www.pratt.edu/academics/continuing-education-and-professional/pro-certificate-programs/business-of-art-and-design/

https://www.pratt.edu/academics/continuing-education-and-professional/pro-certificate-programs/fine-art-certificate/

http://bit.ly/1sVMPMx


ADVE

RTIS

EMEN

T

v

HAL Chair Core Portfolio www.vitra.com/HALDeveloped by Vitra in Switzerland, Design: Jasper Morrison

One chair family, endless uses - now available at a more competitive price.Starting at $365 list. Ships within 2 weeks on Quick-Ship. Contact us for more information and request a chair sample:[email protected] or +1 212.463.5700

http://bit.ly/2ajO7QI


a&d

The 2016 ARIDO Awards at the Toronto Hilton. Photo credit: Photography by David Lasker

This year, as in many years past, the annual gala dinner to announce the winners of the Association of Registered In-terior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) Awards sold out weeks in advance, with 600 guests in the Toronto Hilton ballroom paying $200 a head. The event recognizes excellence, in-novation and creativity in interior design.

The dinner was bookended fore and aft in the ballroom lobby, by a networking cocktail reception and a post-dinner party featuring a doughnut wall. (Doughnuts are a defining trait of our national character. Canadians are fiercely loyal to their home-grown Tim Hortons doughnut shops, foiling Krispy Kreme’s northern expansion).

Notably absent was the celebrity guest-of-honor speech. ARIDO’s grandees decided to axe this increasingly contro-versial segment after one gala-speech disaster too many. These included Craig Kielburger, the child’s-rights activ-ist founder of Free the Children, who had addressed the august crowd as “decorators,” blissfully unaware that this is the most horrible insult one can hurl at an interior designer and the raunchy gay-bathhouse stream-of-unconsciousness rant by actor Scott Thompson.

As guests polished off their chicken à l’Orange, the final podium segment, by time-honored custom, was the

charity exhortation to ARIDO members by Mahesh Ba-booram, manager, A&D Communities Canada, Interface; and Dayna Bradley, VP business development, Brigholme Interiors Group.

2016 ARIDO Awards and Galaby David Lasker

Awards ceremony emcee Suhana Meharchand, host, CBC News Network; and Lynn McGregor, ARIDO president and founding principal, McGregor Design Group


a&d

The dynamic duo urged guests to participate in the seventh annual Art by Designers (AxD), an art exhibi-tion and charitable auction of original 10” x 10” works on canvas by interior designers. Proceeds from the Oct. 18 event will benefit Sketch, billed as “a non-profit community arts initiative that helps homeless and marginalized

youth experience the transformative power of the arts.”

This year’s team of judges is compro-sed of Donna Dolan, director of Interior Architecture, Kearns Mancini Architects; Laura Fyles, adjunct professor, Acad-emy of Design Faculty at RCC Institute of Technology; Linda Makins, principal, Makinsachange Creative Environments;

Neal Prabhu, co-director, nkArchitect; Maia Roffey, principal, Black Sheep Interior Design; and Dorothy Stern, professor, Algonquin College, Ottawa. (Designers and projects are located in or near Toronto unless otherwise noted.)

20 Awards of Merit and four Awards of Excellence were presented. In the second group were:

The ceremony’s customary closing act sees Mahesh Babooram, manager, A&D Communities Canada, Interface; and Dayna Bradley, VP business devel-opment, Brigholme Interiors Group, touting the ARIDO charity project dujour.

ARIDO Treasurer Daniel J. Long, senior interior designer, Freeman & Freeman Design; Adriana Mot, principal, Dochia and member, ARIDO board of directors; IDC first VP Clinton Hummell, president of Paisley Park, based in North Bay, Ont.

Gala attendees enjoy the 2016 ARIDO Awards


a&d

Google Phase 1, Waterloo, Ont., by Deanna Hayko and Anthony Orasi, partners at iN Studio (they worked on Google while at B+H Architect) and team members Douglas Birkenshaw, Pete Kitchen, Kristin Maxwell, Jenny Noh, Jackie Prawecki, Mike Taylor and David Zhou.

Mackage flagship retail store by Diego Burdi, partner, Burdifilek, with Sally Choi, Paul Filek, Yoonah Lee, Amir Maddah, Daisuke Matsuura, Jeremy Mendonca, Rene Ng, Jacky Ngan, Michael Del Priore, John Seo and Tannaz Torabi.

Parkside Student Residence by Bryan Chartier, director of Interior De-sign, Diamond Schmitt Architects, with Stephanie Huss, Aleksandra Janus, Donald Schmitt and Gary Watson.

McGregor and the Award of Excellence-winning design team from iN Studio and B+H Architect for Google Waterloo Phase 1.

Burdifilek partners Paul Filek and Diego Burdi, Award of Excellence winner Diego Burdi of Burdifilek for Mackage retail flagship.


a&d

And Ryerson University Student ServiceHub by Valerie Gow, partner at Gow Hastings Architects, with Allan Banina, Jim Burkitt and Remi Carreiro.

For a complete list of winning projects, design teams and project descriptions and images, please see http://www.arido.ca/english/awards/arido-awards-2016/arido-awards-pho-to-gallery-2016.html.

David Lasker is president of David Lasker Communications in Toronto. He can be reached at [email protected]. n

The groaning sweets table in the lobby.

McGregor and Award of Excellence winner Bryan Chartier with members of his Diamond Schmitt Architects design team and Parkside Studio Residence client guests.

McGregor and Award of Excellence winner Valerie Gow with her Gow Hastings Architects partner Philip Hastings and team members Allan Banina, architect, and Jim Burkitt, design director, for Ryerson University Student ServiceHub.

http://www.arido.ca/english/awards/arido-awards-2016/arido-awards-photo-gallery-2016.html



mailto:[email protected]



r-d connectionRESEARCH-DESIGN CONNECTIONGasoline Prices and Choices Madeby Sally Augustin, Ph.D.

Choosing a location for workplaces or deciding where to invest in hous-ing? Then consider gasoline price futures. Chi and Boydstun report that

their “study examines gasoline price changes and residential relocation choice using 1996–2008 American Housing Survey data. We found higher gasoline prices are associated with a higher percentage of movers choos-ing locations closer to workplaces.” As gas prices increase in the U.S., people choose to live closer to work. n

Guangqing Chi and Jamie Boyds-tun. “Are Gasoline Prices a Factor in Residential Relocation Decisions? Pre-liminary Findings from the American Housing Survey.” Journal of Planning Education and Research, in press.

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive sci-entist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesigncon-nections.com), a monthly subscription

newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest re-search findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psycho-logical Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychol-ogy for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwith-science.com) and can be reached at [email protected].

SUDOKU

Fill in the empty cells so that every row, column and cube contains a digit from 1-9, without duplication. (Level: Medium)

6 88 4 5

2 5 3 43 8 6 7

6 4 36 4

3 2 8 14 3 7

Grid n°2147454953 medium

We have all the free sudokus you need! 400 new sudokus every week.

