News
Kentwood Introduces New Brand
June, 2008
Kentwood Office Furniture today unveiled a new corporate brand and website that further signifies the company’s commitment to the environment. “Our market research shows that organizations and individuals want office furniture that is environmentally sustainable, they just don’t want to pay more for it” said Matt Wieringa, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Kentwood Office Furniture. “We’re adopting the motto ‘Go Green, Save Green’ because we believe that you can have office furniture that meets your budget and is good for the planet.” A core element of the new brand identity is the new Kentwood Office Furniture logo. It is designed to convey the company’s strong history and commitment to green. The new logo also signals a pledge to both design and value. “As a leader in office furniture remanufacturing and recycling, we have been a green business for over 30 years” said Art Hasse, President of Kentwood Office Furniture. “Our brand promise has always been simple: best selection, lowest prices, and good for the environment.” As part of the company’s brand and awareness efforts, Kentwood Office Furniture has launched an improved and updated web site, www.kentwoodoffice.com. The site features new brand identity, more products, and a streamlined interface for easier navigation.
April, 2008
Leading Office Furniture Manufacturer Has
Long History of Environmental Responsibility
Muscatine, IA – April 15, 2008 – Sustainability and environmental responsibility are increasingly important issues in today’s society. At The HON Company, the second-largest office furniture manufacturer in North America, conserving raw materials is not a new concept. In fact, it’s something the company has been doing since its inception.
“More than fifty years ago, HON made recipe card boxes from pieces of scrap metal generated from our contract business,” says Mindy Billingsley, environmental marketing manager. “Today, we practice one of the industry’s strongest and most comprehensive programs to conserve raw materials and reduce waste.”
Programs and Processes
Beyond HON’s dedication to sustainability in product design, the company also has a number of programs in place to save the Earth’s resources. Having adopted the old adage, “waste not, want not,” back in 1947, it remains part of HON’s DNA and has shaped the company’s ongoing pursuit of environmental stewardship.
HON’s lean, green manufacturing approach includes, but isn’t limited to, the following activities:
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“Treecycling” – HON uses post-consumer wood waste versus newly harvested wood for many seating components. This is done through a compression molding process called “comold,” which saves up to 5,000 acres of virgin forests and diverts nearly 10,000 tons of wood waste from landfills every year.
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“Shoddy” – HON recycles more than 300 bales of fabric scraps and keeps nearly 400,000 pounds of fabric waste out of landfills in a year. This is accomplished by collecting scrap fabric and turning it over to a company that shreds it for use in “shoddy,” a fibrous material predominantly used in the automotive industry as liner in car trunks.
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Paint Re-Use – The company reuses more than 30,000 gallons of oversprayed paint on the inside of metal storage.
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Bulk Packaging – For years, The HON Company has sought to reduce the amount of packaging material delivered to customer sites. Its bulk packaging option uses fewer raw materials and decreases the amount of shipping materials customers have to recycle or send to landfills.
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Sawdust Diversion – In 2006, HON manufacturing locations diverted more than 2,300 tons of sawdust from landfills, making it available for use as an alternative fuel source.
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Products
The HON Company constantly seeks ways to build sustainability in its many product lines, as well.
In June of 2007, The HON Company revolutionized the office furniture industry by introducing Nature Core™, an alternative to the traditional “filler” used inside cubicle walls. Nature Core is the first of its kind for the office furniture industry, and is made primarily from kenaf, a natural, sustainable crop that grows very quickly and replenishes itself every four to six months.
HON’s commitment to sustainable products also benefits the quality of the air we breathe. In 2006, The HON Company became the first office furniture manufacturer to have products certified by the Indoor Advantage™ program developed by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a third-party auditor and certifier of environmental and sustainability claims which subjects products to the most rigorous indoor air quality standards in the United States. To date, more than 70 HON product lines have been certified by SCS.
What’s more, most HON products can help contribute toward a number of credits in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System™. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
“We embarked upon our journey more than 60 years ago, and we continue to respect the finite nature of the Earth’s resources,” Billingsley says. “We’ve made great progress in reducing our impact on the environment, but we still have much more to do. We’ll keep striving for improvement anywhere and everywhere we can.
For more information about The HON Company’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.HONthinksgreen.com.
Kentwood Office Furniture Launches New Brand
April, 2008
What is a brand? A brand is the customer experience. For Kentwood Office Furniture, it's our promise to our customers...the Kentwood Commitment.
Kentwood Office is launching a renewed brand in April of 2008. The brand promise is simple: best selection, lowest prices, good for the environment. We do that through our team, our process, and our implementation. Kentwood Office is an office furniture remanufacturer that has focused on environmental sustainability for over 20 years. The company has always marketed "Kentwood Green" and will adopt the motto "Go Green, Save Green". You can have office furniture that meets your budget and is good for the planet.
In addition to a new logo, Kentwood Office has launched a new website at www.kentwoodoffice.com.
National Enhances WaveWorks
April, 2008
Beginning April 1, 2008, National will accept orders for new and enhanced products in the WaveWorks line. Bold, exciting materials and a sea of choices...answers for any budget.
