(left to right) Thomas R. Young III, CEO of Young Office, and Thomas R. Young IV, president of Young Office. Photo by Will Crooks/Upstate Business Journal
When the family-owned Young Office first began offering its commercial office supply services in 1953, the term “creative workplace” hadn’t been coined yet. Now as Young Office celebrates 65 years as a commercial interiors company with showrooms in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Asheville, N.C., it has become a leader in designing progressive and functional worwkspace in the technology-driven 21st century.
The family business
The company has stayed in the family all 65 years — in fact, for four generations now with its current president, Thomas R. Young IV.
Great-grandfather Thomas R. Young Sr. bought the Calhoun Office Supply of Spartanburg in 1953, later changing the name to Young Office Supply. After serving in the Korean War, the next generation, Thomas R. Young Jr., joined Young Office.
The current CEO, Thomas R. Young III, joined the company after graduating from The Citadel in 1974. Thomas R. Young IV also joined Young Office after his Citadel graduation in 2002.
Young Office offered a variety of services to meet the needs of their clients at the time, primarily commercial office supplies. In its early days, Young Office was also a large Frigidaire company that taught people how to use modern technology of the ’50s — electric ice makers and stoves.
The next step
Now, Young Office takes pride in partnering with Steelcase, the largest commercial office furniture manufacturer in the world. Since it became a Steelcase dealer in the early ’70s, Young Office has received the Steelcase Premier Partner award since 2013, which is given to the best-performing dealers.
“It’s a team effort, and it’s a measurement across the company from quality controls, sustainability, community impact, customer experience, financial stability — everything,” Thomas R. Young IV says. “It’s a good way to run your business; it’s not an easy thing to do.”
To take furniture to the next level, Steelcase partnered with Microsoft to co-create places and devices that drive creativity in the workplace. In a real-life office, classroom, or hospital, this means ingraining the technology into the walls and furniture.
Young Office’s new showroom in Greenville, which opened this year, displays the many possibilities for a variety of workspaces.