Perspectives
This year, September has an important significance in the history of our company. On September 1, 2001, I walked into the State Corporation Commission and officially founded Smarter Interiors. My partner Randy Alderson joined me a short while later and now here we are, celebrating the Company’s tenth anniversary.
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We couldn’t have gotten to this point without the unwavering support of friends, family, our ever growing staff of great employees and of course, our customers, many of whom put their faith in us early in the game. To all of you, Randy and I would like to thank you for being part of Smarter Interiors’ success. Over the last decade, we have tried to earn our stripes every day by going the extra mile and bringing the most innovative, sustainable products on the market today. Should you have a suggestion to help improve our service or a product you might like to suggest, please give us a call.
And now, on to the fall news from Smarter Interiors. We are pleased to announce that three of our manufacturers—Allsteel, Humanscale and Momentum Textiles— were among the top award winners at the 21st annual Best of NeoCon® awards held at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago in June. NeoCon, which is the largest exhibition of contract furniture in North America, honors new products introduced to the U.S. market since the close of NeoCon 2009. Also at NeoCon this year, another of our manufacturers, Gunlocke, unveiled a new smart office solution—the Trio Casegood Collection, with myriad materials and an extensive array of options. If you haven’t seen the new award winning products or would like to hear more about them, send me an email (gcampbell@smarterinteriors.com) or give me a call at 804.358.7979 to schedule an appointment.
Smarter Interiors has also added a new line we believe is an industry game changer: the Clipper Moveable Walls from French manufacturing giant Saint Gobain. In France, where using sheet rock in construction is no longer allowed due to environmental ramifications, the Clipper System of Moveable Walls has become a leading favorite with architects, interior designers and building owners for over 20 years. We invite you to read more about this exciting new line in this issue of Smarter Times. For a first hand look, we have installed an office using Clipper Moveable Walls in our Tomlynn Street showroom. Give us a call or stop by to see more details about this game changing product.
We are pleased to announce that this summer, northern Virginia headquartered Stratford University selected Smarter Interiors to furnish their new 55,000 plus square foot Richmond campus located in the Thalhimer Complex on Broad Street in Richmond’s Far West End. With plans to open in October, we are busy keeping this exciting project on track.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues. If you would like for us to highlight your company in future issues of Smarter Times, or you see something of interest that you think should be in the next issue, please drop us a line. Again, thank you to everyone who has supported us for the past 10 years. We pledge to continue providing the same level of service and value we have come to be known for.
Greg Campbell
President, Smarter Interiors
P.S. Right now, our Tomlynn Street showroom is bursting at the seams with furniture. To make room for new product lines, Smarter Interiors is having our first clearance sale with deep discounts of 60% to 80% off fabulous desks and credenzas, chairs and conference room tables. For details, call 804.358.7979
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The Smarter Spotlight
Meet Nancy Powell
Senior Director of Design
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Meet Nancy Powell our senior director of design at Smarter Interiors. Nancy has over nine years of experience, and brings in-depth contract furniture knowledge to the table. Nancy has a particular expertise with the Allsteel product line.
She is Allsteel certified and has specified millions of dollars worth of Allsteel for clients such as Zeiss Optical, Cadmus Communications, Colonial Mechanical, Newport News Water Works, United States Navy, ABB Power Generation, James River Equipment, Owens and Minor and the United States Postal Service, just to name a few.
Nancy's focused attention to detail and quality assurance enables Smarter Interiors to deliver outstanding customer service and satisfaction. “It is our attention to the details, no matter how minute, and commitment to service that keeps our clients coming back to Smarter Interiors time and again,” states Nancy. For an easy smile, a can-do attitude and extensive product knowledge, you can count on Nancy and Smarter Interiors.
Capabilities Statement
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From the NewsRoom:
Game Changer: The Clipper Demountable, Movable Wall Systems
"Green" line offers sustainability, flexibility, and cost effectiveness
Smarter Interiors is proud to introduce a product line new to the United States that we believe will change the design community: The Clipper Movable Wall Systems from French manufacturing giant Saint Gobain. Moveable walls are not a new concept. When first introduced in the 1930s, they proved to be more costly than fixed construction and ultimately fell out of favor. However, demountable partitions, also known as “relocatable partitions,” have been touted as the flexible alternative to fixed partitions.
The Clipper System movable walls—floor -to-ceiling, demountable, modular "dividers"—accommodate privacy needs today and offer the flexibility to reconfigure tomorrow. Teaming and conference rooms, hoteling spaces, training areas, and private offices can now comfortably and economically coexist with more open plans, thanks to the efficiencies and myriad benefits that the Clipper movable wall system can provide: tax advantages (because movable walls are categorized as furniture and equipment), faster installation, cost-effective construction, reusability, fast delivery, and eco-friendly. Plus the Clipper Systems are available in white (powder coated), making them ideal for physician and other healthcare provider offices.
