03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS

CITED:“COMMON SENSE IS THE MOST WIDELY SHARED COMMODITY IN THE WORLD, FOR EVERY MAN IS CONVINCED THAT HE IS WELL SUPPLIED WITH IT.” —RENÉ DESCARTES

A Miami Law Firm’s New Progressive Workplace by Gensler

The legal market has long operated in a culture of hierarchical organization, placing top emphasis on tangible distinctions among firm partners, associates, paralegals and support staff. But law firms around the country are beginning to detangle themselves from hierarchy-based design concepts. Law firm Akerman recently moved into its new Miami offices at Three Brickell City Centre, designed by Gensler. The new offices introduce a significant step forward in office design within the legal industry, in Miami and on a national level, with a perfectly balanced Miami-modern aesthetic and a series of flexible collaboration spaces that will help Akerman streamline its work.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 3…

The Open Work of Koleksiyon

Four years ago, upon reading The Open Work, by the great Italian novelist and philosopher Umberto Eco, Koray Malhan, chief designer for the Turkish office furniture manufacturer, Koleksiyon, came to believe that Eco’s concept of openness applied in a fundamental way to the art of furniture design. In an interview this past week at the opening of a new showroom in Dallas, TX, officeinsight Publisher Bob Beck and Mr. Malhan discussed Koleksiyon’s “open work” design theory and its newest furniture concepts.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 10…

Concurrents – Environmental Psychology: Surveying Success

In the best of cases, change is informed by knowledge, and surveys are an often used method of collecting the data that, when integrated, becomes just that – actionable change. But, writing a survey that actually collects the information needed is difficult. Fortunately, for everyone writing survey questions and acting after analyses of them are complete, Sage Publications has published important texts on the surveying process. This is the first in a series of articles chronicling stellar surveying tactics.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 18…

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 2 OF 37

NYC Lounge.Deep, modular, highly customizable, with generous proportions. Suitable for complex furnishing projects or as an iconic stand-alone piece. Four different styles. Endless combinations.

stylexseating.com

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 3 OF 37

a&d

The legal market has long operated in a culture of hier-archical organization, placing top emphasis on tangible distinctions among firm partners, associates, paralegals and support staff. But this industry continues to strive to keep up with modern company culture practices and office de-sign concepts, and law firms around the country are indeed beginning to detangle themselves from hierarchy-based design concepts.

Law firm Akerman recently moved into its new Miami offices at Three Brickell City Centre, designed by Gensler. The new offices introduce a significant step forward in office design within the legal industry, in Miami and on a national level, with a perfectly balanced Miami-modern aesthetic and a series of flexible collaboration spaces that will help Akerman streamline its work.

After an initial discovery and research phase, Akerman and Gensler identified four key themes Akerman wanted its new Miami digs to signify:

>Forward-thinking: employing the latest design best prac-tices and integrating the latest technolgy

>Collaborative: contributing to the firm’s culture of col-laborative innovation and ongoing R&D

>Flexible: using adaptable space to support the ever-changing needs of clients

>Efficient: contributing to the performance and intensity of our professionals

“Gensler does a lot of law firm work, and I think they were looking to us to push them into a space that they could live and grow in,” said Ed Wood, design director and principal at Gensler, New York office. “They wanted us to be very progressive.”

Gensler kicked off its progressive design plan by propos-ing uniformly sized offices for both partners and associ-ates – a big ask for any law firm accustomed to large-scale partner offices on the perimeter of a floor plate. Akerman opted-in to the change, along with several other shared, collaborative-based design concepts new to them, includ-ing war rooms, a pantry/coffee bar with a bar-stool setting on each floor, and tech-heavy rooms that would replace the standard “case rooms” with boxes of case materials lining the walls. A multipurpose room with movable walls

A Miami Law Firm’s New Progressive Workplace by Genslerby Mallory Jindra

Reception at Akerman law offices in Miami. Photography: courtesy of Akerman

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 4 OF 37

a&d

can function as auditorium, mock trial area, dinning center, or training space.

Each floor also features an “Office Commons” – a shared space specially designated for visiting lawyers travel-ling from other Akerman offices, in-terns, or teams of lawyers collaborating on a case. With each Office Commons space, Akerman intends to provide an opportunity for its employees to make new connections and collaborate in a way it didn’t before.

Gensler fitted all individual work-spaces and private offices with Knoll workstations that cut down on cabine-try. And in contrast to the stately leather chairs of many law firm offices, Aker-man chose the light, mesh-backed Knoll Generation chairs for all employees.

Each floor features an “Office Commons” – a shared space specially designated for visiting lawyers traveling from other Akerman offices, interns, or teams of lawyers collaborating on a case. With each Office Commons space, Akerman intends to provide an opportunity for its employees to make new connections and collaborate in a way it didn’t before.

Akerman is home to one of the largest private conference centers in Miami, with capacity to host meetings for up to 300 people, featuring the latest conferencing tech and retractable wall systems for easy reconfiguration.

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 5 OF 37

ADVE

RTIS

EMEN

T

A WorkStyles Solution. The WorkStyles Collection offers a provocative alternative to the typical private office by creating inspired spaces for both individual work and collaborative interactions. Instead of a single workwall expression for the entire collection, WorkStyles offers a range of “statement-making” elements as centerpieces to a universal workplace platform designed

for use in private office and open plan areas equally. Easily re-purposed tables and storage readily adapt to a range of environments and office footprints. Design by David Fuehrer, Ehren Gaag, Jay Koback and Roberto Mariduena.

Tuohy Furniture Corporationt: 800.533.1696 e: info@tuohyfurniture.comw: tuohyfurniture.com

What Do You Call a Product Collection That Wins Five Best of NeoCon 2015 Awards and a Best of Year 2015?

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 6 OF 37

a&d

The new office is home to one of the largest private conference centers in Miami, with capacity to host meetings for up to 300 people, featuring the latest conferencing tech and retractable wall systems for easy reconfiguration.

Gensler carefully laid out a floor plan promoting transparency through the middle of the building and maxi-mizing natural daylighting and exterior views. In developing the conferencing center, Gensler created a “concep-tual porch” design, placing confer-ence rooms on the interior and lining them with glass and a large walkway perimeter.

“It was important to see through the building,” said Mr. Wood. “Wherever you are in the space, you have a vista of natural light.”

Natural light played a central role in

the transparent, open aesthetic Aker-man wanted to achieve. In choosing a color palette, materials and furniture pieces, Gensler took inspiration from Akerman’s collection of photography that captures the water, sand, light and botanical aspects of Miami, but manifested in an understated way. The new offices are light-filled, airy and luxurious.

“We wanted to connect to the beach quality of Miami without being kitschy,” said Mr. Wood. “It has a strong sense of regional quality to it.”

Guests and employees leave the urban exterior of Miami behind and enter the Akerman offices by way of an impressive double height recep-tion with a stunning cascading light sculpture, in which hundreds of lights sway whimsically from the ceiling.

But perhaps the most inspiring new

Guests and employees leave the urban exterior of Miami behind and enter the Akerman offices by way of an impressive double height reception with a stunning cascading light sculpture.

In developing the conferencing center, Gensler created a “conceptual porch” design, placing conference rooms on the interior and lining them with glass and a large walkway perimeter.

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 7 OF 37

a&dspace in the Akerman offices is the Akerman Café. Located on the corner of the building’s top floor, the Café is a shared amenity space open to all em-ployees with fantastic views. Divided into two rooms, the space captures Gensler’s thoughtfully crafted water and beach aesthetic.

Assorted Knoll benches and chairs, lounge chairs by Ligne Roset, and Wishbone Chairs by Hans Wegner rest beneath light fixtures by Tom Dixon. In a room with two full window walls, a stunning 24-foot-long live-edge ash wood table offers a sense of communi-ty for employees who would otherwise eat lunch at their desks. As an added amenity, Akerman serves breakfast to all employees each Friday.

Located on the corner of the building’s top floor, the Akerman Café is a shared amenity space open to all employees with fantastic views.

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 8 OF 37

a&dIn addition to being pre-certified

LEED Gold, and one of 14 buildings in the U.S. where Akerman has offices that are LEED or Energy Star certi-fied, the Brickell City Centre building also has a few great real estate talking points. It’s the only office building in the Brickell area with a Metromover – a free mass transit automated people mover train system – attached to its structure, offering employees super easy com-mutes to and from the office, and to various parts of the city during the day to visit the courthouse and clients.

The building also sits in a complex that is home to the “Climate Ribbon™,” a 150,000 square foot elevated trellis connecting all areas of the complex and creating a comfortable microcli-mate for shoppers through the use of passive energy devices. According to Swire Properties, which developed it, “The Climate Ribbon™ serves multiple purposes: acting as a shade for the project’s walkways, shops, restaurants,

escalators and terraces to protect visi-tors from rain and sunlight, creating air flow to optimize temperatures and collecting rainwater for reuse, all while allowing Brickell CityCentre shopping to be open air and naturally lit.”

The new Miami offices offer Aker-man the ability to accommodate immediate headcount growth by as much as 10%, achieved as the result of reimagining how each type of Aker-man employee use their workspaces. And Akerman intends to use its new Miami office as a model for other core markets, including New York and Chicago, which is more than doubling its physical footprint in less than two years of the office opening.

“The changing law business has an insatiable need for new ideas, and we saw this project as an opportunity to reimagine not only where we work, but how we work,” said Andrew Smulian, Akerman chairman and CEO, in a press announcement by Akerman. “We

turned concepts such as collaboration and transparency into convention, and created a working environment that is forward-thinking and efficient.” n

A stunning 24-foot-long live-edge ash wood dining table in the Café offers a sense of community for employees who would otherwise eat lunch at their desks.

