Tag Archives: Workspace Solutions

Press Release: Announcing New Fort Wayne Office Furniture Location

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For Immediate Release:

Local Office Furniture Sales and Design Company Announces New Fort Wayne Location

Workspace Solutions moves to improve efficiency and better serve growing client base.

Workspace Solutions Office Furniture Store Fort Wayne

Brent Stoller & Mike Hunter in front of the new Workspace Solutions Office Furniture campus in Fort Wayne. New location opens mid-September 2014.

Workspace Solutions of Fort Wayne, IN announces its plans to relocate and consolidate from its current two Fort Wayne office furniture locations into one facility at 2200 Production Road. The former Vera Bradley Headquarters building will contain all of Workspace Solutions warehouse and showroom facilities now located at 919 Coliseum Boulevard North and at 256 W Main Street in Downtown Fort Wayne.

The family owned business, currently owned by Brent Stoller, president and Mike Hunter, vice president, began operations in 1978 at the current Coliseum Boulevard location as Eastland Sales, offering used office furniture and equipment. In 1996, the name was changed to Workspace Solutions to better reflect the store’s evolution to offering full service office planning and design, and to selling new product from the top manufacturers of office furniture, such as AllSteel, Hon, National and others.

“We’re excited to get all of our Fort Wayne staff back into one facility,” says Stoller. “We’ve loved being downtown since our purchase of Business Furniture Outlet in 2006, but the 2 locations have created certain communication and logistical challenges.”

Workspace Solutions is one of the few office furniture stores in our area to offer a public showroom for both their new and used office furniture. “We’ll continue that tradition in our new location,” says Stoller, “We’ll showcase our furniture in groupings where you can see how it all would fit together and look in your office, conference room, or lobby. And, all of that in a beautiful professional building that much better reflects the business we are today.”

Another important consideration for Workspace Solutions in this move will be quick access to I-69 & US30. According to Hunter, “We have crews on the road every day, and being closer to the interstate will allow us to become more efficient and to better serve our clients.” Workspace Solutions uses its own trained installation team and own fleet of delivery trucks. They have designed and installed offices as far away as New York City, Los Angeles, and even Hawaii, but their focus continues to be Northeast Indiana, including the Indianapolis, Warsaw, and South Bend areas where the company has satellite sales offices.

All 16 Fort Wayne area employees will move into the new facility, and no jobs will be eliminated according to Stoller. In fact, we already have plans to add more staff as our business has returned to pre-recession levels, and is growing past that to the next level.

“Our primary business plan has always been to exceed our customers’ expectations, and to fashion our business to best be situated to accomplish that. We needed a better, centralized location to do that, and that’s why we’re taking on this project,” Stoller said. “It’s a big project, but a major office move is the type of thing we often perform for our clients.”

Both the current Workspace Solutions locations will remain open until the move is accomplished, and all inventory is sold or moved. A giant “Moving Sale” is anticipated in each current facility. The move to the new facility is schedule for late September, 2014

About Workspace Solutions

Workspace Solutions is a Fort Wayne family-owned business providing office furniture sales and installation, as well as office layout & design with satellite sales offices in Indianapolis, Warsaw, and South Bend.

Contact:
Brent Stoller
bstoller@workspacesolutions.com

Mike Hunter
mhunter@workspacesolutions.com

Workspace Solutions
(260) 422-9537
www.workspacesolutions.com

 

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WaveWorks by National Captures Your Imagination in Metal

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Remember metal desks?  Probably not in a good way if you do, but you had to admit, they lasted forever, and were very cost effective.  What if you could combine the durability of metal with a great modern style?  Too late, it’s been done.  Take a look at WaveWorks metal furniture from National Furniture.

National Wave Works from Workspace Solutions photo 1

Let your metal imagination run wild with the flexibility of WaveWorks Metal and the unlimited options of WaveWorks Laminate surfaces to create incredibly durable, beautiful configurations. The blending of woodgrain, solid or patterned laminates with the sleeknessof metal delivers an awesome, enduring aesthetic. Combine all this with National’s extensive seating line, and you now have a single source for sustainable solutions to oblige all your metal desk and storage applications and footprints.

National Wave Works from Workspace Solutions photo 2

Enjoy the long-lasting appeal and ease of ownership of WaveWorks from National. Contact us here at Workspace Solutions to learn more about Wave Works from National, just one of the many hard working, professional lines we carry, sell, and install all over Fort Wayne, Northern Indiana, Central Indiana, and Indianapolis.

Natinal WaveWorks at Workspace Solutons showroom in downtown Fort Wayne, IN

Natinal WaveWorks at Workspace Solutons showroom in downtown Fort Wayne, IN

 

 

Listening to Music while Working at the Office…Good Idea, or Not?

