.. L.......!.!.!..........................!............................R r'#s# ## #er:a, #,9nrs Page 1 Approximately 2,000 words HAWORTH, INC. EXCELLENCE IN OFFICE FURNISHINGS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR RESPONSIVE OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS Written by June Grayson, Photographed by Richard Grayson Thei corporat strateg t b "th bes i th eye o ou customers ha enab!e the t gro twic a fas a th industr as a whole. Gerrar W Hawort ha com lon wa sinc h founde sidelin business in his garage workshop 42 years ago. No h i chairma o th boar o mu!timi!!io dolla compan wit an internationa! market. Haworth Inc. i th thir larges manufacture o offic furnitur system i th Unite States Thousand o companie rel o Haworth Inc. desig an furnishings majorit o th Fortun 50 companie hav installe thes component t creat productiv wor environment for their employees. .PA .. L!.........!...........................................................R .,=#= -, "- --"----, -.   System furnitur i th moder so!utio fo th efficien us o offic areas replacin bot th privat offic wit it expensiv fixed walls and the bu!!pen office with its noise and confusion. Group o modu!a component - wor surfaces storag units shelves !ighting an electrica accessorie - fi togethe b mount in o basi structura pane!s Th part ca b reconfigure t mee changin offic objectives Thi allow cos saving an convenienc impossib!e with fixed wal! arrangements. Hawort di no eve nee t !eav hom t see hi fortune Indeed hi garag worksho an th presen mammot Haworth Inc. facilit ar onl fe mile apar i Ho!!and Michigan !itt! tow bes know fo it windmil an tu!i festivals Haworth Inc. i Ho!land' largest employer. Hawort attribute hi succes an tha o hi compan t thei adherenc t th Hawort Creed hi fami!y' summar o thei persona va!ues as we!! as their business princip!es. "M parent wer no educate o rich, Hawort exp!ains "bu the a!way worke har an gav thei best The wer ver re|igious ver mora peop!e transferre thos sam va!ue t m ow business operations." "Eve thoug gre u durin th depressio an go a A i co!!eg s cou| teac industria arts a!way kne tha wante t g int busines fo mysel someday I wasn' eas fo m becaus didn' hav an capita t ge starte on Tha wa whe foun ou tha banks on!y !end money to peop!e who have money." .PA .. L!.........!..............................................................R .Page 3, #e #aworrn, oy ### "Sti! determine t branc ou an tr m wings starte b makin woode toy par tim i 194 t sel ou o m garage B 194 qui teachin entirel an founde Moder Products M parent loane m the $10,000 I needed to get started." "I hadn' bee s prou an stubborn woul hav returne t teachin man time thos firs thre years Thoug kne woodworking ha n busines ski!! o experience M wif di th bookkeepin i ou home Eventuall w ha fiv !ittl chi!dre t suppor an nurture I wa har t balanc everythin i ou lives However w perservere an p!oughe bac ever possib! cen int th business Litt! b !itt! gathere th ta!ente peopl neede t mak th business successfu!." Hawort think tha ever successfu busines need som luc a!on the way. "Ou bigges brea wa gettin int th partitio business Gran Rapids Michigan sa!esm##aske u t mak u som samp!e fro sketc don b Phi!adelphi architec fo partia partition fo bank Tha wa completel ne ide then w mad u th samp1es an th sa!esma so! ou firs insta!!atio t Walte Reuthe fo hi ne UAW-CI headquarters in Detroit." "Ou Gran Rapid connectio didn' !ast a!way wa ver fruga i m operation an expenditure whi! the spen thei mone o bi cars and other executive perks unti! their business fai!ed." "Bu w continue t manufactur an se! thes ne partition throughou th Unite States W gradua11 so! of ou othe !ine an devoted ourselves exclusively to office systems." .PA .. L.........!...........................................................R . Page 4, #e #awor#n, oy ### "W ha t b unio sho then o otherwis ou product wer vanda!ized Gradual!y however partition cam t b though o a furniture Ou member the vote ou th unio b 76% Sinc the w hav bee abl t offe ou member muc mor i salar an fring benefit than ever