Three Teknion Workplace Products Receive 2017 Good Design Awards

Teknion Corporation has announced that three of its workplace furniture products — the Expansion Cityline furniture system, the Altos Landscape wall collection and the height-adjustable desk and Nuova Contessa task chair — have been recognized with 2017 Good Design Awards. The annual international competition is presented by The Chicago Athenaeum, together with The European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies and recognizes the work of thousands of designers and manufacturers worldwide who have suproduce the most outstanding design products across the world.

National Office Furniture's Kozmic Collaborative Collection Receives GOOD DESIGN Award

National Office Furniture, a unit of Kimball International, Inc., has been named a 2017 GOOD DESIGN Award Winner for its Kozmic Collaborative Collection product series. Kozmic received this award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, in the Furniture Category. The award is presented to the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial, product, and graphic designs produced around the world. Winners are selected among thousands of submissions from leading manufacturers and industrial and graphic designers from over 48 countries, representing the most influential and visionary corporations around the world.

National's design team developed Kozmic to encompass today's need for versatile furniture. Kozmic provides options for sitting, leaning, standing, and perching, addressing the need for comfortable furniture that can be used in a variety of spaces. Kozmic's spine based design provides the flexibility to outfit small to large spaces and incorporate surfaces and impromptu seating. Optional power and USB outlets provide straightforward solutions to the ever-growing need to plug in and charge up. These grommets are integrated into Kozmic's design, making them easy to locate and simple to use.

“We are honored and thrilled to receive the GOOD DESIGN award,” said Angie Schuch, National's Director of Marketing. “This award not only recognizes our dedication to designing and producing industry-leading products, it shows our passion for developing innovative and game-changing solutions.”

IDSA Appoints Chris Livaudais as Interim Executive Director

The Industrial Designers Society of America has appointed designer Chris Livaudais as its new interim executive director.

“Chris works in industrial design as many of us would classically define it — but also in high concept futures, experience, research and strategy,” says Megan Neese, chair of IDSA's board of directors. “Because he's based in San Francisco, he's also immersed in the technocentric culture of design in the Bay Area, where the role and skill set of a product designer is rapidly expanding.”

He graduated from Auburn University and spent a decade making product/service experiences as an industrial designer and creative director in Atlanta.

Livaudais succeeds Daniel Martinage, who led the organization from 2012 to 2017.

Arc-Com Names Jim Carew as Division Manager, Gulf Region

Arc-Com is excited to announce that on Monday, January 15, 2018, Jim Carew joins the Sales Management Team as a Division Manager for the Gulf Region.

Jim comes to Arc-Com with many years of sales and sales management experience working for major commercial carpet and flooring manufacturers and for the past 16 years, as a Regional Vice President for the Gulf area.

Arc-Com welcomes Jim to our growing sales management team. He has extensive knowledge of working with architects, designers, dealers, and end-users. His skills and experience in the contract market and expertise in sales management will bring added value to our company as we expand our Gulf Division.