Make your own free printable sudoku at www.PrintMySudoku.com


officenewswirePRODUCT INTROS>Channels debuted ‘Mr Knock’ bookcases and new edition ‘Gillespie’ rocking chair while celebrating a new book about the studio’s founder Samuel Chan. The book, “Samuel Chan: Design Purity + Craft Principles” by Charlotte and Peter Fiell, was launched last week at designjunction, as part of London Design Festival. It is a richly illustrated monograph that explores Mr. Chan’s singular approach to design and manufacture, from first discovering his love of wood-work as a schoolboy new to England, to opening Chan-nels with a studio-showroom in 1995, and going on to be awarded 12 Design Guild Marks over the course of his career so far. Unveiled to coincide with the publication of the book, ‘Mr Knock’ is a series of two new bookcase designs, named after Mr. Chan’s woodwork teacher at school. Both bookcases are

modular systems that can be configured to suit differing storage requirements. The new editions of the ‘Gillespie’ rocking chair feature a color-ful range of new Kvadrat wool fabrics. ‘Gillespie’ is available as a distinctive double rock-ing chair, or as a single seater, in solid oak or walnut frames. Read More

>Maharam’s latest product initiative, previewed at Neo-Con 2016, is leather. Eight initial styles in 100 colors are scheduled for launch in No-vember. Exclusively sourced in Italy with the exception of a Spanish suede, Maharam’s collection forgoes the exces-sive finishing that character-izes much of the leather available today. Instead, it celebrates the inherent beauty of leather returned to a more natural state. Maharam’s approach centers on supe-rior raw materials. Turning to Western Europe as the unrivaled source of upholstery leather thanks to its excel-lent veterinarian practices,

the stable and mild climates of the region, the absence of branding, and the manner in which the animals are allowed to graze in open fields without barbed-wire fencing. Leathers were selected based on their hand, grain, or visual impact. Focused on inherent variation, Maharam’s offering deliber-ately highlights the natural fea-tures that distinguish leather from manmade, synthetic products. Undergoing as little finishing as possible, all styles display natural markings to varying degrees, including

traces of backbones, pores, insect bites, wrinkles, scars, and scratches. Rather than minimize these features, the Maharam Design Studio chose to bring them forward as intrinsic signifiers of the leath-ers’ natural state and superior raw quality. Combinations of chromium and vegetable tanning, along with transpar-ent dyes or opaque pigments, were carefully calibrated to preserve the natural irregulari-ties of each style. Read More

>Nemo Tile announced a new partnership with Bisazza, maker of high-end Italian mosaic tiles. As the company’s exclusive distribu-tor in North America, Nemo Tile, in addition to its own tile and stone products, will now offer the glass mosaics for both interior and exterior applications. “Nemo Tile’s partnership with Bisazza, one of the most important glass mosaic companies in the

For complete releases, visit www.officeinsight.com/officenewswire.

Channels New book Samuel Chan Design Purity + Craft Principles,‘Mr Knock’ Bookcase I, new edition ‘Gillespie’ rocking chairs, in Kvadrat fabrics

Maharam: Leather

Nemo Tile Partners with Luxury Italian Company Bisazza

http://www.officenewswire.com/

http://www.officenewswire.com/index/rss

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/launching-designjunction-new-book-samuel-chan-design-purity-craft-principles-charlotte-peter-fiell/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/leather-by-maharam/

http://www.officeinsight.com/officenewswire


officenewswireworld, marks a new direc-tion for our company,” said Matthew Karlin, president and CEO of Nemo Tile. “Coupling Bisazza’s unique product offering with Nemo’s expan-sive distribution capability will allow for a much wider application of the company’s mosaics in hospitality, con-tract and residential projects across the country.” Within the past year, Bisazza has expanded its well-known glass mosaic range with a number of new sizes. The company has recently diversi-fied its product line even further with the launch of a contemporary, sophisticated line of cement tiles, typically associated with palaces and mansions in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Read More

>Spinneybeck, known for its quality full-grain leather, expanded into a new natural material with the launch of the Beller Collection of cork acoustic tiles. Driven by a lifelong fascination with the marriage of nature and

technology instilled in his native Norway, Lars Beller Fjetland was immediately drawn to cork. Manufactured with waste material from wine stopper production, the result-ing product is 93% recycled cork produced in a waste-free molding process. The molded composite cork tiles of the Beller Collection are flexible too; allowing endless configurations using standard tile designs that add three-dimensional patterning and acoustic absorption. Lisboa and Porto tiles are 1’-4” (40.6 cm) square modules that secure to a pressure fit rail system with a gentle push. The design of Lisboa tiles takes inspiration from the street grids of its namesake city (Lisbon, Portugal) while referencing the flexible pattern making of Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeier’s ceramic tiles. The five tile designs feature a thin linear reveal in varied locations that combine to create endless pattern op-tions from simple to elaborate. And named after the Portu-

guese city known for its cork factories, the three standard profiles of Porto are inspired by familiar textures found in factory building surfaces – rounded silos, corrugated metal siding, and saw-tooth rooftops. Read More

NOTEWORTHY>Utah State Senator Luz Escamilla (D-Salt Lake City) was named the first-ever recipient of the new IIDA Legislator of the Year Award. As the sponsor of S.B. 117, the Commercial Interior Design Certification bill, Sena-tor Escamilla championed the cause, working to ensure that her fellow lawmakers knew that commercial interior design certification would ex-pand business opportunities, particularly for women. Be-cause of the devoted efforts of Senator Escamilla, S.B. 117, which creates certification for commercial interior designers and allows them to submit their documents for building permits, passed unanimously in the state Senate and House of Representatives before being signed into law by the Governor. Read More

>ASID welcomed Benjamin Moore as an ASID Strategic Partner. Founded in 1883, Benjamin Moore is renowned for its premium paint and ex-pansive color portfolio – offer-ing consumers and designers more than 3,500 colors that are available exclusively from its more than 5,000 locally owned and operated paint and decorating retailers. The Strategic Partnership provides Benjamin Moore the oppor-tunity to engage and interact with the Society’s member-ship across a variety of channels and range of events while presenting opportuni-ties for ASID members to gain knowledge of and develop a relationship with the Benja-min Moore brand. Read More

>Interface Inc. plans to relocate its global corporate headquarters to Midtown Atlanta. The company chose the site at 1280 West Peachtree Street to repur-pose existing commercial space rather than build new, to serve as a catalyst for revitalization. Interface is currently headquartered in the Vinings neighborhood of Metro Atlanta with two addi-tional corporate and Americas regional team office spaces in Metro Atlanta. The new Midtown headquarters will bring together these separate teams into a single space to be occupied in mid-2018. The company is partnering with Perkins+Will to create a facility that will contribute equally to Interface’s internal culture and to that of the city. Parkside Partners will bring that design vision to fruition

Spinneybeck Beller Collection Lisboa Utah State Senator Luz Escamilla


https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/nemo-tile-partners-luxury-italian-company-bisazza/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/spinneybeck-introduces-beller-collection-cork-acoustic-tiles/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/utah-state-senator-luz-escamilla-recognized-iida-legislator-year-award/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/asid-benjamin-moore-announce-strategic-partnership/


officenewswireas the developer/owner of the project, tapping into its experience revitalizing in-town Atlanta properties. Jones Lang LaSalle helped to identify and select the location best meet-ing all of Interface’s needs, and will assist Interface in managing the design and construction of the project. Read More

>Meadows Office Interiors partnered with Metropolis Magazine for a four part conversation series focused on the major issues sur-rounding workplace design today. Held at the Meadows Office showroom in NYC, “State of Design: Where We Work” is a CEU accredited program bringing together architects, interior designers, manufacturers, and experts in design to examine the emerg-ing challenges and solutions facing the workplace. The series kicked off in March with the first event, Design Hacking, which focused on how design can give

employees the spaces and tools needed to enhance and support productivity as well as corporate goals. The second part of the series, Age-Neutral Design, took place in June and focused on creating environments that harness diversity and encourage em-ployees of all generations to come together. The third part of the series, Distraction-Free Design, took place on Sep. 15 and focused on the acoustical and material solutions re-quired to help create spaces that enhance employee per-formance and effective col-laboration. Panelists included Joan Blumenfeld, firmwide interior design director at Perkins+Will; Renee Charles, director of workplace strategy at AIG; Azar McMaster, VP of product management at 3form; and Raj Patel, princi-pal of Arup. The final part of the series, Wellness Design, will take place in November. Read More