before." A! thre industr leader ar base i Michigan Stee!cas i privatel owned a i Haworth Inc Herma Mi!!e i pub!icl held A potentia! client has to weight differences in design and sty!e. "Naturally w thin w hav th bes engineere product, say Haworth "Ou innovation hav certain! cas u int th forefron o thi industr an hav wo u man desig awards W wer th firs t pu e!ectricit int th bas pane! an t mak specifi arrangement t accomodat ne e!ectroni offic machines Thes migh b th reasons we fee! we are gaining in the marketp!ace." "Ou sa!e peop! ar we!l-traine an aggressiv an wou! hop that they would se!l you on the qua!ity of the job you wou!d get from us." potentia c!ien ca eithe approac Haworth Inc. directl throug th corporat offic i Ho!lan o throug on o thei 35 dealer i th Unite States Ther ar a!s 1 regiona showroom an fiv internationa showrooms Corporat desig engineer support the !oca! dea!ers as needed. "Th chal!eng t ou industr wi! b t continu t produc qualit produc whi! keepin u wit ne ideas, Hawort thinks "Eve though this is sti!! a growth indsutry, I think compe- .PA .. L.........!............................................................R tition will become stiffer and some of the minor p!ayers may have to drop out." "W hav neve ha an o ou manufacturin don overseas Bu w hav sen fou team t Japa t stud thei tim an manu facturin capabi!itie an w hav app!ie som o thei ideas Fo example te year ag ou inventor turnove wa abou fou time #ear W hav increase tha t 1 time year W ar stil no satisfied Th faste w mov ou inventor th mor mone w sav i financin costs I norma wee w shi 7 mi!lio dollar wort o goo every five days. " "Tha i wh w depen mor an mor upo computers I fact w wou! b para!yze i ou computer wen down W hav on !arg IB an a !eas 18 sma! computer throughou th whol faci!ity W us the i a!l phases of manufacturing and administration." "No tha w don' nee them w hav severa goo line o credi a banks and insurance companies." "Ou growt rat ha bee phenomenal I th las te year w hav a|mos average 50 yea compounded I 1984 w ha 67 increas in sales alone. Haworth remains bullish on America. "Ther ma b saturatio poin i ou industr som da bu don' se i yet Th potentia that#hi countr stil ha i !ik n othe countr i th wor!d Al yo hav t d i g acros th borde eithe way to rea!ize that the biggest market in .PA .. L.........!........................................................R Page 6, Re Haworth, by GEL i th wor! i righ here Ou entrepreneuria spiri i unique We'r !ucky. God has blessed this nation." Hawort consider hi fami! grea comfort " !os m wif t cancer eight years ago so my children an 1 grandchildre ar m greates joy # firs grandso jus graduate fro colleg an i qoin int busines an computers wou! b orou i an o the wante t wor here bu fee the shou! ge their education and outside business experience first." Nepotis i no dirt wor t Haworth "W ar ##ami! busines all the way through. In fact, our members encour- ag thei re!ative t app! fo opening her s tha man time w don' eve need to advertise." Haworth still has his goa!s. " wan t b remembere a goo emp!oye an goo manufacture wh turne ou qualit goods W wan qua!it peop! t wor her an re!at t ou custome bas whic i ou u!timat boss N on want t wor fo wea company s i i ou dut t see t b th bes t ou customer a we! a t ou members W a!s fee w hav responsibi!it t ou communit an encourag al o ou members to support 1oca! activites." " a prou t sa tha w hav neve ha t !a anyon of becaus o downturn i th economy W shortene ou wor wee twice however, to avoid any firinqs." A few months ago one of Haworth's high schoo! in#ustria! .PA .. L!.........!.!.....!................................................R .-_._ ", --- , -.   art students no col!eg president returne fo visit "Yo contribute t m success, h tol Mr Haworth "Yo tol m bette no plan to work with my hands!" G W Hawort sti! work wit hi hands I fact h i no abov takin hi ow tap measur ou int th factor t se tha tas is done according to proper specifications. Thi ma b th reaso fo hi company' success G W Hawort ha always combined the best of his hands and his head and his heart. ####### .PA