The Rebirth of the Office Furniture Industry

When was the last time you sat down at an office cubicle. The days of office furniture systems, the product line that fed the Grand Rapids office furniture industry, are numbered. Do you really need a desk with an overhead storage system? How about a drawer for your pencils? Do you really need a credenza for files? Or do you even require a table for a printer? Many of us don't even need an office anymore. We carry our offices on our laptops or tablets and land in coffee shops or airport terminals instead of a home office.

However, industry consultant Michael Dunlap was just telling me yesterday that has not meant the end of the office furniture industry in Grand Rapids. He pointed out that Steelcase, Herman Miller, and Haworth, along with other players like Interface Inc. have either been born or have found new life, in the education, health care and hospitality sectors.

Here's an example of that:

GRAND RAPIDS, S.D., July 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Adoba Eco-Hotels and Suites has designated Interface Hospitality carpet tile its floor covering of choice for the brand's nascent chain of properties. Adoba Eco Hotel Brand is committed to environmentally responsible architecture and design, improving the environmental footprints of its holdings one guest room at a time.

"The flooring is the first big step toward sustainable interior design and Interface, known for the highest of sustainability standards, is the ideal partner to deliver great design that will delight the AdobaEco Hotel guests," said James Henderson CEO/Present of the Adoba brand. "We encourage our property owners to source many of the decorative accessories locally and we recommend the use of Interface carpet tile for its green construction as well as for the company's ability to recycle the carpet at the end of a product's life cycle."

The first Adoba Eco Hotel was converted in February in historic downtown Rapid City, SD. And the company is working on three other properties to open in Texas and Colorado in the near future.
Charley Knight, Interface Hospitality vice president, said, "It's a win-win – the guests are responding well to the look and feel of the carpet tiles in the suites and the property managers appreciate the easy maintenance and long term value that using Interface Hospitality products brings them."

Interface Hospitality is a division of Interface, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of commercial carpet tile. For 39 years, the company has consistently led the industry through innovation and now leads the industry in environmental sustainability. Interface is well along the path to "Mission Zero®," the company's promise to eliminate any negative impact it has on the environment by the year 2020. For additional information: www.interface.com www.interfaceflorblog.com

More on the rebirth of the office furniture industry is coming up later this month in the ebook, Last Chance Mile: The Reinvention of Manufacturing.