The Clipper System is a range of profiles and accessories that allows you to build any configuration of office partitions. There are four categories of modules—solid partitions, glazed partitions, doors and angles—that may be combined to make up the partition of a successful office design. With a wide choice of profile geometry, from the shape of the cover strips to open bay finish solutions, all systems from Clipper are compatible with one another and combine to increase the possibilities of architectural creations.
The Clipper movable wall systems offers maximum flexibility and reusability to accommodate frequent and quick relocation work without loss of materials, damage or modification to panels or to adjoining structures such as ceilings, fixed walls and floors. Further, it is one- third to one-half the cost of traditional moveable/demountable wall systems, with many systems in stock for immediate delivery.
The Clipper Systems Advantage:
- Complete solutions in solid and glass moveable walls
- Glass office front systems that are sleek and stylish yet functional and moveable
- Sustainable – 3-R’s (reduces reuses & recycles). 99% reusable, 96% recyclable, made with over 70% recycled aluminum
- Flexible
- Ease and speed of installation & reconfiguration
- Durable
- Aesthetically pleasing—fits into any décor or style
- Cost Effective—one third to one half the cost of traditional movable/demountable wall systems
- Delivery—many systems in stock; special orders 5 weeks or less
To see the Clipper game changing demountable/movable wall system, contact Greg Campbell at 804.358.7979.
Case Study:
Smarter Interiors Goes To The Head Of The Class With
Stratford University
Private University Selects Smarter Interiors To Furnish New 55,000 Square Foot Richmond Campus in Thalhimer Center
The Challenge: Creating an innovative, collaborative environment while expressing the University’s brand
Founded in 1976, Stratford University is a private higher educational institution specializing in adult education located in the Virginia suburbs, just outside of Washington, D.C. When the University decided to open a campus in Richmond, they knew they needed a location that reflected the University’s progressive image, was central to the business community and could accommodate future growth. Built in the 1980s, a 55,000 sq. ft. warehouse within the new Thalhimer Center on West Broad Street, once headquarters to the former S&K Famous Brands, fit the bill.
After harnessing the architectural talents of Robert McMahon, AIA, with Powers Brown Architecture of Virginia, Stratford University officials turned to Thalhimer and Zirkle Project Management for assistance in finding the right Richmond company to furnish their new campus. After a highly competitive process, Smarter Interiors was selected in June to furnish the temporary (trailer) offices and the new university.
Smarter Interiors: Bringing a Contemporary Look That Fosters Collaboration
Smarter Interiors was selected to supply and install furniture for the administration offices, reception areas, outside spaces, lecture halls, faculty lounges, open offices and educational classrooms. With classes scheduled to open for classes October 11, 2010, Smarter Interiors’ principal Greg Campbell and his design team, lead by Senior Designer Susan O’Kelly, BFA, CID, had their work cut out for them.
According to Smarter Interiors principal, Greg Campbell, his firm was selected to provide furniture solutions in part because he and his design team had a solid understanding of the education environment and the Richmond market. “We knew we needed to provide furnishings that would enhance the new state-of-the-art Richmond campus, meet their programming requirements, be completed in a fairly short window of time, and within budget,” states Campbell.
“Smarter Interiors provided a smart solution that has an excellent value, style and warranty with a wide variety of finish options,” says Senior Design Susan O’Kelly, BFA, CID. “The product styles selected are top sellers. Given the activity that will take place in this facility, we wanted to provide a product that will continue to look good throughout the limited lifetime warranty and inspire the students with a modern style.”
The Smarter Interiors’ team is providing furniture specification services, project management, installation management and coordination to ensure a project that will be completed for the University opening. For additional details, contact Greg Campbell (gcampbell@smarterinteriors.com) at Smarter Interiors at 804.358.7979.
Green Corner:
The Greening of Corporate America
An excellent report, "2009 Greening of Corporate America" was just released by Siemens Industry Building Technologies and McGraw-Hill Construction. The report shows that corporate America has integrated standard sustainability practices, including recycling, green building, employee engagement, and partnering with non-profits into their cultures and everyday operations. Highlights from the report include:
- 75% of firms view sustainability as consistent with their profit mission and are engaging in activities. This is a doubling of this activity over the past three years.
- Over three-quarters (76%) of corporate executives expect sustainability efforts to retain and attract customers and to drop costs of doing business.
- Activity in green building has dramatically increased over time, with over a fifth (21%) expecting to green over 60% of their building portfolio in 2009, up from less than 10% in 2006.
The folks at Smarter Interiors have been into Green Practices well before Corporate America moved to a full embrace of sustainable operating practices. A number of the lines we represent offer sustainable, environmentally sound furnishing solutions. We also offer recycled/used furniture and remanufactured furniture. For our line of green solutions, contact Smarter Interiors at 804.358.7979 or visit www.smarterinteriors.com .