Andrew Smulian, Akerman chairman and CEO

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 9 OF 37

ADVE

RTIS

EMEN

T

www.ERGinternational.com

Celebrating

ERG International would like to thank our many dealers, designers,

specifiers and, of course, our customers across our great country.

We are extremely grateful for your support and your contributions to

our persistent and continual growth.

Thank You!

We’re looking forward to our next 35 years!

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 10 OF 37

product design

The great Italian novelist and philoso-pher Umberto Eco wrote a philosophi-cal treatise named Opera Aperto, or “The Open Work.” In it, Eco argues that art forms such as literary texts, musical compositions and many oth-ers exist best as fields or ranges of meaning, “open forms,” rather than completely finished “closed forms.” Artistic expression, whether in litera-ture, music, sculpture or whatever that limits one’s understanding to a single unequivocal thought or conclusion (closed form) is not as rewarding as one that allows the perceiver of the work to actively engage in giving mean-ing to the work (open work). Think fugue vs. jazz.

Four years ago, upon reading Eco’s The Open Work, Koray Malhan, chief designer for the Turkish office furniture manufacturer, Koleksiyon, came to be-lieve that Eco’s concept of openness ap-plied in a fundamental way to the art of furniture design. In an interview this past week at the opening of a new showroom in Dallas, TX, he told me, “I had been searching for a philosophical foundation for our design in the 21st century when I read Opera Aperto. I thought about what his ideas mean to music and poetry and cinema, looking at the structure of works in those arts, and then I came back to furniture design, asking myself how much of this theory applies to design today. And I thought, ‘not so much.’

The Open Work of Koleksiyonby Bob Beck

Koray Malhan

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 11 OF 37

product design“Most design pieces are finished

and closed and then given to archi-tects and designers, who are already creative people, for them to use. They can just put pieces next to one an-other, workstations one after the other, but this is not really an open form of creation, so we are not really playing jazz, we are playing classical music and not music for the 21st century.

“This is why we are trying to look at new designs, new forms for our com-pany that are open forms, units that are open forms and not just modular. The way they could be composed would be open to interior designers and architects so they could change in every single project due to the layout and the needs of the project. And they could be not only composed but

completely reconstructed according to the needs of the plan.”

It’s obvious there is a strong move-ment in contemporary workplace de-sign toward the kind of openness Mr. Malhan describes, even to those of us who have not struggled through Eco’s Opera Aperta. The leading thinkers in commercial interior design and post occupancy studies have pretty well established as fact that “choice” (read openness) among workstation types, topologies and locations within an of-fice lead to a more engaged, innovative and collaborative workforce.

As a foundational philosophy for office furniture product design then, openness would seem to be a perfect fit, especially since the planners are, as Mr. Malhan says, “…already cre-ative people.” And the ultimate [end] users are happiest and most engaged and creative when given the ability to adapt their furniture to how they want to use it, rather than having to adapt to the furniture.

So let’s take a look at two of the new-er products in the Koleksiyon offering and see to what extent we think they achieve the goal of being open works.

Oblivion, designed by Mr. Malhan himself, is intended to be an open, shared but somewhat private work-place habitat that can be constructed in a huge variety of ways. The conical shape makes a dramatic aesthetic statement and the geometry itself provides some interesting structural characteristics. The specifying steps imply quite a high degree of openness:

>First step: choosing the floor diameter

>Second step: choosing the height and top diameter

>Third set of decisions: concerns arranging the interior elements, such as shelves, work surfaces, seats, power accessories and lighting – a surpris-ingly large selection of components with none but the workstation requiring sup-porting legs, due to the strength and

Mr. Malhan presenting his open work concept to a group of designers

Oblivion as displayed in the Dallas showroom

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 12 OF 37

product design

geometry of the angled vertical posts.WWI’d say oblivion would get a 9 out of 10 on my rating scale for open work. It doesn’t get a 10, because even though it can be relocated, it isn’t an easy task – I think it’s a good thing that it doesn’t move easily, and certainly it’s easier to move than most things of comparable scale, but still. Also, while the num-ber of optional components is large, the options are limited by the unique geometry.

In my book, Mr. Malhan gets high marks for openness in furniture design, but in order to achieve his goal across the full product line, as the director of design for the whole company, he must be able to convince other product designers to strive for openness as well.

A view into the interior of an Oblivion arrangement

Detail of data/power option for Oblivion as well as other upholstered products

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 13 OF 37

ADVE

RTIS

EMEN

T

v

Introducing the Belleville Chair and Belleville Armchair. www.vitra.com/bellevillechairDeveloped by Vitra in Switzerland, Design: Ronan & Erwan BouroullecStarting at $370 list

Meet your rep. Request a sample chair. Contact us.sales.us@vitra.com or +1 212.463.5700.

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 14 OF 37

product design

So let’s run another product through the 1 to 10 rating scale.

Tube was designed by the multiple “Compasso D’Oro” award winning team of Manente and Mion, known professionally as Studio Kairos. At least a couple of those awards are for designing storage products for

B&B Italia, and one is for designing the Abak system for Herman Miller in Europe. Their brief from Mr. Malhan, as stated in the Koleksiyon product literature, was to design an “abstract stacking of volumes that provides a rich variety of utilities. While the cabi-nets serve as storage units, the empty

spaces created between the volumes present exciting alternative areas of use, both to store and display.”

The storage system consists of cabi-net modules offered in a wide variety of functional and finish options. The cabinets can be outfitted with drawers or doors that open from the top or the

The Tube arrangement in the Dallas showroom

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 15 OF 37

product designbottom. Finishes are wood veneer in a variety of colors and lacquer. The con-necting axles and legs are steel with epoxy finish.

The concept is that the interior designer can arrange the storage modules in myriad geometric patterns to both divide space and provide stor-age in a completely unique way. The installed effect can be unexpected, interesting and more functional than a mere screen, with the voids providing piling/stacking space in heavy use ar-eas or book storage, or even objet d’art display in lobbies or public spaces.

On my newly devised openness rating scale, this product easily sails to a 9 – Once again, I can’t give it a 10 because the modules (boxes) are not totally open to user manipulation, but this is a terrifically open design for interior planners to “play with.”

The “Borges,” table and desking system by Studio Kairos. An elegant highly adaptable “open work” solution, as displayed in the new Dallas showroom.

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 16 OF 37

product designDespite being the largest in the

known world, the North American of-fice furniture market is not an easy one for European companies to succeed in. It takes more than just showing up with yet again another desking system and some harder than usual office seating.

Koleksyion has a tough road ahead, but it is entering the market with fresh ideas and a strong philosophical foun-dation supporting its product design, and it is making the sorts of commit-ments that bode well for long-term suc-cess. It has already opened showrooms

in New York and Dallas and has just signed a 10-year lease for a showroom on the 11th floor of the Merchandise Mart. We encourage those of you looking for something new to look into Koleksiyon. officeinsight will keep you posted as developments arise. n

Various products as displayed in the Dallas showroom

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 17 OF 37

ADVE

RTIS

EMEN

T

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 18 OF 37

concurrents

It’s Spring, the time of the year when making changes is top of mind with all, not just with people who change things for a living. In the best of cases, change is informed by knowledge, and surveys are an often used method of collecting the data that, when integrated, becomes just that – actionable change.

Writing a survey that actually collects the information needed is difficult. Very difficult. The happiest survey writers are the newest; they plow cheerfully forward with questions they’ve dreamed up, undeterred by practical experiences indicating just how dangerous it is to act on bad data.

Fortunately, for everyone writing survey questions and act-ing after analyses of them are complete, Sage Publications has published important texts on the surveying process. The books written by Floyd Fowler on survey questions themselves are classics, for example.

This is the first in a series of articles on stellar surveying tactics.

It’s important to keep in mind that people answering survey questions are supplying information within the context of the questions and responses provided to them. Sure, there are often open-ended questions, for which survey takers can write mini-essays, but just as often there are limited resources available to make sense of the material in these short state-ments. To survey successfully, it is important to get to know survey takers and the situations you’re investigating upfront, so that questions posed and response options provided are meaningful and the information collected is on target to an-swer questions that need to be resolved for effective design.

Have a finely tuned, straightforward objective for your entire survey in mind, before you write a single question. Then, make sure what’s in your survey aligns with it.

This seems easy and obvious, but many a survey meanders along for question after question, collecting information that doesn’t actually have any bearing on solutions that can be

crafted. Edit. Having survey takers spend even 15 minutes answering questions is often not desirable; respondent bore-dom/exhaustion sets in well before that time.

Other important considerations, which are clearly elabo-rated by Fowler, abound. It’s important to be clear in all survey questions, defining terms that might be confusing over and over in the survey text, because your respondents aren’t as interested in remembering definitions you provide as you think they are. Terms that you might think are basic need to be carefully spelled out. For example, how do you define “workspace” and “workplace”? Probably not the same way as the person who’ll answer your questions. Similarly, the terms used in questions should be the same ones that the survey takers use in their everyday conversations to talk about what-ever issue is being studied.

Misunderstandings about the meanings of terms cause trouble, as do leading questions. Questions can more overtly or covertly prejudice responses. An overt form of prejudice is clear when all question responses asking about a particular situation are subtly positive, for example. When carefully read, this sort of “direction” is often clear in survey questions. Ask-ing someone how satisfied they are with something infers that they are indeed satisfied to some extent. People need to be asked, instead, about how satisfied or dissatisfied they are.