RE-SITED>Gregg Arrington joined the North American division of Boss Design Inc. as VP of Operations at its manufac-turing base in High Point, NC. Mr. Arrington has more than 30 years of experience in furniture manufacturing. Formerly at Steelcase/Brayton International, Gregg’s certifi-cation in Lean Manufacturing from University of Michigan has steered his focus in keep-ing the local cottage industry of suppliers in the High Point, NC, region working and growing. His passion for the furniture industry led to the creation of the North Carolina Furniture Institute in 2015. Read More

>Samantha Gossman joined Horn Design as director of business development. She is responsible for creating new business initiatives, as well as developing and nur-turing client and real estate relationships. Her significant experience in relationship de-velopment positioned her for her new role. Chicago-based Horn Design was established in 1984 as a relationship-driven interior architectural firm, approaching design

from each client’s perspec-tive. Read More

>George Meglio joined Dancker, Sellew and Doug-las, Inc. as director of its new Workplace Technology Solutions division. Mr. Megio has more than thirty years of industry experience, with a strong blend of strategic management expertise and broad business experience. His years in sales, sales management, engineering and marketing support his understanding of technology and how it relates to customer needs. He is manufacturer-trained and certified by industry leading firms includ-ing Cisco, Microsoft, Polycom, Sharp, Stewart Film, Kramer,

Meadows Office Interiors & Metropolis Distraction Free Design panelists

Gregg Arrington

Samantha Gossman

George Meglio


https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/interface-relocate-global-headquarters-midtown-atlanta/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/meadows-office-interiors-metropolis-explore-distraction-free-design/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/boss-design-steer-growth-key-executive-appointment/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/samantha-gossman-joins-horn-design/


officenewswireExtron, AMX, Bi-Amp, Crest-ron and ClearOne. D&SD’s new Workplace Technology Solutions division offers a strategic approach to custom-ers’ space planning needs, seamlessly integrating audio visual and technological func-tions with its existing furniture and architectural solutions for interior spaces. Read More

>Susan Suhar, IIDA, LEED AP, RID, has joined the Los Angeles architecture studio of HDR as an interior design director. Ms. Suhar is an accomplished design professional with 20 years of experience in healthcare and workplace interiors. Fueled by a passion for research and trends in design, she is excit-ed by how people experience interior environments: “The integration of technology, new materials and concepts in functional efficiency while designing interiors – it’s all continually evolving at a rapid pace,” she said. Read More

EVENTS>The 8th annual Architec-ture & Design Film Festival, presented by A/D/O, will return to Cinépolis Chelsea in NYC Sep. 28-Oct. 2. The festival will screen a total of 33 feature-length and short films, including three world premieres, seven New York premieres, and two sneak previews from over eight countries, exploring timely topics ranging from work-place and garden design to modernist architecture and storytelling. In addition to the curated selection of films, ADFF will present a series of intimate discussions with prominent architects, design-ers, industry leaders and film-makers. Highlights include:

Friday, Sep. 30, 6:30 p.m. “Talking House: Eileen Gray & Jean Badovici” (Screening and Conversation). Following the screening, Juliet Kinchin, Curator of Modern Design at MoMA, will moderate a dis-cussion with artist and Talking House director Elizabeth Lennard and architect Joseph Giovannini about Lennard’s 40-minute montage of Villa E-1027, the iconic modernist villa built by Eileen Gray and

Jean Badovici on the Cote d’Azur in 1929.

Saturday, Oct. 1, 4:00 p.m. “The Architects: A Story of Loss, Memory and Real Estate” (Screening & Conver-sation). Following the sneak preview, architect, urbanist and author Michael Sorkin will lead a discussion about the unrealized design proposal from United Architects for the competition to rebuild the site of The World Trade Center after 9/11. Speakers include film director Tom Jennings and architect Kevin Kennon.

Saturday, Oct. 1, 4:30 p.m. The New Creatives: Design-ers, Incubators, and Cities to Watch (Panel Discussion). Paul Makovsky, Editorial & Brand Director of Metropo-lis, will moderate this panel discussion with an emerg-ing class of creative talent including: artist and designer Taylor Levy; artist, designer and architect Che-Wei Wang; CEO of A/D/O Daniel Pittman; and author and architectural historian Irene Sunwoo.

Sunday, Oct. 2, 3:00 p.m. “Where Architects Live” (Screening); Designers on Designing Your Own (Conver-sation) Following the screen-

ing, Wendy Goodman, Design Editor of New York Magazine, will moderate a conversation about how designers design their own spaces, taking inspiration from the homes of architects featured in the film such as Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, and David Chipperfield, among others. Participants include designer Amy Lau, film director Fran-cesca Molteni, and garden designer Piet Oudolf.

In addition to these conver-sations, many filmmakers, directors, and producers will participate in Q&A’s follow-ing the screening of their films including: director Gary Hustwit (Workplace); director Peter Rosen and director of photography and co-producer Eric Saarinen (Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future); director Thatcher Bean (Design that Heals); co-directors Thomas Beyer and Adrian Dorschner (Bowlingtreff); director Elissa Brown (Windshield: A Vanished Vision); co-director and producer Ben Nabors (The Happy Film); and direc-tor Raymond Tells (Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer’s Journey). Read More

Susan Suhar


https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/dsd-brings-technology-forefront-new-division/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/hdrs-los-angeles-architecture-studio-welcomes-susan-suhar/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/architecture-design-film-festival-announces-director-qas-design-talks/


officenewswire

>Configura’s 9th annual CET Designer User Confer-ence will be held Oct. 18 and 19 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, MI. Color expert Laura Guido Clark will keynote the conference that’s expected to draw hundreds of design professionals and office furniture manufactur-ers. IIDA CEO Cheryl Durst will also speak at the confer-ence. Other speakers – CET Designer experts, Configura team members and industry leaders – round out presenta-tions and breakout sessions, including these CET Designer “power peers”:

-Tami Shulsen, Design Direc-tor at Midwest Commercial Interiors

-Lauren Adams, RID, IIDA, Design Director at The Spen-cer Company

-Julie McHood, NCIDQ Certified Interior Designer at Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City

-Ashley Harris, Analytical Designer at Pomerantz

-Terese Acou, Senior Scrum Master at Dematic

-Emily Drake, Partner/CEO of Flank 5 Academy

Configura’s sessions and courses have been approved by IDCEC for CEU credits.

In conjunction with the CET Designer User Conference, Configura will also host a developer conference. Both conferences will also include breakout sessions and tracks specific to space planning and design, and IT and soft-ware development.

