Allsteel Inc., hosted an event at its newly refreshed New York City showroom for Gentleman’s Retreat, a program powered by Transformative Culture Project, whose mission is providing high potential, college-bound inner city high school young men with the tools and vision to be self-directed and self-sufficient in high school, college, their careers and beyond. At the event, members of the Allsteel team provided the attendees with a brief awareness of the Future of Work – trends that will be changing business in the coming years – as well as, a tour of the showroom and a rundown about how space helps define work and collaboration. In addition, the 16 members of Gentleman’s Retreat who were in attendance, discussed the different career paths in the design industry and were able to ask questions regarding what those opportunities would look like and what the path to these careers would entail.

After a chance encounter at a BIF conference where Allsteel’s Senior National Architectural and Design Manager was a featured speaker, a member of Gentleman’s Retreat wanted to learn more about the design industry – an industry that he didn’t even know existed – and he wanted to share this newfound discovery with the other members of the program. Allsteel, an active player in the design community and an ongoing supporter of education and diversity in the industry, saw this as a unique opportunity to share its insight and experience with young, inquisitive, and bright high school students.

“Speaking at conferences has always been a passion of mine – sharing knowledge, gaining knowledge, and making connections with interesting and talented people all over the country,” says AJ Paron-Wildes, National A&D Manager for Allsteel. “Our goal has always been to strengthen our community and give back to our industry, and what better way than to actively engage with a broader, more diverse set of potential designers such as the members of Gentleman’s Retreat.”