It’s pointless to ask people questions that they’re not willing or able to answer accurately. Willingness to answer accurately seems pretty clear. Some difficulties with accurate response are more subtle; for example, it’s hard to answer questions about normal situations when daily events don’t follow regular patterns.

People are also regularly asked survey questions about po-tential environments, and, to be frank, few of us are prophets. Hypotheticals, in general, are problematic.

In introductions to surveys and their subsections, it’s important not to prejudice responses. Telling people to answer honestly, etc., can alienate respondents because it infers that they might have been dishonest, for example. Also, survey writers sometimes spell out how data will be used in a way that indicates management’s position on a potential environ-mental change, which can color responses.

We’ll also talk about how to word responses that indicate things such as degree of agreement or disagreement with a statement, etc., in a future article. Right now, ask yourself, generally, if you want people to be able to be neutral on an issue or not; neutrality requires a mid-point on a scale, or an odd number of options along a continuum, whereas no mid-point leads to an even number of options.

Surveying Successby Sally Augustin, Ph.D.

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 19 OF 37

concurrentsWhen you’ve written a survey, it’s

important to test your questions ahead of time. After you think you’re done writ-ing the survey, sit down with someone who’s not been involved in developing it, and ask them to answer its ques-tions. Ask them to narrate their experi-ences with your survey out loud as they go along (e.g., providing comments such as “Here, you’re asking about X and since Y and Z, I’m answering A”). Do not interrupt the survey taker, and accept their interpretations of your questions; then revise the survey as necessary. Repeat this step as often as necessary until your questions are work-ing as intended.

Also, analyze the data from the first few other respondents immediately and carefully. It may point out other prob-lems with the survey that haven’t come up in the walkthroughs. For example, if your analyses indicate that lots of older men are using onsite lactation rooms,

take note. Is something wrong with the question you’ve written? Conversely, the question might be well done, and it might actually be that people are seek-ing refuge in these more private spots. Whatever the explanation, you need to check out the situation before you have thousands of potentially screwed up responses on your hands.

It’s important to understand the types of analyses that are possible with the data obtained from particular types of questions. If you plan to use information collected for analyses more complicated than counts of the frequency with which an option was chosen, for example, it’s time to get out a statistics book to make sure the data you’ll gather is up to the task. More on this point will follow in a future article.

More on complex survey issues, from wording tricky response options to how to order questions, to how many people should complete a survey

for useful analyses, will follow in future articles here. n

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive sci-entist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesigncon-nections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Archi-tecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.design-withscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.

SPEED-O: SMART DESIGN | INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGYTwo trim finishes. 14 soft, foam-backed mesh colors. Infinite comfort. $599 list.

www.dauphin.com

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 20 OF 37

ADVE

RTIS

EMEN

T

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 21 OF 37

r-d connectionRESEARCH-DESIGN CONNECTIONWorkplace Wellness Effortsby Sally Augustin, Ph.D.

Robbins and Wansink make recom-mendations for the allocation of work-place wellness resources. As stated in a press release issued by Cornell, “’Instead of focusing on individual wellness outcomes, we propose that it

would be more effective if managers were incentivized to create healthier overall work environments with simple, easy to implement actions such as installing a water cooler, providing healthy snacks at meetings, and encouraging work/life balance,’ said lead author Rebecca Robbins, PhD.” Overall work environment interventions might also include modifications to the physical environment that encour-age activity during the workday, for example. n

“Increase Employee Wellness and Motivation by Tying 10% of Managerial Salary Increases to Health Initiatives.” 2016. Press release, Cornell Univer-sity, http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/op/manager_wellness

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive sci-entist, is the editor of Research Design

Connections (www.researchdesigncon-nections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest re-search findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psycho-logical Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychol-ogy for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwith-science.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.

MATERIAL OF THE WEEK

MC# 7269-01MCPOLYCA: This flexible, thin, lightweight foamed polymer (PET, PC or PPS) sheet by Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd can be thermoformed into rigid parts for lighting applications. The sur-face of the sheets has a high light reflectance that, due to the closed microcellular structure, is highly diffused. This reduces “hot spots” when used as a fluorescent lighting backer (unlike metallic or mirror reflectors, which do not diffuse light). In ad-dition to lighting applications, the sheets are used as reflectors in signage, for back-lit TVs and as diaphragms for electronic devices.

This column is published in collaboration with Material ConneXion. For more information regarding the material previewed, please contact Michael LaGreca at mlagreca@materialconnexion.com. T: 212.842.2050.

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 22 OF 37

officenewswirePRODUCT INTROS>Duravit expanded its DuraStyle bathroom series with tall cabinets. Designed by Matteo Thun and first released in 2013, DuraStyle complements both residential and commercial environ-ments with the slim profile of its ceramics and minimal geometry of its furniture. In addition to the new cabinets, the company is also highlight-ing a bi-color option into the mix, allowing designers to specify two different finishes in one piece. With four or five glass shelves, the tall cabinets provide generous storage and are available in 11 different furniture finishes, as well as the bi-color option. Duravit plans to further complement the DuraStyle line this fall with the release of additional wall-hung vanities and compact furniture washbasins. Read More

>Encore launched the new Skyline series of occasional and meeting tables. De-signed for versatility, Skyline is characterized by subtle detailing and a thin, light-scale profile. Its slender table top, with its elegantly tapered edge, provides a counterbal-ance to its sturdy pedestal base. Available in both square and round shapes in a range of sizes, tops can be specified in a broad variety of laminate selections, Avonite solid surface, or back-painted glass. Base options include Graphite, Metallic Silver, Chrome, Satin Black or color-ful premium finish options. “Skyline represents Encore’s first venture into the meeting tables market, which was a natural progression from our occasional table offering,” said David Logsdon, Encore’s Director of Sales. “We feel this new collection seamlessly complements our existing seating lines and embodies both the quality and energy of the Encore brand.” Read More

>Krownlab introduced Axel, an affordable sliding barn-door hardware system for modern interiors. Made of ¼” thick carbon steel, Axel is fabricated to showcase the natural, untouched beauty of its industrial, raw material. Ex-posed 3” custom-engineered bearings and rugged visible fasteners create a product with a beautiful raw edge and clean, modern aesthetic. It is available in Raw Steel, which will patina wonderfully with age and use, and in Black Steel, which will maintain

its matte black appearance without chipping or flaking. It is suitable for high-traffic commercial environments, requiring virtually no ongoing maintenance, and can sup-port door panels up to 200 lbs. in weight. “Axel is our entry level product offering, but no expense has been spared in ensuring its quality and durability,” said Krown-lab founder and CEO Stefan Andrén. “It will perform as smoothly many years from now as it does on the day it’s installed.” Read More

>Sina Pearson Textiles premiered Fast Track, a new high-performance upholstery fabric collection inspired by competitive sports. Five com-plementary patterns (Mara-thon, Fleecey, Relay, Mesh and Sprinter) in a total of 30 colorways reference iconic athletic motifs and colors. The collection consists of a knit mesh, a textured chenille, a PVC-free polyurethane, a bleach cleanable polyester/acrylic, and an indoor/outdoor Sunbrella® Contract jacquard weave. Fast Track is targeted

For complete releases, visit www.officeinsight.com/officenewswire.

Duravit: Dura tyle tall cabinets Encore: Skyline Meeting Table & Chirp Guest chairs

Krownlab: Axel sliding barn door hardware system

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 23 OF 37

officenewswire

for workplace, healthcare, institutional, hospitality or any application calling for visually striking, exceptionally durable solutions. Read More

>Soelberg Industries’ new Exterior Texture Panels are made of exterior-grade MDF in a wide range of patterns. All patterns are available in 48” x 96” sheets, unfinished to be primed and painted on-site. They are ideal for exterior installation because of their ability to withstand high mois-ture environments, rotting and termites. Read More

NOTEWORTHY>Scott George was promoted to senior vice president of marketing and sales for Valdese Weavers Contract, the commercial fabric divi-sion of Valdese Weavers. A textile industry veteran, Mr. George has spent 35 years growing sales and creating in-novative products for some of the most recognizable names in the trade. He assumed the senior management role in the contract division when he arrived at Valdese in 2013 as vice president of market-ing and sales. Prior to his work at Valdese Weavers, he held executive positions at Mastercraft, Tietex and Inter-national Textile Group. During his tenure at Mastercraft, he led the sales, design and product development teams

to seven-fold revenue growth in six years. “Scott is a proven performer,” said Valdese Weavers Chief Marketing Of-ficer Blake Millinor. “He has a track record of not only in-creasing sales and developing great relationships, but also the ability to create internal efficiencies and attract tal-ent.” Read More

>Kristine Harding, NCARB, AIA, LEED-GA was selected to become the new president of NCARB. An accomplished and effective leader in the architecture profession, Ms. Harding is an Alabama architect who has been long involved with architectural regulation on the state level, having served as a member of the Alabama Board for Reg-istration of Architects since 2005, and serving as chair in 2007-2008. She has served on NCARB’s Committee on Professional Development and the Committee on Proce-dures and Documents, chair-ing the latter in 2010-2011. Harding was elected to the Southern Conference (Region 3) Board in 2007 and served as secretary, vice chair, chair and director. Harding was elected to the NCARB Board as secretary in 2013. She also served as president of the Alabama Council AIA in 2005, and was recently awarded the Alabama Council Accolade Award, which is the highest honor given by the council in recognition for service to the profession. Currently she leads KPS Group’s Huntsville office in the position of vice president and group man-ager. She will be inaugurated

as NCARB president in July, at the organization’s Annual Business Meeting. Read More

>Shen Milsom & Wilke an-nounced 2016 staff promo-tions: -Peter Berry, transporta-tion practice area leader, audiovisual, in New York, was promoted to associate principal. Mr. Berry has been with SM&W for a total of 13 years and has more than 30 years of experience designing and implementing integrated audiovisual and information technology systems. Notable projects have included Boston Backbay Station, Yahoo! New York Headquarters, SUNY Albany Emerging Technol-ogy and Entrepreneurship Complex, Onassis Center, and University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Sina Pearson: Fast Track

Soelberg: Exterior Texture Panels

Scott George

Kristine Harding

Peter Berry

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 24 OF 37

officenewswire-Julie Fischer, acoustics, in Washington, DC, was also promoted to associate principal. Ms. Fischer has been with SM&W for nearly 12 years. She is a member of the INCE and is LEED BD+C accredited. She has worked on a wide range of projects from residential condominiums to studios and research facilities. Projects have included Smithsonian Institute, University of Virginia Emily Couric Cancer Center, Everyman Theatre, National Public Radio Headquarters and Hotel Washington.