CET Designer users are encouraged to enter their best work created in the software in the 9th annual CET Designer Awards. There is no cost to enter. Deadline to submit entries is Oct. 7. Read More

>The NeoCon team is-sued the official Call for Presentations for the 2017 conferences: NeoCon (June 12-14, 2017 – Chicago) and NeoCon East (Nov. 15-16, 2017 – Philadelphia) and is seeking authorities to share

professional insight and knowledge with commercial interior design, architecture and facility management professionals. The selected conference speakers will gain visibility in the industry and contribute to the advance-ment of the profession. Inter-ested applicants are invited to submit seminar proposals for NeoCon by Oct. 15, 2016 and NeoCon East by Apr. 15, 2017. Read More

>NYSID is celebrating its 100th anniversary by hosting a one-day symposium on Fri-day, Oct. 7: “Interior Design: The Essential Profession.” This event addresses the powerful and growing contri-butions of interior design to public health, hospitality, and urban environments. Keynote speakers include behavioral economist Dan Ariely and architectural and design critic and author Aaron Betsky, as

well as conversations with Contract Magazine’s editor in chief John Czarnecki, Con-tract’s “Designer of the Year” Todd Heiser, award-winning hospitality designer Susan Nagle, Metropolis Magazine editor in chief Susan Szenasy, and many more. Denise Guerin, FIDEC, will discuss the responsibilities and role of the Interior Designer of the Future. Read More

>Teknion Corp. is planning the worldwide launch of sev-eral new workplace furnish-ings collections, and new brands Studio TK and Luum Textiles at ORGATEC, Oct. 25-29 in Cologne, Germany (Stand #9.1 B031 A030). The company will showcase its new Zones furniture col-lection, Best of Competition winner at NeoCon in June. Designed in partnership with London-based PearsonLloyd, Zones is a comprehensive series of furniture that trans-forms the office, challenging convention and changing the way people experience work. The collection is comprised of seating, tables, screens, easels, and semi-private enclosures which can be

Configura CET Designer User Conference speakers Laura Guido Clark and Cheryl S Durst


https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/configura-invites-attendees-experience-9th-annual-cet-designer-user-conference-swedish-way/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/neocon-neocon-east-call-presentations-deadline-approaching/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/celebrate-nysids-100th-anniversary-interior-design-essential-profession-symposium/


officenewswireused as either intimate col-laborative settings or a place of retreat for privacy. It also encompasses lighting and ac-cessories. In addition, Studio TK and Luum Textiles are making their global debut at ORGATEC. Studio TK creates social applications that are shaping office culture and changing the culture of work. The company is introducing a number of new and en-hanced products to its Cover, Fractals, Keele, Lite Wall, Qui and Spectrum collections. Influenced by the growing demand for social settings in the workplace, these collec-tions offer architects and de-signers residentially inspired products that help bridge the gap between task-driven and culture-drive workspaces. Luum Textiles seeks to elevate the role of the design process, pairing it with performance

intent to create textiles that transform any interior space. Established for its dedica-tion to craft, Luum Textiles provides architects and designers with curated selec-tions of textiles designed to work together across multiple surfaces and bring cohesion to every project. Each product

in the collection descends from a common origin story: pre-digital analog processes, particularly the art of hand-weaving. Starting Point, the inaugural collection, was designed by Luum Textiles Creative Director Suzanne Tick. In addition to Zones, Studio TK and Luum Textiles

offerings, Teknion will also be showing the new Around Task Chair, Teknion Com-munity Table, Teknion Sanna Light Collection by Pablo, Highspace Sit/Stand Counter-balance Bench and Variable seating at its stand designed by Vanderbyl Design. Read More

Teknion at Orgatec


https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/teknion-celebrates-international-launch-new-brands-furniture-collections-orgatec/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/teknion-celebrates-international-launch-new-brands-furniture-collections-orgatec/


businessRAYMOND JAMES BRIEF 9.20.16HNI: Downgrading to Market Perform after 3Q16 Guidance Update

Analysts: Budd Bugatch, Bobby Griffin, David Vargas

>Recommendation: We are lowering our rating on HNI to Market Perform from Outperform after the company updated its sales and earnings guidance for 3Q16 and Fiscal 2016. Within office furniture, sales were weaker than management had forecasted due to lower than anticipated project activity and subdued business confidence. Sales in the Hearth seg-ment missed management’s projections due to slower than expected housing starts, dealer transition timing, and contin-ued decline in pellet appliances. This is the first time in recent memory that HNI has endured weakness in both its Hearth and Office Furniture businesses simultaneously. Recall, HNI was one of the first companies to call out weakness in office furniture spending when it reported its 3Q15 results. Following that report, BIFMA order data (under the old reporting regime) was flat or negative from November 2015 through March 2016. Positively, management maintained its long-term outlook that has it doubling earnings in 3-5 years. It continues to excise excess costs from its business. Nevertheless, we are moving to the sidelines until the economic landscape stabilizes and the risk/reward becomes more compelling. While HNI is head-quartered in Iowa, we feel like we need to act like we are “from

Missouri” to regain confidence in a positive rating – even for the long-term.

>Updated Guidance: Management now sees 3Q16 sales down 4% to 7% and non-GAAP EPS of $0.75 to $0.79 com-pared to prior sales guidance of flat to +3% and EPS guidance of $0.90 to $0.95. Our prior 3Q16 sales and EPS estimates were $631.5 million (+2.5% y/y) and $0.95. For fiscal 2016 HNI management expects sales to decline between 3% and 6% (-1% to -3% previously) and sees non-GAAP EPS between $2.50 and $2.70 (prior guidance of $2.80 to $2.95). Our prior fiscal 2016 sales and EPS estimates were $2,279 million (- 1.1% y/y) and $2.87, respectively.

>Commentary: The updated guidance is predicated upon weaker than expected demand across all business lines. Within office furniture, sales in the supply channel were adversely affected by lower small business confidence while lower project activity weighed on contract channel sales. In the hearth busi-ness, slower than expected housing starts, weak demand for pellet appliances, and dealer transitions had an adverse impact on sales. The breadth of HNI’s office furniture and hearth businesses gives the company a broad view of the economic landscape. HNI is typically the shortest-cycle company in the industry so it is likely to feel any economic or industry weak-ness before its peers. Since office furniture is a non-revenue-producing asset it is typically one of the first purchases to be cut or deferred.

9.23.16 7.1.16 4.1.16 12.31.15 10.2.15 6.26.15 %frYrHi%fr50-DayMA

HMiller 29.5 30.0 30.4 28.7 29.2 30.5 -19.0% -14.2%

HNI 40.0 46.7 39.6 36.1 43.7 53.2 -29.8% -24.0%

Inscape 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.3 -5.2% 2.5%

Interface 16.4 15.4 18.2 19.1 22.5 25.2 -32.8% -3.8%

Kimball 12.8 11.4 11.4 9.8 9.9 11.9 -4.6% 3.0%

Knoll 22.6 24.2 21.9 18.8 21.9 25.9 -15.4% -10.1%

Leggett 48.7 50.8 48.5 42.0 42.1 49.7 -11.0% -5.1%

Mohawk 205.8 189.4 192.4 189.4 189.0 193.2 -5.0% -2.0%

Steelcase 13.9 13.6 14.9 14.9 18.6 19.7 -31.7% -3.0%

USG 26.9 27.2 25.1 24.3 27.4 28.5 -12.7% -1.6%

Virco 4.3 4.4 3.1 3.3 3.1 2.9 -13.3% 0.2%

SUM 424.0 416.4 408.6 389.4 410.3 443.8

DJIndust 18,261 17,949 17,793 17,425 16,472 17,947 -2.5%

Industry Stock Prices


business>Estimates: Our updated sales and EPS estimates are in the table below.

-2015 Non-GAAP EPS: Q1 $0.21A; Q2 $0.53A; Q3 $0.93A; Q4 $0.91A; Full Year $2.58A -2015 GAAP EPS: Full Year $2.32A; Revenues (mil.) $2,304A -2016 Non-GAAP EPS: Q1 $0.31A; Q2 $0.68A; Q3 $0.77; Q4 $0.81; Full Year $2.57 -2016 GAAP EPS: Full Year $2.35; Revenues (mil.) $2,203 -2017 Non-GAAP EPS: Q1 $0.39; Q2 $0.80; Q3 $0.94; Q4 $0.93; Full Year $3.06 -2017 GAAP EPS: Full Year $2.72; Revenues (mil.) $2,291

>Valuation: Using the ~$51 after-market price, HNI now trades at 18.4x our next-12-month EPS estimate, above the com-pany’s long term median of 18x.

