Rottet Studio: Still Smokin’ SWERS.” —JOHN J
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04.20.09 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS Compliments of Dan DeClercq and dog, DeClercq Offi ce Group Global Industries, Inc. It would be both correct and misleading to characterize Global Industries, Inc., Marlton, NJ, as a sales and distribution arm of Global. It is that, but it is also a separate company conceived and organized almost 40 years ago by Joel Appel, who remains the chairman of the company. FULL STORY ON PG.3 Pritzker Prize to Low-Profi le Swiss Architect The choice of Peter Zumthor for this year’s Pritzker Prize – often called the Nobel of architecture – is in synch with the current mood. We’ve moved into a period of scaled-down consumption, concern for sustainability, and fatigue with the exploits of star architects. FULL STORY ON PG.15 Hilda, Hilda: Wherefore are thou Hilda? About 250 industry veterans and pioneers turned up at the 6th Avenue Her- man Miller National Design Center to see if the legend, Hilda Longenotti, the grande dame of A&D, the doyenne of design sales, was actually going to retire after 54 years in the industry and almost 35 years with Herman Miller. FULL STORY ON PG.17 Mancini•Duffy: Strategic Hires We know that many A&D fi rms have had layoffs in recent months, some with cuts suffi ciently substantial to push the vocabulary beyond even down-siz- ing, although perhaps falling short of restructuring. Others are still swamped with work, while still others are completing strategic additions. FULL STORY ON PG.19 Pratt Career Night Serves Up Cautious Optimism at HBF Every spring, HBF and HBF Textiles hosts Pratt Institute Department of Interior Design Career Night in its Michael Vanderbyl designed, New CITED: York Design Center showroom. This year was no different. “YOU KNOW CHILDREN FULL STORY ON PG.21 ARE GROWING UP WHEN THEY START ASKING QUESTIONS THAT HAVE AN- Rottet Studio: Still Smokin’ SWERS.” —JOHN J. PLOMP Here’s an idea. Lauren Rottet should raise a couple of million dollars and immediately grow her new fi rm, Rottet Studio, to one of the top ten Giants; in the process, she could pick up a lot of the free-fl oating talent that is now looking for work. FULL STORY PG.23 04.20.09 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 2 OF 34 THE INTERSECTION OF EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN AND ECO-EFFECTIVE DESIGN Are your facility designs sustainable? Do they reflect Evidence-based design best practices? Do you know how knowledge in one area can contribute to improvements in the other? You will after attending this dynamic presentation where Bill Rostenberg will bridge the perceived gap between Evidence-Based and Sustainable Design. Both trends have had a significant impact on recent healthcare Architecture, but they are generally executed separately and in some instances are considered at odds with one another. Case studies and tools will be introduced that allow an analysis of strategies, indications of where the two topics conflict, and measured values of best practices to help provide structure through which design teams can effectively integrate them into the design process. SPEAKER: Bill Rostenberg FAIA, FACHA, NCARB, Principal, Director of Research, Anshen + Allen LOCATION: Teknion - 641 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor, NYC DATE: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 TIME: 5:30pm - 8:00pm Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres before and after presentation COST: $15 Members | $25 Non-Members | $10 Students and Educators REGISTER ONLINE CEUs: 0.1 CEU will be provided for this course. IIDA Professional and Associate Members are required to complete and report 1.0 CEU (10 hours) of Continuing Education prior to December 31, 2009. All Professional and Associate Members (active and inactive) including IIDA Fellows and Chapter Officers, must adhere to IIDA’s compliance requirements. 04.20.09 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 3 OF 34 companies Global Industries, Inc. by Brad Powell Saul Feldberg, the founder of what associated companies, one of which is Recently, Global Industries blew a has become known as the Global located in our own backyard, if we can little fresh air and refreshment into Group of Companies, is a person of use such a phrase without offending Manhattan with its annual Spring some modesty and practicality, while our neighbors in New Jersey. It would Fling, and offi ceinsight took the occa- having an eye toward the far horizon. be both correct and misleading to sion to visit with three of its four most When asked why he picked the name characterize Global Industries, Inc., senior executives: Global, he said simply, the name Marlton, NJ, as a sales and distribu- >Joel