Allsteel is a Gold Sponsor of Workplace Evolutionaries, an IFMA Community of Practice
Allsteel is a gold sponsor of Workplace Evolutionaries (WE), a forward-thinking community within the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), through 2018.
IFMA is the world's largest and most widely recognized global association for facility management professionals, with 24,000 members in more than 100 countries.
The WE community focuses on changes in today's workplace and ways to influence the direction those changes take. Established in 2012, WE has more than 1,100 members worldwide, including facilities and IT managers, architects, designers, office furniture, HR and technology experts, environmental psychologists and the academic field. WE creates interactive learning and networking events, including webinars, seminars at IFMA's Facility Fusion and World Workplace conferences and original research projects.
Eric D. Johnson, senior workplace advisor at Allsteel, launched the yearlong gold sponsorship by moderating two WE sessions on “Future Proofing & Strategy” at the recent IFMA World Workplace Conference & Expo in Houston, Texas. “Allsteel's gold sponsorship of WE reflects our belief in the organization's mission,” Johnson says. “We fully support their aims to stimulate workplace innovation, empower people to create, lead and implement workplace transformation and influence the evolution of the workplace through research beyond our industry.”
Teknion Boston Showroom Achieves WELL Certification at Gold Level
Teknion Corporation's Boston showroom has achieved WELL certification at the gold level. It is the company's second project to receive WELL certification.
Earlier this year, Teknion announced it was the first manufacturer in the world to receive WELL certification at the silver level for its downtown Toronto showroom. The knowledge gained in Boston was used for the Toronto certification and added 35 optimization features to meet gold standards.
“Teknion continues to advance its culture to maximize occupant wellness and healthy building practices with its WELL Certified gold award,” says Tracy Backus, Sustainable Programs director. “Teknion fully subscribes to the International WELL Building Institute's goal of putting people at the heart of design, construction, operations and development decisions ... bringing human health and wellness to the forefront of building practices globally.”
The WELL Building Standard focuses on the health and wellness of the people in buildings. It is a performance-based system for measuring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.
The physical workplace is one of the top three factors affecting performance and job satisfaction. Personnel costs significantly outweigh the costs for design, construction, maintenance and operations. Addressing occupant health channels resources toward reducing the largest line item in the 30-year costs of a building — the personnel.
KI Ruckus Collection Receives Gold at Healthcare Design Expo & Conference
KI's Ruckus Collection has received a Nightingale Gold Award in patient seating. The awards are presented by Contract and Healthcare Design magazines in partnership with the Center for Health Design. They recognize contribution to the healthcare built environment through product design and innovation that contributes to healing. The awards were announced at the Healthcare Design Expo & Conference Nov. 13.
"Through Human-Centered Design, we observe and design based on ideas that are for and about people,” says Shawn Green, KI vice president of design and product marketing. “Ruckus … supports the innate human behaviors and work styles that dictate our everyday use of space within the health care and healing realms."
Allsteel is a Gold Sponsor of Workplace Evolutionaries, an IFMA Community of Practice
Allsteel is a gold sponsor of Workplace Evolutionaries (WE), a forward-thinking community within the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), through 2018.
IFMA is the world's largest and most widely recognized global association for facility management professionals, with 24,000 members in more than 100 countries.
The WE community focuses on changes in today's workplace and ways to influence the direction those changes take. Established in 2012, WE has more than 1,100 members worldwide, including facilities and IT managers, architects, designers, office furniture, HR and technology experts, environmental psychologists and the academic field. WE creates interactive learning and networking events, including webinars, seminars at IFMA's Facility Fusion and World Workplace conferences and original research projects.
Eric D. Johnson, senior workplace advisor at Allsteel, launched the yearlong gold sponsorship by moderating two WE sessions on “Future Proofing & Strategy” at the recent IFMA World Workplace Conference & Expo in Houston, Texas. “Allsteel's gold sponsorship of WE reflects our belief in the organization's mission,” Johnson says. “We fully support their aims to stimulate workplace innovation, empower people to create, lead and implement workplace transformation and influence the evolution of the workplace through research beyond our industry.”
Montisa Reveals New Brand Identity and Refreshed Product Line
Montisa Furniture Company has a new look.
The company has rebranded its identity and launched a refreshed product line for the modern work space.
Born more than a century ago out of a need to provide durable milking stools to farmers, the furniture manufacturing company is taking its mantra of practicality and quality to the next phase of product design. Using solid wood and steel, products are manufactured in small batches, delivering authentic, industrial style designs that can stand up to a demanding work environment.
"We look to the next century with fresh eyes and a fresh look," says Montisa COO Larry Leete. "With a resurgence of customer appreciation in artisan-style methods and domestic-made products, the time is right to rebrand and expand."
Montisa, based in Plainwell, Michigan, began rolling out its modern line of furniture Nov. 15 with three updated desk systems, eight workspace accessories and new surface materials, including raw steel and reclaimed wood. The company also has expanded its color selections for the iconic milking stools.
Updated products are stamped with the company's logo and year produced. This renewed identity extendx to the company's website, printed materials, packaging and is reflected in the interior design of its headquarters.