RAYMOND JAMES BRIEF 9.21.16Herman Miller: F1Q17 Sales and EPS Miss; F2Q17 Guid-ance Below Consensus


>After Wednesday’s market close, Herman Miller reported F1Q17 GAAP EPS of $0.60, below our $0.62 estimate and at the bottom of management’s $0.60-0.64 guidance. Total sales of ~$599 million also missed our $614 million estimate and just shy of the $600-620 million guidance. Organically, excluding the impact of an extra operating week (~$37 million), currency translation (~$3.6 million drag), and dealer divesti-tures (~$8.8 million), sales grew 1.5 % year-over-year. Total company orders increased 5.7% y/y (+2.5% on an organic basis) to $595.6 million, and ending backlog was roughly flat at $320.5 million.

>At the operating line, results missed our model by ~$0.04, driven by lower-than-modeled sales (~$0.02 drag) and a higher-than-forecast operating expense ratio (~$0.02 drag). Reported operating margin declined ~30 bps y/y to 9.4%, compared to our 9.7% estimate. Despite commodity cost pres-sure during the quarter, gross margin improved ~8 bp from 38.3% in F1Q16 to 38.4% in F1Q17, in line with our 38.4% estimate. Steel input cost is roughly 8-10% of Herman Miller’s consolidated sales and could continue to be a gross margin headwind. Below the line, a lower-than-forecast tax rate (32% versus our 33% estimate) benefited results.

>Reported North America (N.A.) sales increased 8.0% y/y to $365.1 million, missing our $372.5 million estimate. Organi-cally, ex-currency (~$0.3 million drag) and the extra operat-ing week ($22.7 million benefit), sales increased 1.4% y/y. Reported F1Q17 N.A. orders increased ~4.8% y/y to $347.7

million. Organically, N.A. orders declined ~1.4% y/y. Positively, orders showed “significant” improvement toward the end of the quarter, and management remains “encouraged” by the level of project opportunities. Operating income improved ~6.1% y/y to $43.3 million (vs. our $47.4 million estimate), while operating margin decreased ~21 bp y/y to 11.9% (vs. 12.7% estimate).

>Europe and Latin America (ELA) sales decreased 5.1% y/y to $97.3 million (vs. our $102.9 million estimate). Organically, ex-currency, dealer divestitures, and the extra operating week, sales increased ~0.5% y/y. Operating income was $7.2 million, beating our $6.7 million estimate. Reported ELA orders in-creased 1.5% y/y, while orders improved ~12.4% y/y organical-ly. Specialty segment sales increased 5.2% y/y to $60.8 million, below our $64.1 million estimate. Organically, Specialty sales declined 0.5% y/y. Operating income was $5.3 million, beating our $4.2 million estimate. Organic orders improved 8.2% y/y.

>Consumer segment revenues, which include DWR, were $75.4 million (+12.5% y/y), versus our $74.7 million estimate. Excluding the impact of the extra week, sales increased 5.7% y/y. Operating income was $0.7 million, compared to our +$1.5 million estimate. DWR’s operating income has declined for five consecutive quarters on a y/y basis. Comparable brand sales increased 1.3% y/y on top of 0.6% growth last year.

>Management guided F2Q17 revenue to $580-600 million ($590 million midpoint), versus our in-print estimate of ~$601 million. On an organic basis, excluding that impact of a dealer divestiture, management expects sales to increase ~2.5% y/y. Management pegs F2Q17 EPS at $0.52-0.56, versus our pub-lished $0.59 estimate. We expect to get further commentary on the current North America business environment and raw mate-rials pricing outlook on management’s conference call, sched-uled for 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday September 22. We will have additional commentary and will revisit our estimates afterward.

RAYMOND JAMES BRIEF 9.22.16Herman Miller: F1Q17 Sales and EPS Miss; North America is Bumpy; Reaffirm MP3

Analysts: Budd Bugatch, David Vargas, Bobby Griffin

>Recommendation: We reaffirm our Market Perform rating on MLHR following Herman Miller’s F1Q17 sales/earnings release and management conference call. On a consolidated basis, revenue and adjusted EPS both missed our estimates. Adjusted EPS of $0.60 were at the low end of management’s guidance, and consolidated revenue of ~$599 million was just below company guidance. Though order rates in the North America segment improved throughout the quarter, Herman


businessMiller faces the specter of an uncertain economic environment, rising raw material pricing, and what appears to be choppy pricing in the contract business.

>Over the last three trading days MLHR has declined ~17% and now trades at ~13.5x our next 12 month EPS estimate (versus a 15x median). Despite what may be a near term over-reaction, our estimate of intrinsic value argues that shares are fairly valued with a balanced risk reward.

>F1Q17 report: As detailed in our earlier brief, Herman Miller reported F1Q17 GAAP EPS of $0.60, below our $0.62. Total revenue of ~$599 million missed our $614 million estimate and was shy of the low end of management’s $600 - $620 million guidance. Organic sales increased 1.5% y/y.

>North America Office is bumpy: North America sales increased 8% on a reported basis to $365 million. Adjusting for foreign cur-rency and the extra week, segment sales increased 1% year-over-year and new orders declined 1% on an organic basis. The com-pany saw softness in orders in July, but order growth improved in August from July levels. Orders from project sizes above $1 million declined y/y driven primarily by large project activ-ity in the energy sector last year. The North America business continued to benefit from strong growth in healthcare, business services, and electronics while wholesale, retail, utilities, and financial services experienced lower order levels.

>Cost of Goods and Raw Material: Consolidated gross profit margin was roughly flat y/y at 38.4%. Negative impacts from discounting as well as rising raw material prices were offset by operational improvements. Herman Miller’s management pegs the incremental gross profit drag in F2Q17 from higher steel prices at ~$5 million. Herman Miller locks in 3 month contracts on steel and prices are based on the trailing three month aver-age price. The price of cold rolled steel has pulled back from the highs posted back in June but is still up ~ 37% y/y.

>Estimates: Our updated estimates are in the table below.

-2016 Non-GAAP EPS: Q1 $0.56A; Q2 $0.57A; Q3 $0.46A; Q4 $0.56A; Full Year $2.17A -2016 GAAP EPS: Full Year $2.26A; Revenues (mil.) $2,265A -2017 Non-GAAP EPS: Q1 $0.60A; Q2 $0.55; Q3 $0.46; Q4 $0.59; Full Year $2.20 -2017 GAAP EPS: Full Year $2.20; Revenues (mil.) $2,354 -2018 Non-GAAP EPS: Q1 $0.56; Q2 $0.60; Q3 $0.52; Q4 $0.66; Full Year $2.34 -2018 GAAP EPS: Full Year $2.34; Revenues (mil.) $2,425 -2019 GAAP and Non-GAAP EPS: Full Year $2.61; Revenues (mil.) $2,531

>Valuation: Our intrinsic value calculation pegs fair value for MLHR at $29 to $31.

RAYMOND JAMES BRIEF 9.22.16Steelcase: F2Q17 Sales Miss; EPS Beat; F3Q17 Guidance Above Our Estimate


>On Wednesday evening, after the market close, Steelcase reported F2Q17 GAAP EPS of $0.31. Excluding ~$0.3 million (pre-tax) in restructuring charges, adjusted EPS were $0.32, slightly beating our $0.31 estimate and modestly better than the mid-point of management’s $0.29-0.33 guidance. Total sales declined 7.4% y/y to $758 million, missing our ~$785 million estimate and below the $770-795 million guidance. Y/Y, organic sales fell 7% and orders declined 2%.

