The company — now headed up by President and CEO Matt Schad and his brother, Brandon Schad, marketing manager — is celebrating its 75th year as a family-owned and -led company in the Grand Rapids area.
The brothers’ great-grandfather, George Schad, then superintendent at the former Stow & Davis Furniture Co. in Grand Rapids, left the security of his managerial role to try something new, founding Nucraft in 1945 with a partner.
The company started out producing solid walnut office accessories, such as letter trays, wastepaper baskets and “costumers,” or coat racks, to complement the desks and other wood office furniture being produced at the time by local manufacturers.
In the 1960s and ’70s, George Schad Jr. took the reins of the company, expanding into occasional tables, bookcases and desks, with sales growth largely driven by the government sector.
Tim Schad joined his father, George Schad Jr., in 1979 and eventually took over leadership, transforming Nucraft’s catalog from desks and accessories to a complete set of conference room solutions, as well as adding the ability to fill custom orders. During Tim Schad’s time, the company also built a showroom at Merchandise Mart in Chicago, where the annual NeoCon conference for the built industry is held each June.
In 2000, Bob Bockheim became the company’s first nonfamily president and led the charge into using industrial designers to tap into new product areas, including the integration of furniture and technology solutions, shifting from a dealer-driven focus to an art-and-design-heavy focus.
Bockheim recently retired, and Matt Schad, a 15-year Nucraft employee, added the title of president to the CEO role he had held since 2014. Before returning to West Michigan to work in the family business, Matt Schad and his wife, Diana Schad, now executive director of the Family Business Alliance in downtown Grand Rapids, both practiced law in Washington, D.C.
Brandon Schad left the Colorado ski industry about five years ago, returning to Grand Rapids to start a family with his wife, Colleen Schad.