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Listen While You Work: Productivity Killer?

Music at the OfficeHere at Workspace Solutions, we work hard every day coming up with ways to increase your office’s efficiency.   There is no doubt our offices have changed over the years, and so has the debate about office workers listening to music while on the clock.

Years ago, this issue may have been decided by the boss who could control the lone office radio, or the office speaker system.  Most office music in those days consisted of instrumental selections since it was believed adding a vocalist would break worker’s concentration.  There was even a paid music service, called Muzak back then, that “scientifically” programmed its music to increase worker productivity.  Not sure how good that worked since this service is no longer available.

A small device called a “Walkman” was developed by Sony in 1979.  This device played cassette tapes and popularized the use of headphones.  Workers could now listen to their favorite tapes without disturbing anyone around them.  They were free to move around the office as well, without taking off their headphones.   When CD drives began showing up in our PC’s, it was an easy way for employees to plug their headphones in and start listening.  CD drives are not as common as they once were, and listening habits and technology have moved on.

Today, there are several ways an employee sitting at a computer can listen to music.  They can use their phones or mp3 players to feed their tunes to their ear buds, and they can use their computers to stream music from the internet.  This allows workers to choose their own taste in music, selecting sounds they feel help them work more attentively, or cutting fatigue, both things that music seems to be able to do.

So, now that you’ve lost control of the old office radio, should you let your employees listen to music at work or not?   The most logical way to decide this is on a case by case basis. Judge each employee on their own merits. If a worker is productive and accurate, then who cares if they listen to music or not.  If they are not doing their job successfully, it may be time to suggest they pull the (ear) plug, and try it without the tunes.

Does Music Kill Collaboration in the Workplace?

A few other issues should be noted.  One, as we move to a more open office environment, where collaboration is important, an employee can use their music to create an artificial barrier.  With ear buds or ear phones on, they may not be able to get into the office conversation, since they can’t hear it.  Others may not approach them since they know they are listening to music, and won’t hear them anyway.

The opposite of this occurs if one worker’s music is playing too loudly and distracts co-workers.  If you did a quick survey of musical tastes of your employees, you would discover they are all different.  What motivates one worker can irritate another.  So, if you allow music in the office, it should remain personal.  Speakers or loud headphones should not be allowed.

It does seem that listening to music while working can be a positive work habit for some workers, while not that good for others.  It’s one of those things you’ll have to work out so that everyone wins.

Share with us.  What is your office policy about music?  And what are your favorite work sounds?

The Seat(ing) of Power, Gunlocke at Workspace Solutions

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Here at Workspace Solutions, we’re proud to handle many fine lines of office chairs. Some, like La-Z-Boy are very well known, while others, like Gunlocke may be more famous for who’s used them. Every U.S. President from Woodrow Wilson to Jimmy Carter chose a Gunlocke chair for the Oval Office.

Truly successful workspace solutions also deliver long-term satisfaction and ongoing performance. That means building for the customer’s needs, today as well as tomorrow.
Not just anyone can make good on this promise. Delivering it requires a company that demands excellence at every level. Why settle for anything less than a furniture manufacturer who’s continually setting a higher standard on your behalf?

Since the 1920’s, Gunlocke has stayed focused on everything an office client needs to succeed: design, functionality, delivery, quality and value.
Workspace Solutions is proud to be a Gunlocke Dealer for Northern Indiana. Come see Gunlocke Quality for yourself in our downtown showroom at the corner of Main and Webster in Fort Wayne, IN

Gather Your Big Ideas with Allsteel and Workspace Solutions

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Back in the idyllic 1950’s, people in the suburbs used to visit one another by meeting along the back yard hedge. What if you could put a hedge in your office, you know, a place that encourages your staff to meet regularly to discuss and exchange ideas? Collaborative work settings are a vital part of contemporary office design. Ideas grow when shared, and ideas create the next profit centers within our businesses. Without ideas, it’s hard to move ahead or even keep up with our competition. Old office walls and cubicles made for privacy, but privacy keeps ideas from sprouting and taking root. How you design your office dictates how your employees will interact with customers, and each other, so it’s important to think of your office layout the same way you think about any technology you invest in to improve productivity and growth.  Workspace Solutions has been designing collaborative offices for years. Now they have new tools from Allsteel to take your office to the next level.

Allsteel has two new lines designed to increase employee collaboration: Gather, and Involve. Learn more here, or contact Workspace Solutions for a demonstration. Gather around the Hedge in your office, and get everyone Involved in the future or your business.

