03/04/08
Ohio Desk set to Celebrate 100th Anniversary
Work Space Trends Forum to Highlight Celebration —

In 2008, Ohio Desk will officially celebrate its 100th anniversary. The celebration will kick-off with Ohio Desk’s Work Space Trends Forum on Thursday, March, 13th and continue throughout the year with special events and planned celebrations.

The Forum will provide a day of learning activities and educational seminars that focus on work space in the office as well as issues that are the most prevalent in today’s office environment. All businesses throughout Ohio and Western Pennsylvania are encouraged to attend. 

Understanding trends in the work space and being on top of office issues – even in 1908 – are two of the things that have made Ohio Desk successful for so long. They realized that in order to succeed in the long-run, you had to stay ahead of the curve. They also knew that you had to have the right people – both in terms of customers and employees. That’s why today, 100 years later, they are one of the few businesses who’ve endured the peaks and valleys of the times and have been able to enjoy success for the long-term.

“It’s always been about people first,” says David B. Humphrey, Owner and President of Ohio Desk. “Especially our customers. We’ve always strived to exceed their expectations in terms of quality products and customer service. We’ve always been customer focused - even way back in 1908.”

Ohio Desk was originally founded on November 18, 1908 as Ohio Desk and Chair Company. By 1917, the firm had acquired its current name and moved to its present location at 1122 Prospect Avenue under the ownership of Albert Bigalke.

Ohio Desk became a Steelcase dealer in 1927 and in 1947 joined Stow and Davis Furniture Company to form the Executive Furniture Guild – the first nationally organized effort to provide color coordinated interior elements and design to corporate clients.

Through the 1960’s, Ohio Desk primarily sold desks, chairs and files to the Cleveland market area. In the 1970’s, Ohio Desk began supplying and installing systems furniture which provided a great deal of flexibility to the workplace. In the 1980’s, Ohio Desk began offering services such as cleaning, fabric protection and short-term furniture rental. By the 1990’s, Ohio Desk had become a provider of integrated interiors, including carpet and hard surface flooring, floor-to-ceiling walls and raised floors. So far in the 2000’s, Ohio Desk has expanded geographically into the Akron, Youngstown and Erie, Pa. markets and also added technology products such as Room Wizard and interactive white boards.

According to Humphrey, the major reason attributed to Ohio Desk’s longevity is the caring and dedication of Ohio Desk people over the years. “It’s important that the people who work for us share our core values of service and integrity,” says Humphrey. “Those are all things that are very important to us. These characteristics carry over to the relationship we have with our customers, and to us, they are the foundation of every interaction we have with them.”

Humphrey adds “We have our Spirit committee that leads the charge with our community. In addition to organizing events and seeing them through, they encourage our employees to get involved. It’s really important to all of us to support the community we live in. Community involvement is part of the fabric that binds our company together.”

One person who understands the impact that the right people can make is Jim Mullane, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Ohio Desk and one of the company’s leaders for the past 15 years. “That’s one of the reasons we’re having the Work Space Trends Forum,” says Mullane. “We want to keep our customers informed about the changes and trends in our industry, helping to make them more successful.”

In addition to the learning activities and educational seminars at the Forum, attendees will get to experience Ohio Desk’s 100 year history first hand. The company has developed a visual, historical timeline that chronicles Ohio Desk's first 100 years in business. Attendees will also get to see on display the same Frank Lloyd Wright desk and chair that was designed by Steelcase for the Johnson Wax Headquarters building in 1936. For those interested in attending, they can call 1-800-326-0601, or visit www.ohiodesk.com/rsvp for additional information.

“We plan on celebrating our centennial throughout the entire year,” says Humphrey. “It takes a lot of effort by a lot of good people to be in business for so long. It’s the least we can do for the people who’ve helped us enjoy our success over the last 100 years.”