Additional promotions include: -Senior Associate: Dan Bar-ton, Audiovisual, New York, NY; Teriann Pikarski, Medical Equipment Planning, Chicago, IL; and Russell Riches, Infor-mation Technology, Dubai -Senior Consultant: Leonard Suskin, Audiovisual, New York, NY; and David Cope-land, Business Development, Chicago, IL -Associate: Pavel Foenko, Information Technology, New York, NY -Consultant: Adam Paul, Acoustics, New York, NY; Bob Tanen, Acoustics, New York, NY; and Sam Mulholland, Security, New York, NY Read More

>Allsteel’s midtown Atlanta dealership, Ivan Allen, was acquired by Office Creations Inc. on Mar. 11. Founded in 2001 and led by CEO Joy Mitchell, Office Creations has established itself as a sig-nificant player in the region’s rapidly expanding commercial furniture segment. “We have experienced dramatic growth over the past five years,” said Ms. Mitchell. “Allsteel’s cred-ibility and breadth of offerings will allow us to jump to the next level as a regional con-tract dealer. We will be able to provide major clients in cor-porate, hospitality, education, healthcare and other sectors with highly customized solu-tions and applications that fulfill their current needs and adapt to future changes.” Office Creations, which assumed ownership of the Peachtree Street location on Mar. 11, continues to operate its Design Studio and Showroom in Suwanee, GA. “The relationship with Office Creations gives Allsteel and HNI access to one of the most dynamic, nimble and knowledgeable industry teams in the greater-Atlanta market,” said Brandon Sieben, President of Allsteel. Read More

>IIDA, in partnership with Emerald Expositions, an-nounced the winners of the annual GlobalShop Product Design Competition on Mar. 23 in Las Vegas. This com-petition honors manufacturers and designers exhibiting at GlobalShop 2016 for prod-uct design advancements in innovation, function and

aesthetics for the retail indus-try. Best of Competition was awarded to Greneker for RUN Mannequins, mannequins designed with 3-D technol-ogy to effectively capture the authentic movement and emotion of an active run-ner. Other category winners included Sedia Systems in the Fixtures category for its JumpSeat Collection; Shaw Hospitality Group in Flooring for Noble Materials Custom; DLC LumiSheet in Lighting for Thermoform LumiSheet; and Moz Designs in the Materials, Surfacing, and Wallcoverings category for its Engravings Collection. Read More

>World Monuments Fund is now accepting nomina-tions for the 2016 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize. This prize is awarded biennially to a design professional or firm in recognition of innovative design solutions that pre-served a modern building or a group of buildings. Estab-lished in 2008 with founding sponsor Knoll, the prize seeks to raise public awareness of the contribution modernism makes to contemporary life, the important place modern-ism holds in the architectural record, and the influential role that architects and designers play in preserving modern heritage. Less than

a century after their design and construction, modern-ist masterpieces – critical documents in the history of architecture – are routinely demolished or disfigured. Recognizing the thought lead-ers and practitioners behind the outstanding preserva-tion projects that save these masterpieces is imperative. The deadline for submissions is July 15, and the winner will be announced in the fall. An independent jury will select the winner. The jury is chaired by Barry Bergdoll, the Meyer Schapiro professor of Art History and Archaeol-ogy, Columbia University, and curator, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art, and includes Theo Prudon, presi-dent, Docomomo US; Dietrich C Neumann, professor of the History of Modern Architec-ture and director, Urban Stud-ies, Brown University; Susan Macdonald, head of Buildings and Sites, Getty Conservation Institute; Jean-Louis Cohen, Sheldon H. Solow professor in the History of Architecture, Institute of Fine Arts/New York University; Karen Stein, critic, architectural advisor, and executive director of the George Nelson Foundation; and Kenneth Frampton, Ware professor of Architecture, Co-lumbia University. Read More

Julie Fischer

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 25 OF 37

officenewswireRE-SITED>Missy Cross joined Desk-Makers as its western region sales director. In her new role, she will work closely with DeskMaker President and CEO Phil Polishook and Rick Wooldridge, the company’s Midwest and East director of sales to oversee DeskMakers’ sales efforts in the western half of the United States and Canada. Ms. Cross has extensive experience on both the manufacturer and dealer side of the office furniture industry. Before joining the DeskMakers team, she worked as a Western territory area manager for Via Seating, and prior to that, she held sales manager positions with Herman Miller, OfficeMax, BKM and Kimball. Read More

>Rebecca Nolan joined AECOM as executive vice president and head of its buildings and places design practice in the Americas. Ms. Nolan has 35 years of experience in strategic plan-ning, architectural design and leadership in the health care, corporate workplace, higher education, science and technology and aviation markets. Based in Chicago,

she leads an AECOM team of more than 2,000 architects, planners, building engineers, interior designers, land-scape architects and other consultants. Prior to joining AECOM, Nolan was manag-ing principal for HOK’s offices in St. Louis and Chicago and a member of the firm’s six-person Executive Committee, where she drove business strategy and firm-wide com-munications, marketing, and knowledge management. “With Rebecca’s leadership, we are committed to making buildings a much more robust aspect of AECOM’s offering as well as integrating a place-making perspective into civil infrastructure design, so that these projects not only solve technical challenges but also help to build flourishing and resilient urban environments,” said Fred Werner, group president of AECOM’s design and consulting services. Read More

>Cheryl Spott joined Falcon as its western regional manager for the Falcon and Thonet brands of table and seating solutions. With nearly three decades of experi-ence, Ms. Spott has spent

her career in the contract furniture industry. She most recently served as western U.S. regional sales manager and director of international sales for Indiana Furniture. In her new role, she will oversee sales operations and person-nel for the Western U.S. She noted that Falcon’s experi-ence and expertise in creating multi-purpose spaces drew her to the company. “Falcon’s overall product offering sup-ports how people work today and provides smart solutions for designing in open environ-ments,” she said. Read More

>Sandra Parét, Brett Shwery and Kim Vinson joined AECOM as senior vice presi-dents in the firm’s corporate workplace design practice. Formerly leading the strategic accounts design practice for a major global design firm (HOK), Ms. Parét, Mr. Shwery and Ms. Vinson have each worked for between 24 and 33 years with Fortune 500 clients in a variety of industries, including life sci-ences and pharmaceutical, financial services, high-tech and media. “We’ve come to AECOM because here we can offer clients an approach that encompasses the whole proj-ect lifecycle, from strategy, to design, to delivery, to opera-tions,” said Ms. Vinson. “Elevating design culture and ensuring consistent quality across all design practices will be a big part of our focus,” commented Mr. Shwery. “I’m looking forward to knit-ting together the significant talent already within AECOM and welcoming key hires to augment the team,” added Ms. Parét. “We’re delighted to welcome

Missy Cross

Rebecca Nolan

Cheryl Spott

L-R: Kim Vinson, Brett Shwery and Sandra Parét - Photography by Dennis Trantham at Westside Studio

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 26 OF 37

officenewswireSandra, Brett and Kim,” said Rebecca Nolan, executive vice president and head of AECOM’s buildings and places design practice in the Americas. “Their collective expertise makes them the ideal team to springboard our corporate workplace practice into becoming a market lead-er and providing unparalleled service and design innovation to clients.” Read More

ENVIRONMENT>Neutral Posture’s current line of system and seating products is now third-party certified as BIFMA level® 2 through SCS Global Ser-vices. Certification to level® attests that the product, the manufacturing facility, and the company responsible for the product brand, have been evaluated by an accredited third-party certification body against the multi-attribute criteria of the standard. Tak-ing into account a company’s social responsibility, energy usage, material selection, hu-man and ecosystem health, along with numerous other impacts, level® addresses how a product is sustainable from multiple perspectives. “Neutral Posture is proud to be recognized by BIFMA as level 2,” said Neutral Pos-ture’s CEO and co-founder Rebecca Boenigk. “We see this accomplishment as a direct reflection of the hard work of everyone in our com-pany.” Read More

EVENTS>Ceramics of Italy will bring one of the largest interna-tional contingents to Chicago Apr. 18-21 for the 27th edi-tion of Coverings – the tile and stone industry’s premier exposition in North America. Organized by Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Associa-tion of Ceramics) with support from the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, the Italian pavilion will feature 122 brands introducing the latest design trends and technical innovations in tile and installation products. Meanwhile, a newly designed central stand that serves as an industry information hub and authentic Italian cafe will bring a fresh look and energy to the show. In the heart of the Italian pavilion, the Ceramics of Italy booth (1531) will feature a dynamic new design by the New York firm e+i studio. With benches, standing communal tables and two large kiosks hous-ing a café, coffee bar and information desk, Strada Dinamica will evoke the configuration and movement of a lively Italian streetscape.