>Excluding minor restructuring costs, normalized operating income was in line with our model. Lower than modeled sales (~$0.01 drag) and a higher than expected operating expense ratio (~$0.02 drag) were offset by a higher than modeled gross margin (~$0.03 benefit).

>Americas segment revenues declined 7.2% y/y to ~$571 million, missing our $586.5 million estimate. The Americas segment posted a 7% organic revenue decline. Normalized operating income declined 15.6% y/y to $78 million (vs. our ~$80 million estimate), while normalized operating margin decreased 135 bp y/y to 13.7% (versus our 13.6% estimate). July orders in the Americas plunged 8% and led to the miss of F2Q17 revenues. Americas orders were said to have improved in August and early September; and management remarked that its project pipeline for the next 12 months has expanded.

>EMEA segment revenues declined 11.9% to $112.8 mil-lion (-10% organically), below our $118.3 million estimate. Positively, Steelcase continues to make progress with its EMEA restructuring as normalized operating income improved from a $14.3 million loss in F2Q16 to an $11.1 million loss in F2Q17. EMEA cost of sales improved by 700 basis points as a result of lower disruption costs and inefficiencies, partially offset by the impact of lower revenue. The organic revenue decline in EMEA resulted from lower revenue in the U.K., Germany, and the Middle East. Though the EMEA business continues to improve, management sees persisting political headwinds carrying into the second half of the year.

>Revenue in Steelcase’s “Other” segment declined 1.6% y/y to $74.2 million, below our $80.5 million estimate. Operating in-come of $3.5 million was slightly above our $3.1 million estimate.

>Management guided F3Q17 revenue of $795-820 million, compared to our published $807 million estimate. It expects diluted and normalized EPS of $0.33 to $0.37, compared to our $0.34 estimate. We will have additional commentary following Steelcase’s 11:00 a.m. ET conference call Thursday morning.


businessRAYMOND JAMES BRIEF 9.22.16Steelcase: Americas Project Pipeline Strong; Sept. Order Rate Up; MP Reaffirmed

Analysts: Budd Bugatch, David Vargas, Bobby Griffin

>Recommendation: We are reaffirming our Market Perform rating on SCS following Steelcase Inc.’s F2Q17 earnings report and conference call. Sales of $758 million missed our $785 million estimate as well as management’s $770-795 mil-lion guidance. Adjusted EPS of $0.32 just beat our $0.31 esti-mate and were modestly better than the midpoint of manage-ment’s $0.29-0.33 guidance. Weak orders in July contributed significantly to the revenue miss versus expectations. Despite the revenue miss this quarter, the company provided guid-ance that was in line with our prior estimates. Order patterns improved in August and the first three weeks of September, and management noted a strong backlog of “high-confidence” opportunities in the Americas in the second half of the year. Though management’s rhetoric on the call was positive, today’s SCS rally leaves us awaiting a more attractive entry point.

>Results and sentiment: Excluding minor restructuring costs, normalized operating income was in line with our model. Lower than modeled sales (~$0.01 drag) and a higher than expected operating expense ratio (~$0.02 drag) were offset by a higher than modeled gross margin. Though the top line missed management’s expectations, earnings were consistent with expectations due to lower spending, solid manufacturing performance, and favorable business mix offsetting the impact of lower revenue.

>Americas: Americas revenue declined 7.2% y/y to $571 mil-lion, below our $586.5 million estimate. Organically, revenues fell 2% versus the prior year, which was up +4%. Orders by month were +4% in June, -8% in July, and -2% in August. Insurance and information technology were among the weak-est verticals in the Americas segment. Orders during the first three weeks of September are up year-over-year, and manage-ment expects to achieve revenue growth in the Americas in the third quarter. The pipeline of estimated project revenue over the next four quarters reflects meaningful growth compared to the end of FY16 and versus the same time last year.

>EMEA revenues declined 11.9% to $112.8 million, below our $118.3 million estimate. Orders, organically, fell 4% versus a 7% organic decline in F2Q16. Customer orders were down 7% y/y driven by weakness in the Middle East, Africa, and the U.K. The project pipeline for EMEA includes a couple of large projects slated to start shipping in late FY17 or early in FY18. Beyond the large projects, the pipeline reflects lower project activity.

>Guidance/estimates: For F3Q17, management provided the following guidance: 1) revenue of $795-820 million; 2) organic revenue growth between 1% and 4%; 3) adjusted EPS of $0.33 to $0.37, which excludes about $0.01 of restructuring costs.

BUSINESS AFFAIRS>Herman Miller, Inc. on Sep. 21 released its FY17 first-quarter results (dollars in millions except EPS):

3 Mos. Ended 9.3.16 8.29.15 %Ch.Net Sales $598.6 $565.4 5.9%Gross Mar. $230.0 $216.8 6.1%Gross Mar. % 38.4% 38.3% 1.8%Oper. Exp. $173.6 $161.7 7.4%Oper. Earn. $56.4 $55.1 2.4%Net Earn. $36.3 $33.5 8.4%EPS (dil.) $0.60 $0.56 7.1%Orders $595.6 $563.3 5.7%Backlog $320.5 $320.1 0.1%

The quarter included 14 weeks of operations as compared to a standard 13-week period. The additional week is required periodically in order to more closely align Herman Miller’s fiscal year with the calendar months. On an organic basis, which adjusts for foreign currency translation, dealer divestitures and the impact of an extra week of operations in the quarter, net sales and orders in the first quarter increased 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, from the same quarter last fiscal year.

“Despite uncertainty in the global macro-economic environ-ment, we were pleased that our ELA, Specialty and Consumer businesses each delivered strong organic order growth for the quarter,” said CEO Brian Walker. “While order levels in the North America segment were softer than expected at the begin-ning of the quarter, they showed significant improvement to-ward the end of the period, reflecting the project-based nature of the contract industry. As we look ahead, we are encouraged by the level of project opportunities and customer interest we see, and are well-positioned with a strong new product pipeline and highly trained sales force to win business. With a focus on expanding our entire business to new channels and markets over the past several years, we have built a differentiated multi-channel capability that, combined with our design and innova-tion leadership, uniquely positions us for growth by serving an expanded range of customer audiences around the globe.”

Jeff Stutz, Chief Financial Officer, noted, “While sales this quarter were slightly lower than we anticipated, we delivered earnings within the range we expected through operating ef-ficiencies from lean initiatives and strategic sourcing, along with well-managed expenses. Our results demonstrate the balanced


businessnature of our business model, with continued strength in order entry within our ELA and Specialty segments helping to offset a relatively slow start to the period in North America. We were also very pleased to see further improvement in our Consumer business segment, which posted year-over-year growth in sales and orders. This marks an encouraging sign that the actions we have taken to improve the performance of that business in recent months are gaining traction.”

The majority of the increase in operating expenses was attrib-uted to the impact of an extra week of operations in the quarter, as well as spending on new product launch and marketing initiatives, and pre-opening costs related to new Design Within Reach studios.

The company ended the first quarter with total cash and cash equivalents of $65.1 million. Cash flow generated from opera-tions in the first quarter was $30.2 million compared to $33.3 million in the same quarter last fiscal year.