WaveWorks, a full line offering with desks, tables, filing and storage products, is being further enhanced to include even more material options and product features. Now incorporating thicker worksurfaces, cornice frames, new edge options, new pull options, a glass top desk, glass doors and double high storage...all available in veneer, laminate and a combo of both. Metal solutions now include new 30" deep pedestals and full overlay modesties. A contemporary flair with an upscale look, WaveWorks is appropriate for use throughout the entire office.
Kimball Office Supports New Orleans Recovery
February, 2008
During Kimball’s National Sales Meeting in New Orleans in February, Kimball Office announced the eight recipients of the Smart Actions Campaign's new office furniture. The recipients include four businesses and four non-profit organizations, all working to rebuild their lives and communities post-Katrina. Together, they represent a cross culture of what makes New Orleans unique and inspiring.
"We viewed this campaign as an opportunity for Kimball Office to give back," said Jeff Fenwick, Vice President/General Manager, Kimball Office. "But it is also an opportunity to bring national attention to the needs that still exist in New Orleans. We must focus on rebuilding the businesses, because without businesses, there are no jobs. And, jobs are everything for a city like New Orleans trying to re-grow its population. It is up to each of us to do what we can."
"When we began this campaign," Fenwick noted, "we hadn't prepared ourselves for the stark reality that so many would still need so much. Almost half of the 56 applicants are still in temporary office space or temporary housing. So much in New Orleans is still unfinished. Yet today, Kimball Office is proud to support and reward eight organizations with new office furnishings in recognition of their efforts to rebuild."
Kentwood Office Furniture Expands Trendway Partnership
January, 2008
Kentwood Office Furniture is excited to announce an expansion of our partnership with Trendway Corporation in the Detroit, MI marketplace. Since 2006, Kentwood Office's Jackson, MI location has been a successful dealer partner with Trendway Corporation. "Trendway's speed and customer service is helping us win with our customers", say Bob Hogan, Director of Sales in Detroit, "expanding into Detroit will give us the opportunity to broaden our customer base with the exceptional systems products that they bring to market." The Kentwood Office team in Detroit is excited about the partnership and is looking forward to hosting our existing and new customers for a tour of the Trendway showroom in Detroit.
Founded in 1968 and based in Holland Michigan, Trendway Corporation is a manufacturer of office furniture committed to offering high quality products backed by an exceptional service model. Because Trendway is an employee owned company, every team member takes great pride in what they do-especially in shipping on time. Eighty percent of standard orders ship in 2 weeks or less. Customers can count on their orders arriving on time and complete, because Trendway holds the industry record of 99.9 percent for on-time shipments. If that's not fast enough, Trendway offers a wide range of products through Trendway Xpress(r). These orders average 3-day shipping. Trendway is so confident in its ability to maintain this superior level of service, they offer the On Time or Free Promise.
Allsteel Expands Relate™ Family of Seating
January, 2008
Since its initial introduction in 2006, Allsteel Inc.'s award-winning Relate™ seating line - known for its innovative ergonomics and great design - has offered a scalable seating solution for all areas of the work environment - from conference rooms, management offices and lobbies, to casual meeting areas, touchdown spaces, cafés and training rooms.
Now, to better provide customers with even more choices, Allsteel announces the expansion of its Relate seating family to include four new options for its popular side chair: wood back, polymer seat, silver finish and four-legged stool.
The Relate seating collection now includes a full range of heights, finishes and materials, allowing Allsteel customers to enjoy the line's comfortable, customizable seating anywhere in the office.
New to the Relate side chair is a four-legged stool with wood back, perfect for café and standing-height collaborative areas. The side chair can also be specified with a wood back, providing a warm café feel or as guest seating for executive office space. The wood back is available in three of Allsteel's standard veneer finishes.
The side chair and four-legged stool are also available with a polymer seat, making them easy to clean and especially attractive for high-traffic areas like a café, break room or training area. Additionally, both the stool and the side chair are available in a silver finish.
The Relate work chair now offers standard availability of a polished aluminum base, which was previously available only by special order. This further expands the chair's application into conference rooms, as well as open or private management offices.
Kentwood Office Furniture Acquires Remark Corporation
May, 2007
Kentwood Office Furniture, LLC, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, announced the acquisition of Remark Corporation. The acquisition of Remark continues Kentwood's commitment to protecting and sustaining the environment while providing high quality office furniture solutions at significant cost savings to companies throughout North America. The two companies will be operated as Kentwood Office Furniture, LLC.
"In 2006, we acquired the office furniture division of Maddalenna's in Jackson, Michigan. The strategic decision to acquire Remark will expand our capability to provide service to more customers throughout Michigan. It will also continue to enhance Kentwood Office's position as one of the largest and most experienced remanufacturers of Herman Miller products in North America," said Art Hasse, President and owner of Kentwood Office Furniture. "The business philosophy of the two companies is consistent. Additionally, Remark's capabilities complement our existing remanufacturing capabilities which will allow us to provide an even greater level of service to the customers of both our companies. We are impressed with the employees of Remark and look forward to welcoming them to Kentwood Office Furniture."
The combination of Kentwood Office's and Remark's industry expertise and market share is expected to accelerate Kentwood's growth in sales of remanufactured products throughout North America.
"Both Kentwood Office and Remark have a heritage of quality and superior customer service. This will lead to a top product offering that meets the need in the market for high quality, cost conscious office furniture solutions," said Matt Wieringa, Vice President of Sales.