Buyers can purchase furniture pieces item by item, allowing work spaces to start simple and expand to larger office systems. The company coined BYOE, or "build your own environment" to give a name to this flexibility.
"Build-ability is important to our customers, which is why we stress the modular nature of our products — we make it easy to start with pieces that fit a certain floor plan and budget, but are easily added onto as needs change," Leete says.
Premier Office Solutions Awarded One of the Best Places to Work in PA 2017
Premier Office Solutions has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania for 2017.
"Premier is truly an amazing place to work,” says Nicole Monteleone, marketing coordinator. “The family-atmosphere makes coming to work every day worthwhile. We couldn't ask for a better people to work for and with."
The awards program, created in 2000, is a public/private partnership between Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Central Penn Business Journal.
The process for determining winners includes an evaluation of the company's workplace policies, practices, philosophies, systems and demographics and an employee survey.
Reimagine Office Furnishings Opens Innovative New Showroom
Reimagine Office Furnishings (ROF) has opened a new, state-of-the art showroom in Ybor City.
The husband-and-wife team of Bill and Joni Adams who lead ROF felt the time was right to invest heavily into their business by creating the massive showroom. They say the 20,000-square-foot facility will be a regional destination for office furniture shoppers.
ROF represents more than 100 office furniture companies and has its own remanufacturing factory. The company remanufactures furniture from brands such as Steelcase, Herman Miller and Haworth.
“Many clients come to us wanting to build a more collaborative and less formal office environment,” says Bill Adams, president of ROF. “This is possible now because technology has digitized files and documents, freeing up more space in offices. We find it incredibly exciting to help our clients brainstorm how to better use their space to improve productivity.”
ROF's new showroom is three miles east of downtown on the corner of Adamo and 39th Street. This location is convenient for clients coming from the Tampa Bay market, Lakeland, Orlando and Southwest Florida.
SmithGroupJJR Opens Office in San Diego
SmithGroupJJR has expanded its national presence with the opening of an office in San Diego, California. This is its 10th U.S. office. It also has an office in Shanghai, China.
The San Diego office is led by Bonnie Khang-Keating, who is maintaining her current role leading SmithGroupJJR's Los Angeles office. “Our Los Angeles office has experienced tremendous growth over the past six years, which has made us more visible in the region and helped us attract a great roster of clients who were drawn to our design excellence,” Khang-Keating says.
SmithGroupJJR Managing Partner Russ Sykes believes the launch of the office is evidence of the firm's steady growth pattern. “We have ambitious plans for the firm and what we're accomplishing in San Diego is just one of the ways we're achieving our goals,” Sykes says.
The San Diego office of SmithGroupJJR is at 225 Broadway in downtown San Diego.
SIXINCH North America Announces New Sales Representatives
Nina Giordano of Design Brands LLC
Furniture designer and manufacturer SIXINCH North America, a division of Wieland Designs, Inc., has two new sales representatives.
Firm Principal Nina Giordano of Design Brands LLC will be representing both SIXINCH and Grove by SIXINCH to the architectural and design community in New Jersey.
Giordano brings more than 15 years of sales and service experience in the design industry to her new role. Beginning her career as a designer at a prestigious New York City firm, she transferred her design skills to sales and has since been responsible for revenue growth for top manufacturers.
Sales Director José Simancas of Steelcase Mexico City will be responsible for representing SIXINCH and Grove to Mexico. Simancas is an engineer by trade and has been working in the furniture industry for more than 15 years.
"Both Nina and José's long tenures in the business underscores their deep passion for the architecture and design industry,” says SIXINCH North America President Kip Wieland. “In both cases it's clearly that same passion which led to their development as strong sales professionals.”
In just four years SIXINCH North America has developed award-winning furniture design product solutions for a range of applications. SIXINCH product offerings include designs by Mac Stopa, David Fox, Rainer Mutsch and Pieter Jamart.
Ligne Roset Names Simone Vingerhoets Executive Vice President, Roset USA Corporation
Simone Vingerhoets is the new executive vice president of Roset USA Corp. Vingerhoets will oversee the North and South American markets for the Ligne Roset brand. She will replace Antoine Roset, great-great grandson of Ligne Roset's founder, who is returning to the global headquarters in France to work side-by-side with his father, uncle and cousin.
Vingerhoets previously held the position of North American CEO at Wilkhahn, the office and conferencing furniture brand. Prior to this, Vingerhoets served as the executive vice president of Finnish furniture brand Artek and held leadership positions at Alessi and Chilewich.
“As an ambitious leader in the architecture and design world, Simone Vingerhoets is poised to successfully take Ligne Roset to the next level in the Americas," says Antoine Roset. "Her passion and knowledge give me complete confidence as I hand over the reins in order to grow the company.”
Kimball Announces Personnel Addition
Kyra Mabey
Kimball has added Kyra Mabey and Kim Lutz to its sales team as market sales managers in the Mountain Central Region. Mabey will be located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Lutz will be located in St. Louis, Missouri.
Mabey joins Kimball from ajc architects where she has been director of interiors since 2015. Prior to that, she was with VCBO Architecture as an interior designer. She has directed a variety of projects through design and construction administration.