Results by Operating Segment (dollars in millions):

3 Mos. Ended 9.3.16 8.29.15 %Ch.North AmericaNet Sales $365.1 $338.1 8.0%Oper. Earn. $43.3 $40.8 6.1%ELANet Sales $97.3 $102.5 -5.1%Oper. Earn. $7.2 $6.6 9.1%SpecialtyNet Sales $60.8 $57.8 5.2%Oper. Earn. $5.3 $4.3 23.3%ConsumerNet Sales $75.4 $67.0 12.5%Oper. Earn. $0.7 $3.8 -81.6%

(The North American Furniture Solutions segment includes the operations associated with the design, manufacture, and sale of furniture products for work-related settings, including office, education, and healthcare environments, throughout the U.S. and Canada. The business associated with the company’s owned contract furniture dealers is also included in the North American Furniture Solutions segment. The ELA Furniture Solutions segment includes the operations associated with the design, manufacture, and sale of furniture products, primarily for work-related settings, in EMEA, Latin America and Asia-Pa-cific. The Specialty segment includes the operations associated with the design, manufacture, and sale of high-craft furniture products and textiles including Geiger wood products, Maha-ram textiles, and Herman Miller Collection products. The Con-sumer segment includes operations associated with the sale of modern design furnishings and accessories to third party retail distributors, as well as direct-to-consumer sales through eCom-merce and Design Within Reach retail studios.)

Outlook

Looking forward, Herman Miller expects net sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2017 to be in the range of $580 million to $600 million. On an organic basis, adjusted for the impact of a dealer divestiture, this forecast implies sales growth of approxi-mately 2.5% over the second quarter of the prior year at the mid-point of the range. Diluted earnings per share in the quar-ter are expected to range between $0.52 and $0.56 per share.

The full text of Herman Miller’s 1Q17 earnings release, including all tables, along with a webcast replay of its Sep. 22 conference call, including a PDF document with supplemental financial information, may be accessed in the Investors section of the company’s website: www.hermanmiller.com/about-us/investors.html

>HNI Corp. updated its earnings guidance for the third quar-ter and fiscal year 2016. Both revenue and earnings are ex-pected to be below the corporation’s previous outlook. Demand in the office furniture and hearth segments is expected to be lower than previously forecasted. Office furniture business sales will be lower than expected due to overall softer than antici-pated demand, subdued small business confidence and lower than anticipated project activity. Hearth sales will be lower due to slower than expected housing starts, acquisition integration and acquired dealer transitions timing, and continued decline in pellet appliances. HNI now estimates third quarter sales to be down 4% to 7% compared to previous guidance of flat to up 3%. As a result, HNI expects third quarter non-GAAP earnings per diluted share to be in the range of $0.74 to $0.79 com-pared to its previous guidance of $0.90 to $0.95.

“Sales for the quarter did not develop as expected. Economic uncertainty is weighing on our markets making them more dynamic and difficult to predict than recent periods,” said HNI Corp. Chairman, President, and CEO Stan Askren. “Our operational performance continues to deliver strong results in a lower sales environment. Our businesses continue to compete well and we remain confident in our strategies as we respond to the changing environment. We maintain a positive long-term outlook.”

HNI now estimates full-year non-GAAP earnings per diluted share to be in the range of $2.50 to $2.70 on a sales decrease of 3% to 6% versus the prior year. This compares to prior guid-ance of non-GAAP earnings per diluted share of $2.80 to $2.95 on a sales decrease of 1% to 3%. http://investors.hnicorp.com/

http://www.hermanmiller.com/about-us/investors.html

http://www.hermanmiller.com/about-us/investors.html

http://investors.hnicorp.com/


business>HNI plans to release its third quarter fiscal 2016 results on Wednesday, Oct. 19 after market close, with a confer-ence call scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20, 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. Central Time). To participate in the call, please dial 1-877-512-9166 (Toll-free) – Conference ID 78965544. A live webcast of the call will be available on the Investors section of HNI’s website, where a replay will be available after the call. A telephone replay will also be available through Thursday, Oct. 27, 10:59 p.m. Central Time, at 1-855-859-2056 or 1-404-537-3406 – Conference ID 78965544. http://investors.hnicorp.com/

>Steelcase Inc. on Sep. 21 announced its FY17 second-quarter results (dollars in millions except EPS):

3 Mos. Ended 8.26.16 8.28.15 %Ch.Revenue $758.0 $819.0 -7.4%Gross Profit $263.1 $266.8 -1.4%Oper. Exp. $200.9 $199.7 0.6%Oper. Inc. $61.9 $60.1 3.0%Adj.Op.Inc. $62.2 $71.4 -12.9%Net Inc. $38.2 $37.2 2.7%EPS (dil.) $0.31 $0.30 3.3%

6 Mos. Ended 8.26.16 8.28.15 %Ch.Revenue $1,476.8 $1,524.5 -3.1%Gross Profit $492.9 $483.4 2.0%Oper. Exp. $397.0 $384.8 3.3%Oper. Inc. $95.2 $93.6 1.7%Adj.Op.Inc. $100.1 $106.8 -6.3%Net Inc. $57.6 $57.2 0.7%EPS (dil.) $0.47 $0.45 4.4%

Excluding restructuring costs, adjusted earnings were $0.32 per share in 2Q17 and $0.35 per share in 2Q16.

Steelcase reported that orders declined 2% in the second quarter compared to the prior year. The Americas posted an organic revenue decline of 7%, and EMEA declined organi-cally by 10%, while the Other category was relatively flat. The revenue declines were primarily attributed to lower levels of order backlog in the Americas and EMEA at the beginning of the quarter compared to a strong prior year. In addition, weak July orders in the Americas contributed to the decline. The organic revenue decline in the Americas was broad based and compares to 6% organic revenue growth in the prior year. The organic revenue decline in EMEA resulted from lower revenue in the U.K., Germany and the Middle East and compares to 17% organic revenue growth in EMEA in the prior year which was driven by those markets.

“July orders in the Americas were down 8%, which approxi-mated the industry decline for that month, and that led to lower second quarter revenue than we expected,” said Steelcase President and CEO Jim Keane. “While the domestic economic and political environments remain uncertain, Americas orders improved in August and early September on the strength of new products, our project opportunity pipeline for the next twelve months has expanded, and we are expecting growth in the third quarter compared to the prior year. Our EMEA business also continues to improve, although Brexit and other political factors are contributing to persistent headwinds, im-pacting our expectations for the second half of the year.”

Cost of sales was 65.3% of revenue in the current quarter, an improvement of 160 basis points compared to the prior year. EMEA cost of sales improved by 700 basis points as a result of lower disruption costs and inefficiencies associated with manu-facturing and distribution footprint changes and cost reduc-tion efforts, offset in part by the impact of lower revenue. The Americas cost of sales improved 60 basis points over the prior year, driven by lower warranty costs and ongoing cost reduction efforts, offset in part by the impact of lower revenue.

The slight increase in operating expenses was attributed to increased investments in product development and the estab-lishment of the new Learning + Innovation Center in Munich, Germany, partially offset by lower variable compensation expense.

“Further stabilization of our EMEA operations in the new foot-print drove the significant improvement in EMEA gross margins compared to the prior year,” said Senior Vice President and CFO Dave Sylvester. “As we look to the second half of fiscal 2017, we expect continued stabilization to contribute to a sig-nificant improvement in our EMEA operating results compared to the prior year.”

Total liquidity, comprised of cash, short-term investments and the cash surrender value of company-owned life insurance, ag-gregated $363 million, and total debt was $299 million, at the end of the second quarter.

During the second quarter, the company repurchased approxi-mately 867 thousand shares of Class A Common Stock under its share repurchase authorizations for a total cost of $11.5 million. A total of $141.6 million remained under the com-pany’s share repurchase authorization at the end of the second quarter.

http://investors.hnicorp.com/


businessThe Steelcase Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per share, to be paid on or before Oct. 14 to sharehold-ers of record as of Oct. 4.