The space will function not only as an information point and lunch destination – with authentic Italian pasta served daily by Ceramics of Italy’s long-running culinary partner, Spuntino Catering – but also as a showcase of the inven-tive offerings from Ceramics of Italy member manufactur-ers. Furnishings will be clad in Magnum Oversize tiles from Florim, and large format tiles from Lea Ceramiche will be set on a raised flooring system by Newfloor while the installation and maintenance of the space will be facili-tated by grout and cleaning products from Mapei and Fila Surface Care Solutions. Sur-rounding the Ceramics of Italy space, Italian manufacturers will showcase the latest de-sign concepts and technical advancements in tile and ad-hesives in the Italian Pavilion. This year, hexagon and brick shapes, linear and frag-mented designs, chevron and herringbone patterns, and tiles in soft hues and marine color palettes are expected to dominate the show floor. For the seventh consecutive year, Ceramics of Italy will also

participate in the Installation Design Showcase, a show initiative demonstrating the interdependent relationship between innovative products, creative design and expert in-stallation. This year, Ceramics of Italy is working with award-winning interior designer Alena Capra and NTCA Five Star contractors from Artcraft Tile and Marble to create an eye-catching cross-section of a luxury boutique. Over the course of the show, visitors will observe the step-by-step construction of the space in-cluding the installation of tile in a variety of sizes and thick-nesses, from intricate mosa-ics and three-dimensional wall tiles to textural floor tiles and a tile-clad central display. Sicis, Atlas Concorde, Tagina Ceramiche d’Arte and Ceramica Sant’Agostino have all donated tiles from popular, award-winning collections while Mapei provided the installation materials. Read More

>The Design Center at the Merchandise Mart on Thursday, Apr. 14 will pres-ent a CEU course, “Public Relations, Content Strategy and Social Media: Promoting Your Design Business.” This informational session with re-nowned PR firm Jo Chicago, moderated by Andrea Mills, Editor in Chief of Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago, will share tips on how designers can harness public relations, content strategy and social media to help promote their business. The one-hour class begins at noon in the Lounge 1447 Conference

Ceramics of Italy booth at Coverings

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 27 OF 37

officenewswire

Center on the 14th floor. It is free to attend, but registration is required. Attendees are also encouraged to purchase tickets for the DreamHome Grand Opening Celebration, which takes place later the same day, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Read More

>ICFF announced the schools chosen to exhibit during NYCxDESIGN week at ICFF®, May 14-17 in NYC’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Out of dozens of submissions from universities, colleges, art and technical schools nationwide, ICFF organizers selected 13 schools for their innovative and distinct studio portfolio themes: -Fashion Institute of Technol-ogy with: A Sense of Space…A Sense of Place -Kean University will pres-ent: Empathy + Aesthetics + Economy -Parsons School of Design with: How = What: Process and Experimentation -Pratt Institute will feature work from its Post Digital program -New Jersey Institute of Technology will address: The Contemporary 21st Century Lifestyle

-Rhode Island School of De-sign presents: The Narrative of Making -Rochester Institute of Technol-ogy will present its Metaproject -Savannah College of Art and Design presents: Reaching Out -School of Art Institute of Chicago will present: SAIC AND CB2 -South Dakota State Uni-versity will present: Reggio Inspired Furniture Design -Syracuse University with its: Chair Practicum -University of Illinois at Chica-go addresses: Reading Room: How Do You Read Design? -University of Iowa Studio Arts will feature work from its 3D Design Program Read More

>IIDA NY Rochester City Center on Thursday, Apr. 14 will present “What’s Next?” – a student/alumni/profes-sional event exploring job op-portunities in interior design. It will take place 5:30-8:00 p.m. at Rochester Institute of Technology’ University Gal-lery Booth Hall, Room 2765. Read More

>The New York Eleven Plus (NY11+) Annual Interior Design Student Exhibition, this year titled “Interior Design: Educate & Elevate the Profession,” will open at the Lapicida NYC showroom and be on display from April 12-15. NY11+ was founded in 1997 by Ruth Lynford, FASID, IIDA, CID, AIA Assoc. as an exhibition of work from prestigious New York State educational institutions, all offering four-year programs or more in Interior Design. To date, more than a dozen schools join together each year in an effort to reach the general public, legislators and the design community through student work. The exhibition has raised awareness of the complex-ity and responsibilities of the interior design profession as it applies to the health, safety and welfare of the public. The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on April 12, 5:30 p.m. at the Lapicida

NYC showroom, 222 East 59 Street on the ground level. Guest Speakers will include Jeff Lovell, Managing Direc-tor at Park Strategies; Mary Golden, Chair of Interior Design at Rochester Institute of Technology; and Scott Cook, Manager at Lapicida. Immediately following the rib-bon cutting ceremony, a short presentation will feature dy-namic New York State-based Interior Designers who will talk about their exciting new projects. Reception will follow. Space is limited at Lapicida NYC; please RSVP by April 11 to rsvp@ny11plus.org. Participating NY11+ schools include Buffalo State College, Cazenovia College, Cornell University, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York Insti-tute of Technology, New York School of Interior Design, Par-sons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Sage College of Albany, School of Visual Arts, Syracuse University and Villa Maria College. Sponsors for this year’s event are the Angelo Donghia Foundation and IIDA NY. Patrons are ASID NY Metro and Benjamin Moore & Co. Contributors include Agel-off & Associates, Carnegie,

Ruth Lynford along with Jane Blair, Executive Secretary of the New York State Board of Interior Design and Students pose in the Well at the 2015 opening in Albany, NY

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 28 OF 37

officenewswireDrake Design Associates, EvensonBest LLC, HBF and HBF Textiles, HOK, Interface, Knoll, M2L, New York Window Film Co., Perkins+Will, Scott Group Studio and Sherwin-Williams. Special thanks to Lapicida NYC, and trade publication partners: of-ficeinsight, Contract, Interior Design, interiors+sources, and Metropolis. Please visit www.ny11plus.org for more information. Read More

>Sossego will host the grand opening of its new show-room, Suite 1445 in The Design Center at the Mer-chandise Mart™ on Thurs-day, Apr. 7, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Sossego [so-SAY-go] is exclusive distributor of Aristeu Pires’ modern Brazilian designs in the U.S. Designers, architects, and other trade professionals are invited to explore the new showroom and experience the hand-crafted, award-winning fur-niture known for its contem-porary design sensibility and warm Brazilian wood, while enjoying Brazilian treats and coffee with a happy Bossa Nova beat. The showroom was designed by renowned Porto Allegre architect Leon-ardo Mader and exudes the warmth and tempo of Brazil. The design of the space is meant to compliment the showroom’s South American

roots, including walls lined with backlit images of the lush Serra Gaúcha mountainous region in which the Jaquitibá hardwood grows, and is the home of Aristeu Pires’ epony-mous manufacturing facility. In 2007, only six years after launching his furniture line, the Gisele Lounge chair won Brazil’s prestigious “Museu da Casa Brasileira” award in

the furniture category. “We are thrilled to feature Aristeu Pires as our anchor designer as we position Sossego to be the source for modern Brazil-ian design in the U.S.,” said Managing Partner Jonathan Durling. “The timing of our launch is ideal as modern Brazilian design is emerg-ing as an important trend in North America.” Read More

Randy Fiser (ASID National), Ruth Lynford and Scott Cook (Lapicida) cut the ribbon at the 2015 exhibition opening at Lapi-cida showroom in NYC

Ruth Lynford and Ellen Fisher (NYSID) pose with young New York State interior designers, (Back row - left to right), Jamie Perez (Parsons Alumna), Harri-son Walsh (Villa Maria Alumnus), Erin McDaniel (SVA Alumna) and Andrew Kaplan (NYSID) at the 2015 opening in New York City

Sossego Gisele Lounge chair by Aristeu Pires

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 29 OF 37

businessRAYMOND JAMES BRIEF 3.22.16Steelcase: F4Q16 Results in Line with Business Update; EMEA Showing Improvement

Analysts: Budd Bugatch, Bobby Griffin, David Vargas

>Tuesday evening, Steelcase reported F4Q16 results in line with the company’s business update of March 7th, 2016. Total sales declined 0.3% y/y to $748 million, above our $728 million estimate (before the business update), the $729 million consensus (also before the update), and management’s prior $720 million to $745 million guidance. Excluding ~$17.4 mil-lion in negative FX movement, sales increased ~1% year-over-year.

>Excluding ~$3.7 million in restructuring costs, F4Q16 adjusted EPS were $0.64. During the quarter, Steelcase re-versed its valuation allowance recorded against net deferred tax assets in France and recorded a gain from the partial sale of an investment in an unconsolidated affiliate. These items had a combined favorable impact on earnings of ~$0.42. Excluding those items, F4Q16 “core” adjusted EPS were $0.22, versus our $0.21 estimate (also consensus) and management’s $0.20 to $0.24 guidance.

>The normalized consolidated and segment results discussed below exclude the impact of the valuation allowance rever-sal (~$56 million tax benefit), the ~$8.5 million partial sale

of an investment in an unconsolidated affiliate, as well as the additional variable compensation (~$13.7 million) associated with those items. In addition, results exclude ~$3.7 million in restructuring charges.