Mabey has a Bachelor of Science in interior design from Weber State University.
Kim Lutz
Lutz was previously with Interior Investments as an account executive with responsibilities that included business development and account management. She worked strategically with manufacturer partners and led the Interior Investments team in supporting client projects and day-to-day office furniture needs. Prior to this, she was with Knoll Studios as a territory sales representative.
Lutz has a Bachelor of Science, Finance (Honors) degree from Eastern Illinois University.
KAI Design & Build Hires Michael Hein as Chief Integration Officer
KAI Design & Build has added Michael Hein as its chief integration officer.
Heing will work closely with KAI President Michael Kennedy Jr. to drive the firm's strategic initiatives, plus work to incorporate efficiency in communication and operating systems within the company.
Michael Hein
Hein has experience in operations and design; engineering, project and construction management; and business development.
Kennedy described Hein as a highly regarded “collaborative leader focused on delivering technical facilities to clients requiring multi-disciplined design services, system integration and document coordination. He will be a true asset to our company and allow me to delegate so we can focus on more corporate initiatives and move the company forward."
Hein has a Master of Urban Design/Architecture degree from The City University of New York and a Bachelor of Science in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
ICFF Studio 2018 Officially Opens for New Submissions
The 13th annual ICFF Studio, the most prestigious design competition in North America, will be May 20-23.
Every year, Bernhardt Design partners with ICFF to invite emerging designers and new talents to submit designs for the contest. The finalists and their work will be presented to the design industry at a special exhibition at the ICFF at the Jacob K. Javits Center.
“We receive entries from across North America and throughout the world that continually blow us away for their thoughtfulness, creativity and technique,” says Coleman Gutshall, director of global strategy for Bernhardt Design. “ICFF Studio helps propel many of these exciting new designers to international acclaim and rewarding careers.”
Notable past ICFF Studio participants include Brad Ascalon, Todd Bracher, Bower, GamFratesi, Nolen Niu and Jonah Takagi, among others. “ICFF Studio is a must-see feature for our audience at the fair,” says Kevin O'Keefe, ICFF event director.
Finalists get to be showcased in front of more than 30,000 architects, interior designers, developers and better retailers from all over North America and the world.” The ICFF Studio 2017 winners are:
- Peidian Cai: Settle table – Pasadena, California
- Studio Foy: Siri Line and Guro Sorbo Midtun Pusle benches – Oslo, Norway
- Guilherme Wentz: Tela chair – Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Yi-Chieh Wang: Moon table – Pasadena, California
- Kendra Kirchner: Drawer table – Miami, Florida
- Ruoxi Wang: Loop desk – San Francisco, California, USA
- Aiden Bowman and Josh Metersky: Janus table lamp – Brooklyn, New York
- Tom Skeehan: Hup Hup chair – Canberra, Australia
- Xiaotong Wang: Product TBD – Pasadena, California
- Refaeli Ma: Leira lounge chair – Beijing, China
Applications for ICFF Studio 2018 are now being accepted. The application deadline is Jan. 15. Designers can visit www.icff.com/show/icff-studio for more information and to apply.
CIDA Calls for Community Comment on Revisions to Professional Standards 2017
Comments on proposed revisions to the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) Professional Standards 2017 are being accepted through Dec. 15. Finalized revisions will be adopted in January 2018 with implementation July 1 for accreditation reviews taking place in fall 2018.
Proposed revisions primarily reflect refinements to user feedback following implementation of standards in 2017. Additionally, criteria related to human-centered design, human well-being and the environment reflect minor adjustments that address the CIDA Board of Directors' future forecasting activity. Overall, proposed revisions streamline existing content, improve continuity of user interpretation and incrementally elevate expectations for significant, practice-related content.
“CIDA's Professional Standards are a living document that keeps pace both with the rapidly evolving content of practice as well as users' interpretation of new and revised content,” says Executive Director Holly Mattson. “We strongly encourage and welcome community input in this and all opportunities for review and comment. CIDA's accreditation standards reflect a common investment in quality higher education, and participation is a powerful way individual practitioners, educators and other stakeholders can influence the future.”
Comments on proposed revisions to the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) Professional Standards 2017 are being accepted through Dec. 15. Finalized revisions will be adopted in January 2018 with implementation July 1 for accreditation reviews taking place in fall 2018.
Proposed revisions primarily reflect refinements to user feedback following implementation of standards in 2017. Additionally, criteria related to human-centered design, human well-being and the environment reflect minor adjustments that address the CIDA Board of Directors' future forecasting activity. Overall, proposed revisions streamline existing content, improve continuity of user interpretation and incrementally elevate expectations for significant, practice-related content.
“CIDA's Professional Standards are a living document that keeps pace both with the rapidly evolving content of practice as well as users' interpretation of new and revised content,” says Executive Director Holly Mattson. “We strongly encourage and welcome community input in this and all opportunities for review and comment. CIDA's accreditation standards reflect a common investment in quality higher education, and participation is a powerful way individual practitioners, educators and other stakeholders can influence the future.”
To learn more about CIDA standards development and comment on them, visit https://accredit-id.org/standards-development/.