All great things start from small things. This is exactly how Haworth Inc. came to be.
Today, the company has a global reputation as a manufacturer, and designer of high-quality office furniture products and services. Its sales operations and manufacturing are strong and impressive in more than 70 countries.
But before the laurels, this family-owned, privately-held, $2 billion-dollar corporation humbly started as a garage-shop venture. Get to know its history of innovation and excellence that will surely win your heart, and suffice your standard for excellence.
From Hobby to Business
Haworth began as a hobby. While teaching Industrial Arts at Holland High School in Michigan, Gerrard Wendell Haworth started a woodworking shop in his garage in the 1940s to make extra income for his children’s education. When his craftsmanship became renowned and his orders grew, he hoped to turn his passion for woodworking into a full-time business. Haworth applied for a loan from a local bank to make this happen but he was rejected because of no prior experience in business. Unstoppable, he used a $10,000 loan from his parent’s life savings. He resigned as a teacher, purchased secondhand equipment for the shop and launched Modern Products. Curious about their first products? They were tie racks and shoe displays.
From Modern Products to Modern Partitions
During the company’s first two years, there were only six woodworkers at a small plant in Holland. The year 1951 became a gamechanger when Modern Products snared a contract that gave them a big break, and determined the course of business. They designed and manufactured floor-to-ceiling movable walls for the new Detroit headquarters of the United Auto Workers union. In 1954, the Modern Partition’s focus shifted to office environments and the development of modular office partitions. The company name was eventually changed to Modern Partitions to reflect the new focus.
Over the next ten years, the business boomed and was known nationally. It moved to larger facilities in 1961. In the same year, his teenage son, Richard “Dick” Haworth was already exposed to the business by operating plant machinery and sweeping floors. He became an assistant sales manager in 1964 after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in business from Western Michigan University. Within 2 years, he was promoted to vice president for research and development. However, he was soon obliged to leave the company to render service in the U.S. Army.
Rise of Haworth Inc.
Richard returned to the company in 1969 and assumed responsibility for manufacturing and new product development. His goal – to develop a unique movable panel insulated with carpeting to help add privacy and reduce noise – the office module system. He also formulated a method of installing electrical wiring inside panels which could easily be snapped together. This became a huge hit as it eliminated clients’ need to pay additional for electricians to install wirings in office spaces. With this huge success, sales sharply increased to around $10 million.
In 1975, the name of the company was changed to Haworth Inc. Richard took leadership in 1976 and led extraordinary growth. Haworth became one of the country’s largest office furniture manufacturers as the sales exceeded $300 million. The company went global, acquired 15 companies in North America and Europe, expanded sales in Asia, and added manufacturing in Europe.
Not only did Haworth display topnotch quality of products and services, the company’s corporate philosophy attracted attention. They refer to employees as “members”, and implemented a participative management style where all members were asked to spend a paid one hour per week to brainstorm on how to improve Haworth’s customer service.
In response to a more open, interactive workspace that was clamored by customers in the 1990s, Haworth rolled out new products including conference tables that could easily be arranged into U-shapes, circles, or individual tables, and panels of lower heights.
Remarkably, Haworth became the first office furniture manufacturer to achieve ISO 9001 certification for a quality management system. Not just that. It is also a leader in sustainable practices. Through the years, the company continues to create new milestones and has been offering the latest workplace trends and business needs – like the Organic Workplace strategy that takes a comprehensive view of all types of spaces, and entire floor plans
Haworth Inc. is a global leader in the corporate furnishing industry that is founded on a history of innovation, impressive craft, determination, and a forward-way of thinking. Its growth is evidence of the commitment and expertise of the people behind the company. Excellence is a mark that is tediously embedded in every product they produce.
Make Haworth a Part of Your Business Success
For so long, the Haworth brand has not been represented in Fort Wayne.
It is the Three Rivers Business Interiors’ (TRBI) mission to let the city experience the Haworth difference, and help workplaces transform through the incorporation of world-class, high quality products. From chairs, lounge, desks and tables, partitions, storage, accessories and lighting, you’ll find all that you need to give your space that “oomph factor”, and boost productivity and interaction.
Haworth founder Gerrard Wendell Haworth often told his associates that the “surest sign of success is not the first sale to a customer, but the second. They know what to expect by that time, and if they choose you again, you know you are serving them well.”
Contact TRBI today to purchase and experience the Haworth difference.
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