>Normalized operating income beat our model by ~$0.01, driven by better-than-expected sales and higher-than-ex-pected gross margin, partially offset by higher-than-expected operating expenses. F4Q16 normalized operating margin was 5.8%, compared to our 5.6% estimate and 5.8% in F4Q15. Adjusted gross margin increased ~106 bp y/y to 32.2%, above our 31.9% estimate. Below the line, a lower-than-modeled tax rate was offset by lower-than-expected other income.

>Americas segment revenues increased 1.2% y/y to $545.3 million, above our $535.6 million guess. Organically, excluding currency (~$5.3 million drag) and a dealer acquisition (~$8.2 million benefit), sales increased ~1% y/y. Adjusted operating income decreased 8.3% y/y to $55.6 million (below our $58.4 million guess); and normalized operating margin decreased ~105 bp y/y to 10.2% (vs. our 10.9% estimate). Organically, orders declined 2% y/y, reflecting lower activity in the insur-ance and energy sectors. Last year’s results included large projects for each of those segments. Importantly, excluding those sectors, North American organic orders improved ~4% y/y, thereby suggesting that the broad office furniture industry has not “rolled over.”

3.24.16 12.31.15 10.2.15 6.26.15 3.27.15 12.26.14 %frYrHi%fr50-DayMA

HMiller 30.3 28.7 29.2 30.5 27.4 29.6 -7.4% 13.2%

HNI 37.3 36.1 43.7 53.2 53.8 51.5 -35.4% 8.1%

Inscape 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.2 2.6 -19.8% -1.8%

Interface 17.9 19.1 22.5 25.2 20.6 16.6 -34.3% 7.2%

Kimball 11.5 9.8 9.9 11.9 10.2 9.9 -11.2% 5.9%

Knoll 20.0 18.8 21.9 25.9 22.7 21.4 -23.3% 4.2%

Leggett 47.2 42.0 42.1 49.7 45.4 42.6 -8.0% 4.8%

Mohawk 186.8 189.4 189.0 193.2 181.2 155.3 -11.9% 7.1%

Steelcase 14.7 14.9 18.6 19.7 18.9 18.5 -27.9% 9.8%

USG 23.3 24.3 27.4 28.5 25.9 27.9 -29.2% 9.5%

Virco 3.2 3.3 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.5 -16.1% 0.9%

SUM 395.1 389.4 410.3 443.8 412.0 378.4

DJIndust 17,516 17,425 16,472 17,947 17,713 18,054 -4.6%

Industry Stock Prices

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 30 OF 37

business>EMEA segment revenues decreased 6.1% to $136.4 mil-lion (better than our $125.1 million guess), while normalized segment operating income improved from a $6.7 million loss in F4Q15 to a $5.6 million loss in F4Q16. Organically, excluding currency (~$10.1 million drag), sales increased ~1% y/y on top of ~23% organic growth in the prior year. Organic orders improved 3% y/y but varied widely across regions. Revenue in Steelcase’s “Other” segment increased 0.5% y/y to $66.2 million (versus our $67.7million estimate). Operating income improved to $2.1 million versus our $0.4 million estimate.

>Management guided F1Q17 revenue of $690-715 mil-lion, compared to the $711 million consensus and our ~$720 million estimate. It expects normalized EPS (excluding ~$0.02 in restructuring charges) to be $0.14 to $0.18, compared to our $0.21 estimate and $0.18 consensus. Given the sequen-tial EMEA profitability improvement and North America order commentary, SCS indicated higher in afterhours trading. We will have additional commentary and refreshed estimates following Steelcase’s 10:00 a.m. ET conference call Wednesday morning.

RAYMOND JAMES BRIEF 3.23.16Steelcase: Reaffirm Market Perform; EMEA Improved; Await-ing Additional Evidence

Analysts: Budd Bugatch, Bobby Griffin, David Vargas

>Recommendation: We reaffirm our Market Perform rating on SCS, following the F4Q16 earnings report and conference call. Results were in-line with the company’s March 7 business update, and above our prior (before business update) expecta-tions. Steelcase completed the exit of its Germany manufactur-ing facility, and EMEA’s operating loss improved sequentially, underscoring management’s progress toward a more normal-ized operating performance. SCS is not an expensive stock and we have high regard for Steelcase and its management team. Moreover, despite the recent slowdown in the domestic office furniture environment, Steelcase’s N.A. operating margins are still at industry-leading highs. That said, while the improvement in EMEA is encouraging, we are still on the sidelines await-ing additional evidence of consistent progress in EMEA and U.S. orders that would give us confidence to increase forward estimates.

>F4Q16 Results: As detailed in an earlier brief, Steelcase reported “core” adjusted EPS of $0.22, versus our $0.21 esti-mate (also consensus). Total sales declined 0.3% y/y to $748 million, above our $728 million estimate (before the business update), the $729 million consensus (before the update), and management’s $720 million to $745 million guidance.

>EMEA Take two; now moving forward, again: Organically, excluding currency headwinds (~$10.1 million drag), EMEA sales increased ~1% y/y, on top of ~23% organic growth last year. EMEA’s adjusted operating loss improved significantly ver-sus F3Q16, as management completed the exit of its German manufacturing facility, increased capacity on new products, and worked towards minimizing distribution/inefficiencies. Roughly, $2-3 million of disruption and inefficiencies impacted F4Q16, versus $5 million in F3Q16 and $6 million in F2Q16. Management is still targeting breakeven operating performance in F2H17, and mid-single-digit margins within the next three years-dependent on volume growth, mix of business and con-tinued gross margin improvement.

>Americas orders still weak, but not a total roll-over: Organically, Americas orders declined 2% y/y, reflecting soft-ness in large project orders, highlighted by weak energy and insurance orders (up against big projects last year). Excluding those sectors, N.A. organic orders improved ~4% y/y, driven by strength in Steelcase’s Healthcare and Education verti-cals (~25% of N.A. sales), as well as its “untracked” sector (retail and other smaller verticals). Orders were down ~4% in February, but were up by a “solid single digit growth rate” through the first three weeks of March, and management is working quickly to address its product offering gaps. None-theless, order/sales growth could remain relatively muted until we move closer to F2H17 and the new product introduc-tions are fully implemented.

>Estimates: Reflecting the decline in F4Q16 orders, we are trimming our F1Q17 EPS estimate to $0.15 from $0.21. FY17 EPS goes to $1.16 from $1.20.

>Valuation: SCS trades at ~13.1x our forward estimate of $1.16, vs. its five-year median of ~15.4x.

BUSINESS AFFAIRS>AIA reported the February Architecture Billings Index score was 50.3, up slightly from the mark of 49.6 in the previous month. The new projects inquiry index was 59.5, up from a reading of 55.3 the previous month, and the design contracts index was 51.7, up from 50.9 in January.

“March and April are traditionally the busiest months for ar-chitecture firms, so we should get a clearer reading of under-lying momentum over the next couple of months,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. “Hopefully the relatively mild weather conditions recently in most parts of the country will help design and construction activity move ahead at a somewhat faster pace.”

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 31 OF 37

businessRegionally, based on a three-month moving average, the South scored the highest ABI (51.1), followed by the West (49.9), Northeast (49.5), and Midwest (49.3). By sector, multi-family residential scored highest (53.0), followed by commercial / in-dustrial (52.3), institutional (48.1), and mixed practice (47.7). http://www.aia.org/press/AIAB108421

>HNI Corp. will hold its 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders at Allsteel Corporate Headquarters in Muscatine, IA, on Tues-day, May 10, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Central Time. The agenda will include electing two Directors for a term of three years each or until their successors are elected and qualified; ratifying the Audit Committee’s selection of KPMG LLP as the corporation’s independent registered public accountant for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2016; and holding an advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation. The holders of record of HNI Corp. common stock, par value $1.00 per share, as of the close of business on Mar. 11 are entitled to vote at the meeting and encouraged to attend. Proxy materials, form DEF 14A, were filed with the SEC on Mar. 25 and are available in the Investors section of HNI’s website. http://investors.hnicorp.com/Docs

>Knoll, Inc. will hold its 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockhold-ers at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 4 at its NYC offices. The agenda includes electing three directors named in the proxy statement for a term ending at the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders; ratifying the audit committee’s appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company’s indepen-dent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2016; and holding an advisory vote to approve execu-tive compensation. Record owners of Knoll, Inc. common stock at the close of business on Mar. 15 are eligible to vote. The proxy statement, DEF 14A, was filed with the SEC on Mar. 23. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=66169&p=irol-sec

>Steelcase Inc. on Mar. 22 announced its FY16 third-quarter results (dollars in millions except EPS):

3 Mos. Ended 2.26.16 2.27.15 %Ch.Revenue $747.9 $749.9 -0.3%Gross Profit $234.3 $227.6 2.9%Oper. Exp. $207.4 $189.8 9.3%Oper. Inc. $25.8 $37.0 -30.3%Adj.Op.Inc. $29.5 $43.5 -32.2%Net Inc. $77.5 $22.8 239.9%EPS (dil.) $0.62 $0.18 244.4%

12 Mos. Ended 2.26.16 2.27.15 %Ch.Revenue $3,060.0 $3,059.7 0.0%Gross Profit $971.2 $916.0 6.0%Oper. Exp. $790.0 $768.0 2.9%Oper. Inc. $174.6 $144.9 20.5%Adj.Op.Inc. $194.5 $185.5 4.9%Net Inc. $170.3 $86.1 97.8%EPS (dil.) $1.36 $0.68 100.0%

Excluding restructuring costs, adjusted fourth-quarter earnings were $0.64 per share. During the quarter, the company re-versed its valuation allowance recorded against net deferred tax assets in France and recorded a gain from the partial sale of an investment in an unconsolidated affiliate. These fourth quarter significant items, net of the associated variable compensation expense and income tax expense, had a combined favorable impact on diluted earnings per share of approximately $0.42. Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings were $0.21 per share in the previous year.