Special Report: The Best of The NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2010
Manufacturers Represented By Smarter Interiors Earn Top Honors in North America’s Largest Contract Furniture Exhibition
Smarter Interiors is pleased to announce that three of our manufacturers—Allsteel, Humanscale and Momentum Textiles— were top winners at the 21st annual Best of NeoCon® awards held at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago in June. NeoCon, which is the largest exhibition of contract furniture in North America, honors new products introduced to the U.S. market since the close of NeoCon 2009. The competition awarded these manufacturers one Gold Award and one Silver Award in each category along with Innovation Awards, Editors' Choice Awards, and one Best of Competition Award. Eighty one awards were distributed. Seven Innovation Awards, three Editors’ Choice Awards, and a Best of Competition Award also were selected among the 39 categories—ranging from Architectural Products to Workplace Technologies.
Allsteel earned four major Best of NeoCon awards. Allsteel’s Seek ® chair line picked up a Gold Best of NeoCon award in the stacking seating category. Designed to adapt to environments that require durability, versatility, and savvy design aesthetics, Seek is a high performance, lightweight, and flexible chair ideal in collaborative spaces, training and conference rooms. The Seek chair also won the Silver Best of NeoCon award in the guest seating category.
The Stride Line by Allsteel was awarded the Gold Best in Show in the furniture systems benching category. Benching rounds out the award winning Stride platform with enhanced collaboration through seated proximity. Stride features the ability to fill out a floor plan by supporting dedicated user spaces while addressing mobile workers.
Stride Height Adjustable Worksurface by Allsteel was awarded Silver Best of Show in the worksurfaces height adjustable furniture category. With an innovative user adjustable mechanism, Stride allows the user to easily raise or lower the worksurface in a straight, vertical line without requiring a heavy base or supports that obstruct legroom.
Humanscale earned three major awards including two Best of NeoCon awards, and a Buildings Innovations Grand Prize. Humanscale’s Humanair Personal Zone Air Purifier, the world’s first air purifier to harness Clean Air Zone technology, picked up a Gold Best of NeoCon award in the Office Accessories category, while the Element Vision task light, representing the latest advancements in LED technology, was awarded Best of NeoCon Silver in the Lighting category. The Paramount multiple monitor display, meanwhile, earned the Buildings Innovations Grand Prize in the Workplace Flexibility Solutions category. In addition, the M8 monitor arm, and Element Vision and Horizon LED task lights earned Citations of Excellence in the Buildings Innovations competitions.
Silica by Momentum Textiles won the Gold Best of Show award in the healthcare textiles category. Silica is the first environmentally responsible alternative to PVC/PU coated fabrics. Silica is produced without toxic chemicals and has no hazardous effects on the environment.
Smarter Interiors is proud to represent these distinguished, award-winning product lines. We would welcome the opportunity to give you a first hand look at why they earned the coveted Best In Show for 2010. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Greg Campbell (gcampbell@smarterinteriors.com) or Randy Alderson (ralderson@smarterinteriors.com) at Smarter Interiors at 804.358.7979.
Smarter Tools
Everything You Need To Know From A To Z: A Handy Tools of the Trade Guide Available from Smarter Interiors
We recently added a top-notch, six-page glossary of industry terminology to our website: Glossary of Terms: Commercial Office Furniture and Space Planning. From A to Z, Acoustical Panel to X-Post, this handy guide is perfect for seasoned space planners and interior designers or those of you who want to brush up on commercial furniture and space planning terminology. And if you have additional items you would like to suggest that we include in the next edition, please drop us a line. To request your copy, go to www.smarterinteriors.com. Or call Greg Campbell (gcampbell@smarterinteriors.com) or Randy Alderson (ralderson@smarterinteriors.com) at Smarter Interiors at 804.358.7979.
Innovations
Gunlocke, Represented by Smarter Interiors, Introduces New Trio Casegood Collection at NeoCon
Gunlocke proudly unveiled yet another smart office solution, the Trio casegood collection at NeoCon 2010, the largest contract furniture exhibition in North America. Designed to create harmony in the workplace by meeting the private office needs of an organization at every level, the breadth of the new Trio collection components can be combined to create freestanding desk stations, U-stations, L-stations, double stations and even work walls. This planning flexibility and wide range of mixed materials offered with Trio, such as veneers, paints, glass and plastic laminate combinations, translate into a casegood line that fulfills the need for organization and design synchronization throughout the entire office.
In addition to providing a level of sophistication in choices and the freedom to achieve a design vision for any office, the strong commitment to performance, quality, reliability and service rooted in the Gunlocke brand still remains. Industry leading tools, resources, programs and an experienced team that works together to maximize client success is the cornerstone upon which Trio was created.
Trio’s range of mixed materials reveals an extensive array of options. Wood or laminate tops are available and overhead storage is offered in wood or paint. Aluminum-frame, frosted-glass doors also can be specified. The collection is available in a total of 11 wood finishes, including seven cherry, two maple and two walnut offerings, however custom order finishes can also be accommodated. Three painted wood choices are available: soft white, muslin and loft. Eight matching work surface laminate colors are offered — five wood grain and three solid colors. Edge details include square, channel and double reed, while three pull options include bar, linear and sweep styling. To get a first hand look at this exciting new line, contact Greg Campbell (gcampbell@smarterinteriors.com) at Smarter Interiors at 804.358.7979.
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