Appel, Chairman Universal was taken. (See offi ceinsight tion arm of Global. It is that, but it is >Jon Soll, EVP, Operations 5.29.06, The Global Vision of Saul also a separate company conceived >Jon Abraham, EVP, Finance Feldberg.) and organized almost 40 years ago by (Alan Breslow, EVP, Sales & Market- Mr. Feldberg would never claim to Joel Appel, who remains the chair- ing, was unable to make it due to a have achieved his far reach single man of the company and has been its family emergency.) handedly, and recently we dug a bit primary business director during its We learned more about Global’s in- deeper to take a look at some of his successful rise. teresting and innovative organizational GLOBAL NEW YORK 04.20.09 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 4 OF 34 companies structure, about the capabilities and marketing plans of Global Industries, and how it is being affected by the current economic times, and about the culture of this company whose profi le is rising in this country’s contract furniture mid-market, refl ecting the im- portant changes in its business model over the past eight years. OI: You have diversity in distribution channels. Tell me about them. You’re in Staples and the big box stores? JAp: Yes, but to a much less extent than some years ago. Our business has evolved in the past seven to eight years. Previously, we had a signifi cant presence in Offi ce Depot and Staples; we were with both from the beginning in 1986. OI: Your decision to pick up the su- perstores years ago turned out to be a good decision? JAp: We’re happy with that decision GLOBAL: RIDE GLOBAL: KATE because it allowed us to create the SCALA Designed for scalability. 1 Unmatched 2 /2” thin panel with ultimate planning flexibility and strong visual appeal. Scala raises the bar in the mid-priced category. inscapesolutions.com 04.20.09 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 5 OF 34 companies economies of scale that we have today, a very unusual structure and way of and we needed that to bring us to doing business. The Global organization where we are today in order to deliver is a multifaceted entity that operates more value to our commercial dealers. under a single umbrella brand. Much of the ownership is held by a single OI: How big are you in the US market? family, and if you look at it that way, you JAb: We are a private company, and have many, many aspects, including we are – and we like being – one of Global Industries, Global Upholstery, the best kept secrets in the contract fur- Global Wood, Evolve Furniture Group, niture industry. Still, it’s not immodest GLOBALcare, and more than 40 as- to say that we participate in all market sociated companies. When you put it all segments. We have more distribu- together, The Global Group Of Compa- tion centers and showrooms than any nies is a huge organization. other manufacturer; twenty distribution centers, each with a showroom, and an OI: It sounds a little involved. Maybe additional ten stand-alone showrooms. you can paint a picture for me. JAp: Thirty-eight years ago there was . industry estimates place us as one entity, Global Upholstery, which did the fi fth largest offi ce furniture manu- a very limited amount of business. It facturer in North America. was owned by Saul Feldberg, who I met in 1970 and formed a relationship with JS: We have thousands of end-users, in 1971. hundreds of dealers in the United States, and several thousand manu- OI:What were you doing then? facturing people in Canada as well as JAp: I was an independent manufactur- in our international manufacturing facili- er’s rep in the Philadelphia area. I had ties. We are a privately held company, a partner at the time who had called me but industry estimates place us as the about a couple chairs made in Toronto fi fth largest offi ce furniture manufac- by Global Upholstery. Their distribution turer in North America. in the United States was inconsistent JAp: We’ve always fl own under and they didn’t know where to go. We the radar. One of the reasons is that became their reps; they delivered their it is very diffi cult to characterize our product to us on the turnpike, and we organization in a few numbers; we have took it from there. Less truly is more. Introducing a fusion of intelligent, elegant design that also respects the environment. On the surface, HÅG Futu weighs only 35.3 pounds. It’s made of only 7 materials. It’s 97 percent recyclable. But it also packages remarkable functionality in a complex core. To find a completely new balance at work, contact izzy today. HÅG by izzy izzydesign.com GLOBAL: CITI LOUNGE 866.499.9968 04.20.09 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 6 OF 34 companies Eventually this evolved into a relationship and I went to Saul and I said, “Saul, let’s become partners.