For the full year, adjusted earnings per share were $1.46 and included approximately $0.42 related to the significant items recorded during the fourth quarter. Adjusted earnings per share in fiscal 2015 were $0.89.

Organic revenue growth in the fourth quarter compared to the prior year was 1% after adjusting for approximately $17.4 mil-lion of unfavorable currency translation effects and the impact of a small acquisition. The Americas and EMEA posted organic revenue growth of less than 1% each, while the Other category posted organic growth of 4%. The modest organic growth in EMEA in the current quarter compares to 23% organic revenue growth in the prior year, which was primarily related to strong project business.

Organic revenue growth in fiscal 2016 was 3%. All segments posted organic revenue growth, with the Americas, EMEA and the Other category growing 3%, 1% and 4%, respectively.

“We are pleased with the strong operating income performance in the Americas and the improvement in the EMEA operat-ing loss as compared to the second and third quarters,” said Steelcase President and CEO Jim Keane. “Economic and politi-cal uncertainty continue to affect CEO confidence in the U.S., which is highly correlated with our industry demand patterns. Our U.S. industry association reported year-over-year declines in demand for January and February, following decelerat-ing growth rates in the second half of calendar 2015. We still expect to see modest growth in fiscal 2017, in part because of the more than 20 new products we are launching in the U.S. to address areas where demand is strengthening.”

Current quarter operating income included approximately $13.7 million of variable compensation expense associated with the significant items recorded during the quarter. Strong operating performance in the Americas and the Other category were partially offset by an increased adjusted operating loss in EMEA.

Cost of sales was 68.3% of revenue in the current quarter, an improvement of 60 basis points compared to the prior year.

The increase in operating expenses for the quarter was at-

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 32 OF 37

businesstributed to higher variable compensation expense (including approximately $10 million associated with the significant items) and other operating expenses were partially offset by approxi-mately $3.5 million of favorable currency translation effects.

Other income, net improved by $9.1 million in the fourth quarter compared to the prior year, primarily driven by an $8.5 million gain from the partial sale of an investment in an uncon-solidated affiliate.

The income tax benefit of $47.4 million in the quarter included a $56 million benefit from the reversal of a valuation allowance recorded against net deferred tax assets in France and ap-proximately $2 million related to the reinstatement of the U.S. research tax credit.

“The changes we implemented in EMEA in fiscal 2015 to align our tax structure with the management of our globally integrated enterprise have generated taxable income for our French subsidiaries and allowed for the partial utilization of net operating loss carryforwards in France throughout fiscal 2016,” said Dave Sylvester, senior vice president and CFO. “During the fourth quarter, sufficient positive evidence became avail-able, including acceptance of our new tax structure by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, sustained profitability in our French subsidiaries and other factors, which caused us to reverse the valuation allowance recorded against net deferred tax assets in France. While the new tax structure significantly reduced the income taxes that we otherwise would have paid in the U.S. for fiscal 2016, when we achieve expected profitability in EMEA, the new structure will result in somewhat higher income taxes than we otherwise would have paid in the U.S.

“The fiscal 2016 adjusted operating loss of $43.9 million in EMEA included approximately $20 million of disruption costs and inefficiencies related to our manufacturing footprint chang-es and approximately $6 million related to the manufacturing and distribution issues experienced in the second and third quarters. As our EMEA industrial modernization nears comple-tion and our operational performance continues to stabilize, we expect to substantially eliminate these costs and realize the majority of the expected annual savings during fiscal 2017.”

Total liquidity, comprised of cash, short-term investments and the cash surrender value of company-owned life insurance, ag-gregated $426 million, and total debt was $299 million, at the end of the fourth quarter.

During the fourth quarter, the company repurchased a total of 3.0 million shares of Class A common stock for a total cost of $42.1 million. A total of $168.0 million remained under the company’s share repurchase authorization at the end of the fourth quarter.

The company repurchased approximately 3.1 million shares un-der its share repurchase authorization program during fiscal 2016 at a cost of $43.6 million and paid $57.0 million in dividends.

“We had another successful year in fiscal 2016,” said Jim Keane. “We continued to expand our adjusted operating margin in the Americas, we invested in a number of initiatives expected to improve EMEA’s operating results, we significantly improved our operating results in Asia Pacific, and we returned over $100 million to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.”

The Steelcase Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per share, to be paid on or before Apr. 14 to sharehold-ers of record as of Apr. 4. This represents an increase of 0.75 cents per share compared to the third quarter.

Business Segment Results (dollars in millions):

3 Mos. Ended 2.26.16 2.27.15 %Ch.Revenue Americas $545.3 $538.8 1.2% EMEA $136.4 $145.2 -6.1% Other $66.2 $65.9 0.5%Operating income/loss Americas $44.8 $59.8 -25.1% EMEA -$10.9 -$12.4 - Other $1.4 $0.2 600.0%Revenue mix Americas 72.9% 71.8% EMEA 18.2% 19.4% Other 8.9% 8.8%

12 Mos. Ended 2.26.16 2.27.15 %Ch.Revenue Americas $2,256.0 $2,180.7 3.5% EMEA $520.6 $595.4 -12.6% Other $283.4 $283.6 -0.1%Operating income/loss Americas $265.2 $259.9 2.0% EMEA -$64.3 -$82.8 - Other $11.2 $4.8 133.3%Revenue mix Americas 73.7% 71.3% EMEA 17.0% 19.4% Other 9.3% 9.3%

(The Americas segment serves customers in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean Islands, and Latin America with a portfolio of integrated architecture, furniture, and technology products marketed to corporate, government, healthcare, education, and retail customers through the Steelcase, Coalesse, and Turn-stone brands. The EMEA segment serves customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa primarily under the Steelcase and Coalesse brands, with an emphasis on freestanding furniture systems, storage, and seating solutions. The Other category includes Asia Pacific, Designtex, and PolyVision.)

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 33 OF 37

businessIn the Americas, cost of sales as a percentage of revenue increased 10 basis points over the prior year, as the benefits of lower material and freight costs and improvements in negoti-ated pricing were offset by unfavorable impacts from a shift in business mix and approximately $3 million of inventory adjustments. The current quarter was also negatively impacted by approximately 60 basis points by variable compensation expense associated with the significant items recorded during the quarter. In EMEA, cost of sales as a percentage of revenue improved by 140 basis points, driven by lower disruption costs and inefficiencies and initial savings associated with the manufacturing footprint changes, offset in part by an unfavor-able shift in business mix. Cost of sales in the Other category improved by 310 basis points over the prior year, primarily at-tributed to the organic revenue growth in the quarter, favorable shifts in business mix and foreign currency benefits.

Outlook

Order patterns remained mixed during the fourth quarter. EMEA orders grew approximately 3% organically over the prior year, but the growth rates varied significantly on a regional ba-sis. Orders in the Americas declined 2% organically compared to the prior year, driven by continued softness in large project business from the company’s largest customers. The Other category posted organic order growth of 9%, driven primarily by strength in Asia Pacific and Designtex. As a result, the compa-ny expects first quarter fiscal 2017 revenue to be in the range of $690 to $715 million, which reflects an expected range of an organic revenue decline of 3% to organic revenue growth of 1% compared to the prior year. The company reported revenue of $705.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2016.

“Order patterns in the Americas reflected lower activity from cus-tomers in the insurance and energy sectors, both of which had several large projects in the prior year,” said Dave Sylvester. “The decline in those two sectors had a combined negative impact of approximately 6% on total orders in the Americas and was partially offset by net growth across all other vertical markets.”

Steelcase expects to report diluted earnings per share between $0.12 and $0.16 for the first quarter of fiscal 2017. This esti-mate includes approximately $0.02 per share of restructuring costs relating to previously announced restructuring actions primarily in the Americas. Adjusted for the estimated restruc-turing costs, the company expects to report adjusted earnings between $0.14 and $0.18 per share. Steelcase reported diluted earnings per share of $0.16 and adjusted EPS of $0.17 in the first quarter of fiscal 2016.

A replay of Steelcase’s Mar. 23 conference call webcast, in-cluding presentation slides, and the complete text of the com-pany’s 4Q16 earnings release, including all tables, are available at http://ir.steelcase.com.

TECHNOLOGY>Configura hosted its biannual partner meeting on Mar. 15 in Grand Rapids, MI. More than 50 people from major office furniture manufacturing companies attended. All of Configura’s top executives from headquarters in Sweden, and from the company’s Malaysia and Grand Rapids offices, joined with rep-resentatives from Dekko, Haworth, Herman Miller, Inscape, KI, Kimball, Midmark, OFS, Steelcase and Teknion for the meeting hosted by Configura in Grand Rapids, MI.

“If you look at the culture of Configura and our partners, you see that we come together with a mutual goal of solving the problem of selling configurable system products. Meetings like this help us to talk about the possibilities with the software. We all benefit by sharing and learning from each other,” said CEO Johan Lyreborn.

At the meeting, Configura Chief Product Officer Nicklas Dag-ersten shared some of the updates that the May 16 release of CET Designer 7.0 will include, many centered around the visualization capabilities that users want.

