Company Profile: Caesar Ceramics

1.30.12 | Each new year brings its own possibilities, expectations and surprises. A very pleasant one this year was a message from our friend Ed Smith saying that he had taken a position as Northeast Regional Sales Manager with Caesar Ceramics USA Inc. Many in the A&D and dealer communities will remember the favorable impression he made while representing Ahrend, before that company affiliated with Allsteel.

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2011 Year in Review

1.16.12 | It was a good year, right? Perhaps not a great year, as we in this industry have known it, but, sequentially, quite a good year for the those creating interior environments. Employment, one of the key drivers in the interiors economy, has been spotty, yet pent up demand and the every-changing workplace has cut the purse strings, freeing some of the stored profits of major corporations, all to our benefit. Organizations are even more focused on productivity and related efficiencies, causing workplace redesign and furnishing as they pursue more effective use of their real estate, having lived through the second traumatic recession in a decade. At the same time, the scattered rays of economic sunlight have turned organizational minds toward staffing needs and the twin demands of retention and recruitment.

So, for many it was back to making hay, putting aside the difficult tasks of redesigning their business to correct the shortcomings that are so easily swept beneath the carpet during the good times.

Here is a glancing overview of the events that we covered last year.

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Steelcase, Technology & Workplace Design

1.16.12 | The contributions of the design professions are being made through the development and understanding of subjects of a much greater scope than that addressed by traditional fine arts programs. One of the leaders in our industry providing technical solutions is Steelcase, with its Integrated Technologies. One of the products in Steelcase’s Integrated Technologies vocabulary is media:scape, which was introduced at NeoCon WTF 2008. James Hackett, CEO of Steelcase, saw media:scape as another transformational product. Now, Steelcase is introducing media:scape mini and media:scape mobile to enhance the classroom collaboration experience at HigherEd TECH, a technology summit for higher education held as part of the international Consumer Electronics Show.

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HBF Textiles: Fall/Winter 2011 Collection

12.12.11 | Textiles are apparently like vegetables, at least in the areas such as New England, where shifting temperatures and late harvests signal changes from food to outerwear. So it is that some textile producers, in this case HBF Textiles, launch their Fall/Winter Collection.

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DIRTT’s Human-Centered Sustainability

12.5.11 | We decided recently to visit the new Phoenix facility of DIRTT Environmental Solutions to see how the company is living up to its name. We found that it has wrapped itself in sustainability, but not the kind most of us usually hear about. If charity begins at home, so does sustainability, and the core value of sustainability is people, your own workers. Environmental solutions are DIRTT’s business, and their’s is no vision of the far-off continent or customer. It starts right where it works.

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Richard E. Heriford Named President of Landscape Forms

12.5.11 | The integration of landscape architecture, architecture and interior design offers many excellent opportunities for better built environments. Landscape Forms, an important player in the the realm of landscape design, recently announce its succession plans. Richard E. Heriford, former VP of Sales and Marketing, was named president, effective immediately, succeeding Bill Main, who announced his planned retirement from the company at the end of 2014.

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Shaw Introduces LokDots Tile Installation System

12.5.11 | Shaw Industries Group has launched LokDots™, an innovative pressure sensitive adhesive for carpet tile installation. Designed for use with Shaw’s EcoWorx carpet tile, LokDots is a non-toxic, odorless alternative to traditional wet adhesive installation that eliminates the issue of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) while providing ease and versatility of installation in even the most demanding environments.

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Company Profile: Leland International

11.21.11 | Leland has an international network of dealers that recognize the value of partnering with a company oriented to good design. “Our dealers recognize that this strengthens their relationships with their client base and also adds A&D support by reinforcing the right product” said Leland’s NYC rep Mario Riservato. Supporting both interior designers and dealers has broadened Leland’s overall industry support and aided in recent company growth.

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NeoCon East 2011

11.8.11 | NeoCon East 2011, held last week (November 2-3), was once just another regional NeoCon, but is now a contract design focal event for the Mid-Atlantic A&D community and those dealing with the federal government. This was year nine for the event, which began in NYC and then moved by the Merchandise Mart to the Baltimore Convention Center in an astute play to help the show gain an identity and serve multiple purposes.

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Product Intro: Momentum’s Health Kick

Momentum’s Health Kick 10.31.11 | No wonder interior designers love textiles: they are so emblematic of the profession. Best known for aesthetic appeal, there has always been an incidental functional aspect. As time goes on, however, while we hope the emotional appeal will never be lost, function has become more imperative, no more so than in the healthcare sector. Momentum Textiles staked out a position in healthcare this year, receiving two Innovation Awards at IIDEX/NeoCon Canada for its new products Naked Nylon and Silica, which took Gold and Silver awards, respectively, for their introductions in healthcare.

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