Everyone in the office furniture industry agrees: Attracting and retaining young, talented professionals is critical for its continued growth and success. Yet when many of these noobies sign on, they have absolutely no idea of how this complicated and often maddening industry works.
Sure, any good company will onboard the new employee with a lot of information — mostly about the company and how it works. Yet the big picture is lost. How did this industry end up with a list price, and why doesn't any customer pay it? How do dealers and independent reps work? How does the architecture and design community fit into the puzzle?
Meadows
Waayenberg
Most who have been in the industry a while could easily answer all those questions, but for the uninitiated, the complexity of the office furniture world can be intimidating and lead them to leave for an “easier” industry.
Embark wants to change that. The company was founded by longtime industry insider Sid Meadows, who many know from his work with Haworth and AIS as a coaching, consulting and training firm. One of the first training programs Embark has developed is “Contract Interiors: An Introduction.” Its aim is helping new people in the industry understand the products, people and process.
Embark has other training programs like “Craft Your Journey,” a group coaching workshop that helps industry professionals define their vision and develop a plan to move forward. The company also does confidential, client-specific training programs, and it is developing training programs for project management, business development, A+D strategies and high performance sales. Embark is considering adding a course on sales funnel development and management as well.
Meadows has been in the industry since 1992 and said he immediately fell in love with it. He worked first for a Haworth dealer, then a couple of manufacturers, most notably Haworth and AIS. A few years ago, he decided to try something different and began developing Embark.
“I just started jotting down ideas,” Meadows said. “Out of that came Embark. Looking at the name, to me, it symbolizes starting a new journey. I started looking at the industry and what its challenges are. It started out as a mission to be able to give back and continue to contribute to this industry. I have been very fortunate to meet a lot of amazing people in this industry. I learned a lot through a lot of great mentors. I want to give back to a younger generation in the hope they have the fondness of this industry that I have. I really could not imagine doing anything else. It is a crazy, fun industry.”
When you look at the industry, Meadows said there are a lot of challenges it is facing. It needs to address the latest trends, consumer needs and the way people work. The industry also needs to understand it is aging and not doing a holistic job of recruiting, attracting and retaining new talent.
“They don't stay because we don't teach them or develop them,” he said. “We do a poor job of attracting and retaining new, young people. We need to look at how we coach people. I've gone through all the processes as certified professional coach. So how do we help people get better at their job?”
Meadows said Embark is not about following a prescribed consulting package. Instead, it wants to talk to the client, understand who they are, what they do and where they want to go and put a plan together. Every engagement is completely unique, he said. And after the training is complete, Embark will stay with the client to make sure they “continue to take the steps they need to take to be successful.” Meadows said very little training exists in the industry. Instead, it is left to the individual to sink or swim.
Several training options will be available. The first is an online one that includes a video course with 30-45 minute segments that students can use to learn at their own pace. Another option is to join one of Embark's group sessions, which is conducted live online and includes five to 10 people over a five-week period. The modules are two hours.
“What is important (with the group session) is the interaction between the participants,” Meadows said. “They get to hear us present, and they get to interact with us and engage with other people who might be brand new to our industry.”
Participants in the group sessions receive a workbook and take assessments. They can also watch video of the sessions anytime. The other option is a one-on-one session with Meadows and Embark Marketing Consultant Erica Waayenberg.
The next training session starts Thursday.
“We spent months creating the content,” Meadows said. “It is not opinion-based, it is fact-based. If you ask someone who has been in the industry for six months what BIFMA is, they will probably be like deer in the headlights. This is information they need.”
Meadows and Waayenberg handle all the training and from a delivery standpoint, they come to the industry from different perspectives. Meadows is from the manufacturer, dealer and sales side, while Waayenberg comes from the interior design side.
“This industry is very web-like,” Waayenberg said. “It is important to help people understand the connection point; what really matters in the industry. I think that has been really impactful (for those participating in the course).”