Virtual Viewer is a CET Designer Extension for demo purposes that will enable users to “walk around” a drawing in full-screen mode using gaming controls. Meanwhile, Virtual Reality for CET Designer combines Configura’s technology with Oculus Rift glasses to give customers an immersive, virtual experi-ence of a designed space. First demo’ed last June at NeoCon, the VR Extension will go live this summer when Oculus Rift releases its glasses from beta. “The users who have tried VR love it,” said Mr. Dagersten. “It’s the future of experiencing a designed space.”

Also coming with CET Designer 7.0 is the ability to acceler-ate the rendering process. Dubbed Render Accelerator, this Extension to CET Designer works as a “cluster” – when a user clicks the render button in CET Designer, it uses the power

Configura’s Peter Brandinger and Johan Lyreborn open the partner meeting

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 34 OF 37

businessof all nearby connected computers instead of just the user’s computer, making the time to render incredibly fast.

Configura also will release new and improved accessories sym-bols – including plants, flowers and kitchenettes – to enhance the realism of renderings. CET Designer’s SketchUp Extension will be improved to enable users to download symbols from SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse directly into CET Designer. Work Modes in CET Designer will enable manufacturers to tailor the user interface depending on needs.

Configura will continue to focus on visualization capabilities with its CET Designer 7.5 release, scheduled for November. This release is planned to include a version of VR that works with lower-end headsets. Configura also will continue to im-prove the realism of images and add more functionality to the rendering engine.

“We’ll be demo’ing many of these capabilities at NeoCon this June in Chicago,” said Vice President of Global Customer Expe-rience Tracy Lanning. Read More

>Kabuni, a new SaaS and e-commerce platform focused on residential design, launched a contest to find an Internation-al Ambassador. The winner will receive a 12-month/12-country “trip of a lifetime.” In the Kabuni #go12x12 Contest, interior designers submit their #go12x12 Inspiration Boards through the Kabuni App, and one winner will be selected from a group of 12 semi-finalists. This winner will hop on a plane on Jan.

2, 2017, taking off to experience 12 countries in 12 months; sharing the stories of the people and places they meet along the way. The trip offers the opportunity to contribute to a bigger conversation about culture, design, community, and social responsibility.

Beyond the contribution to the design community, the trip will also focus on a Kabuni initiative to create positive social change in local communities worldwide. “Our International Ambassa-dor will champion Kabuni in each of the 12 countries, and get involved in giving a voice to local community initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness, said Kabuni CEO and Founder Neil Patel. “We see this as a life changing opportunity for immense professional and personal growth which has the potential to lead into a more permanent place in the Kabuni family.”

Contest applications opened on Feb. 26, and will remain open throughout the duration of the contest. On May 1, contest ap-plicants will begin creating their #go12x12 Inspiration Boards in the Kabuni App. Once their board is complete, entrants can invite friends and family members to join the Kabuni commu-nity to like and follow their board. The 12 most-followed boards will move onto the final judging round, Oct. 1-31, with the grand prize winner announced on or before Nov. 1. Read More

8 73 1

3 9 56 8 7

46 3 1

35 4

7 3 9 4 8Grid n°10905 medium

We have all the free sudokus you need! 400 new sudokus every week.

Make your own free printable sudoku at www.PrintMySudoku.com

SUDOKU

Fill in the empty cells so that every row, column and cube contains a digit from 1-9, without duplication. (Level: Medium)

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 35 OF 37

JOB SITETo place ads or to get a price quote contact Bob Beck bob@officeinsight.comT 972 293 9186

Find all our ads all the time at www.officeinsight.com/careers.

At National, we pride ourselves in having a world-class team that champions growth, diversity and operationalexcellence. We’re creating an environment that inspires an insatiable desire to learn, stretch and do things betterevery day. We have immediate openings and are seekingindividuals to be key players on our team.

District Manager Positions

Boston (preferred location North Boston)New York (preferred location New York City)New Jersey

Responsible for territory management with focusedattention on dealer development, vertical market end-users as well as the A+D community.

Successful candidates must:

• Be personally responsible, focused and effective utilizing a full array of resources for sustained growth

• Leverage sales tools, such as our enhanced dealer programs, new product introductions and exciting sales incentives

• Focus on areas of opportunity within our key vertical markets and identify opportunities to exploit for future growth in the market

• Develop and follow-through on long term strategies to win project business

• Possess strong communication and organizational skills in addition to strong business planning and business development skills

• Have the proven ability to manage and develop relationships

• Be analytical thinkers with creative problem solving aptitude for overcoming business challenges

• Have a sound foundation in report analysis withexcellent understanding of sales and marketing functions

• Hold extensive knowledge of the office furniture industryand 3+ years of demonstrated successful sales growth

As a business unit of Kimball International, we offer anattractive salary and flexible benefits package including aretirement plan with 401(K) feature.

National is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants willreceive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

To learn more and apply for these positions, go to www.NationalOfficeFurniture.com/Careers.

Office_Insight.qxp_Layout 1 2/29/16 2:13 PM Page 1

Rep Group Partner - New York, NY

This is a great opportunity to become a partner in a long established rep firm in the New York City market.

Pringle Ward, a highly respected organization with high volume lines is looking for an experienced person to join our sales group as a partner. No financial investment is needed. A

combination of ambition and experience will help to secure your future in office furniture. As a partner you will be a major part of our organization with the opportunity establish financial security.

For more information contact: Roy Lamendola rlamendola@pringleward.com

212-689-0300 Ex. 217

Interior Designer - Southern California

ERG International, a leader in Contract Furniture Manufacturing located in Southern California, is looking for a creative person to join our team.

Qualified person must have a Degree in Interior Design with a minimum of 5 years work experience in the contract furniture industry.

Join us in enjoying the exceptional Oxnard beaches! Company will consider relocation assistance on an individual basis.

Interested candidates should contact ERG International by sending their resume and salary request via email to: sales@erginternational.com.

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 36 OF 37

JOB SITETo place ads or to get a price quote contact Bob Beck bob@officeinsight.comT 972 293 9186

Find all our ads all the time at www.officeinsight.com/careers.

National Sales Manager - Dallas, TX

Smith System is seeking a National Sales Manager to report to the VP of Sales to call on school districts, A&D community and dealers. The preferred location of the candidate is at our factory in the DFW area.

Essential Functions:

> Willing to travel extensively to areas not currently cov-ered by our Regional Sales Managers.

> Self planned, scheduled and executed calls with schools, dealers and A&D firms.

> Dynamic personality for presentations.

> Proven success develop-ing relationships to drive growth and new business.

Required Experience:

> 5 years in school furniture or contract furniture world.

> Solid presenter and closer. > Proficient in Microsoft Of-fice applications.

Please send your cover letter and resume in confidence to Molly@smithsystem.com

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer

Multi-Line or Direct Sales Representative - Textiles/Wallcoverings - Eastern PA/Delaware/Southern NJ Territory

Carnegie, a leading textile/wallcovering company is seeking multi-line or direct representation in the Eastern Pennsylvania/Delaware/South NJ territory. Sales experience in the A+D community is required. Candidates must be self-motivated, entrepreneurial,

with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Interested candidates should submit their resume along with a cover letter to Erika Gaies, Vice President Sales: egaies@carnegiefabrics.com.

Multi-Line Sales Rep-Textiles/wallcoverings - Vancouver and British Columbia

Carnegie, a leading textile/wallcovering company, featuring Bio Based Xorel, is seeking multi-line representation for our Vancouver and British Columbia areas. Sales experience in the local A+D community is required; motivated, energetic and forward thinking a must.

Interested candidates should submit their resume to Remona Teague, Executive Vice President, Global Business Development: rteague@carnegiefabrics.com

03.28.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 37 OF 37

JOB SITETo place ads or to get a price quote contact Bob Beck bob@officeinsight.comT 972 293 9186

Find all our ads all the time at www.officeinsight.com/careers.

PO Box 967Cedar Hill, TX 75106

Robert Beckbob@officeinsight.comT 972 293 9186

Mallory Jindramallory@officeinsight.comT 219 263 9006

www.officeinsight.comwww.officenewswire.com© 2016 officeinsight,LLC

Bradford J. Powell, Hon. FASIDbrad@officeinsight.com T 203 966 5008

Sales Assistant - San Francisco

Carnegie - The Sales Assistant will be responsible for assisting with all aspects of sales operations and providing support to the Sales Representative in the Northern California Territory. This position entails assisting with various sales related tasks and providing exceptional customer service to our clients.

Required Skills: 1+ years experience in Textiles, Interior Design, Architecture, or related fields. Exceptional organizational, time management and customer service skills.Please send cover letter and resume to Heather Williamson, at hwilliamson@carnegiefabrics.com

Multi-Line Representative - Seattle/Portland

David Edward, a leading furniture manufacturing company is seeking multi-line representative in Washington & Oregon. Sales experience in the A+D community is required.

Interested candidates should submit their resume along with a cover letter to Kevin Pitts, Partner: KPitts@davidedward.com

Sales Representative - New York Metro

Luna Textiles, an innovative, international contract textile company, currently has an excellent opportunity for a dynamic and highly motivated sales professional.

The individual will have responsibility for the sales and service of the greater New York Metro area.

The ideal candidate will have strong relationships with A & D, furniture manufacturers, dealerships and end-users, along with considerable knowledge of the consultative and strategic selling process in the contract textiles & furniture industry. Must be sales goal driven, self-motivated,

well organized, and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Previous sales experience with textiles and knowledge of the contract furniture industry is required.

Interested candidates should submit their resume along with a cover letter to ahaley@lunatextiles.com.