Business Segment Results (dollars in millions):

3 Mos. Ended 8.26.16 8.28.15 %Ch.Revenue Americas $571.0 $615.5 -7.2% EMEA $112.8 $128.1 -11.9% Other $74.2 $75.4 -1.6%Operating income/loss Americas $78.0 $91.7 -14.9% EMEA -$11.4 -$24.9 - Other $3.5 $3.4 2.9%Revenue mix Americas 75.3% 75.2% EMEA 14.9% 15.6% Other 9.8% 9.2%

6 Mos. Ended 8.26.16 8.28.15 %Ch.Revenue Americas $1,091.4 $1,135.2 -3.9% EMEA $238.1 $248.0 -4.0% Other $147.3 $141.3 4.2%Operating income/loss Americas $124.6 $145.8 -14.5% EMEA -$17.6 -$38.4 - Other $5.7 $4.3 32.6%Revenue mix Americas 73.9% 74.5% EMEA 16.1% 16.2% Other 10.0% 9.3%

(The Americas segment serves customers in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean Islands and Latin America with a portfolio of integrated architecture, furniture, and technology products marketed to corporate, government, healthcare, education and retail customers through the Steelcase, Coalesse, and Turn-stone brands. The EMEA segment serves customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa primarily under the Steelcase and Coalesse brands, with an emphasis on freestanding furniture systems, storage, and seating solutions. The Other category includes Asia Pacific, Designtex and PolyVision.)

Outlook

Order patterns were mixed during the second quarter, growing by approximately 4% in the Other category and declining by 2% in the Americas and 4% in EMEA compared to the prior

year. Orders patterns in the Americas improved during August and early September following weakness in July and continued to reflect a significant decline in the Energy vertical market. Orders in EMEA continued to reflect weakness in the Middle East and Africa. As a result, the company expects third quarter fiscal 2017 revenue to be in the range of $795 to $820 mil-lion, which reflects expected organic revenue growth of 1% to 4%. In the third quarter of fiscal 2016, the company reported revenue of $787.6 million, which represented a 2% decline compared to the prior year, or 1% organic growth.

Steelcase expects to report diluted earnings per share between $0.32 to $0.36 for the third quarter of fiscal 2017, including approximately $0.01 per share of restructuring costs. This estimate includes an anticipated significant year-over-year im-provement in EMEA cost of sales as a percentage of revenue, primarily due to the continued stabilization and improvement of the industrial model. Steelcase reported diluted earnings per share of $0.28 and adjusted earnings per share of $0.30 in the third quarter of fiscal 2016.

“In the Americas, we launched an additional eight new prod-ucts, enhancements and line extensions during the last three months, bringing the calendar year-to-date total to 25, and we have plans for an additional 15 introductions over the balance of the calendar year,” said Mr. Keane. “These accelerated product development efforts, strong demand for our newer products and other actions all contribute to our expectation that the Americas business will return to year-over-year growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2017.”

Other Quarter Highlights

-Steelcase opened two new showrooms in Hangzhou, China and Delhi, India.

-Steelcase was honored by Civic 50, an initiative of Points of Light, as one of the “Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S.”

-Steelcase has also been recognized as a “Supply Chain to Admire” by Supply Chain Insights and as the recipient of the National Joint Powers Alliance’s “Legacy Award.”

A replay of Steelcase’s Sep. 22 conference call webcast and the complete text of the company’s 2Q17 earnings release, including all tables, are available at http://ir.steelcase.com.

http://ir.steelcase.com


technologyTECHNOLOGY>Coalesse is inviting architects and designers to enter its LessThanFive Customizer Contest to win a chair they design using the newly launched LessThanFive Customizer App. Entrants will be able to choose from multiple colors, add a fade, and apply their own artwork, graphics, and designs. Submis-sions will be accepted through Wednesday, Oct. 12. Two win-ners will be chosen to receive the LessThanFive Chair that they designed. A panel of industry judges, including Michael Young, will choose the first place winner, plus two runner-ups. The second winner will be chosen by popular vote on Instagram from the two runner-up designs. Read More

>Dancker, Sellew & Douglas added a new division, Workplace Technology Solutions, a full audio visual integration provider. Headed by George Meglio (See Re-Sited story in this issue), this new division will create efficiency and foster collaboration for its customers by seamlessly integrating technology with its existing furniture and architectural solutions for interior spaces. It enables DS&D to enhance its already strategic approach to customers’ space planning needs, while incorporating the audio visual and technological function early in the process.

“Twenty first century work culture means employees are more mobile and less tethered to corporate IT tools of the past,” said DS&D President and CEO Steven Lang. “This new freedom requires that technology be integrated into work spaces to give workers choices and seamless connectivity to distributed teams.”

“In an interconnected world, our role is to understand the client’s company culture and what tools their team use to be productive in their jobs,” said George Meglio. “Collaboration from a distance is transforming expectations for how work gets done. We all want to communicate with each other naturally, from anywhere. We want to connect from any location, and workers expect that expe-rience to feel the same as meeting in person. Having the ability to use collaboration tools that seamlessly tie into our environments is a natural next step in workplace design.” Read More

DS&D Workplace Technology

Coalesse® Less Than Five Customizer Contest

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/coalesse-announces-lessthanfive-customizer-contest/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/dsd-brings-technology-forefront-new-division/


JOB SITETo place ads or to get a price quote contact Bob Beck [email protected] 972 293 9186

Find all our ads all the time at www.officeinsight.com/careers.

PO Box 967Cedar Hill, TX 75106

Robert [email protected] 972 293 9186

Mallory [email protected] 219 263 9006

www.officeinsight.comwww.officenewswire.com© 2016 officeinsight,LLC

Bradford J. Powell, Hon. [email protected] T 203 966 5008

Independent Reps and Dealers - Carribean Islands

Teknion, a leading designer and manufacturer of Office Furniture products is seeking dealer, Independent rep or Independent rep groups. We are currently looking for rep-resentation in many Islands in the Caribbean.

We offer a broad portfolio of world class office furniture and accessories.Representa-tion must be highly motivated, aggressive and have extensive experience to open new busi-ness and maintain and grow current account base. Please contact Mark Dodick at (416) 661-3370 ext 2149

Inside Sales - Chicago

Clestra Hauserman is a global manufacturer of demountable office partitions. The US Division manages the sales, supply and installation of partitions throughout North America, and is seeking a full time qualified Project Manager.

General Purpose

To be responsible for the overall direction, coordination, implementation, and completion of specific projects, ensuring consistency with company strategy, commitments, and goals.

This position will be focused on the management of projects primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region, and 50%+ travel is required.

The successful candidate has the following qualifications and education:

> 5-7 years of experience in commercial construction project management, com-mercial interiors a plus

> Bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, construction management or related field

> Technical aptitude, pro-ficiency, and interest in the areas of commercial doors and door hardware, commercial door security hardware, glass high wall systems

> Self-motivated and self-driven

> Exceptional attention to technical details

> Exceptional communication skills

> Ability to handle multiple projects concurrently

In addition the successful candidate will have the ability to effectively handle construction jobsite tasks such as:

> obtaining critical field dimensions directly related to the fabrication sizes of products.

> providing technical direc-tion regarding construction conditions that directly affect product and instal-lation.

> attending jobsite meet-ings and managing role of primary point of contact

Company Name: Clestra Hauserman, Inc.

Division: USA Division

City, State: Warminster, PA

Company Contact: [email protected]

Company Website: www.clestra.com

Additional Info:

Health, IRA, and other incentives are part of this compensation package. Qualified candidates please submit resumes with salary history to [email protected] Phone calls will not be accepted. For more information about our organization, visit us online at www.clestra.com

Clestra Hauserman is an equal opportunity and drug free employer.

http://www.officeinsight.com/careers

http://www.officeinsight.com/careers

http://www.officesite.com/classifieds/



global furniture group celebrates its golden jubilee · global furniture group celebrates its...

Documents