Workspace Solutions is the Allsteel dealer for Northern Indiana, including South Bend, Elkhart, Warsaw, and Fort Wayne. Workspace Solutions can also serve you from their office in Indianapolis.

Which type of Worker is most likely to Develop Chronic Back Pain from Work?

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Which of these two people are most likely to develop chronic back pain later in life?

A. Lumberjack

B. A Secretary in a modern office

The answer, of course, is B.  An office secretary, or business executive, or anyone who spends most of his or her time at work sitting, is far more likely to develop back and neck pain than a physically active worker.

Here are three of the major workplace contributors to back pain:

  • Slouching forward in your chair
  • Holding your telephone between your ear and your shoulder
  • Lack of movement during the work day

So, why are you still just sitting there. Get active now!  Here are some ideas from San Francisco State University’s Dr. Erik Peper

1.)   Support the natural curve of your spine! Office chairs should have lumbar support, a natural forward curve at belly button level. You can also put a pillow or rolled up towel behind your back to achieve this effect.

2.)   Adjust the height of your chair so you can keep your feet flat on the floor and your knees at 90-degree angles. You can also rest your feet on a prop, like a footrest or even a phone book, for extra support. Crossing your legs tightly reduces circulation in your legs and causes varicose veins, which look dark blue on your skin!

3.)   Remove or lower the armrests so your arms are at 90-degree angles. This will encourage you to hold your shoulders low, which your good for your upper back.

4.)   Keep your monitor about an arms length away and at or slightly below eye level. This will encourage you to sit back, instead of lean forward and reduces neck strain.

Stand Up and move around

Sitting (or even standing) in one position for an 8 hour workday can be very hard on your body!

1.)   Take short breaks, once every hour to use the restroom, get a glass of water, walk down the hallway, or just stretch. Sitting for long periods of time will weaken the muscles in your back. Stretching for just 60 seconds will counter the bad effects of long periods of just sitting.

2.)   Research suggests that about half your hours at work should be spent standing up. If you have a sit-stand workstation, alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day.

3.)   Strengthening your core muscles with exercise, such as yoga, pilates or sit-ups works  your stomach as well your back, which naturally improves your posture and reduces pain.

Workspace Solutions in Fort Wayne, IN, has ergonomic chairs, workstations and office desks that can help keep office workers healthy and happy.  Contact us to discuss how we can help your employees avoid the long term health issues that come from sitting all day long at work.

What ideas do you have for keeping active and not just sitting at your desk eight hours every day?

The White Board goes High Tech at Workspace Solutions

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Just about every business meeting today is centered around a “white board.” Notes, and ideas that surface during the meeting get written down. Presentations are made using diagrams and flowcharts. This low tech successor to the messy chalk board has become an indispensable business tool for the 21st century.

Now, Workspace Solutions and Claridge bring the white board into the world of high tech.

Now you can use your white board as a screen, and project any notes, documents, spreadsheets or photos from your computer onto the wall for all to see. There’s also an LCD version of the screen where you don’t even need a projector. You can then write on your white board, and save all of your notes and drawings in a shareable computer file. You can even email the information on your white board. You can have other employees in other offices anywhere around the world sit in on your meeting, and view what’s on your white board exactly as if they were in your conference room.

Today, you know that you could never have a successful meeting without your trusty white board. Once you’ve used a Claridge Solution board, or their LCD C2Touch screens, you’ll never be able to hold another meeting without it.

See it in action in the video, or come to our downtown showroom and see it in person.  How would you use one of these high tech white boards?

Workspace Solutions in Fort Wayne, IN. Every day we’re working for you.

Claridge Solution Board


C2Touch LCD Screen

Creating an Office Space for Collaboration with Hon’s new Flock Collaborative Solutions

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Everyone today is talking about collaboration, bringing employees together to share and discuss their ideas.  It improves communications, cuts down on paperwork, and helps spark new ideas.  Collaboration is likely to happen anywhere, or not at all, depending on the layout of your work place.  It is more likely to happen if you encourage it with proper office design and layout.  Since collaboration is still a new concept for many, the nations’s top office furniture companies are just starting to offer specific products that they have designed and tested to increase the collaboration process in your office space.

The Hon Company, sold inFort  Wayne and Northern Indiana by Workspace Solutions,  has a new line entirely dedicated to collaboration.  It’s called Flock Collaborative Solutions because the idea is that workers will flock to these areas to share their best ideas.  In the same way as cubicles naturally keep people apart, collaborative areas must lure people into their spaces.  They must also facilitate the needs of the collaborators, or the desired collaboration won’t take place.  Companies like Hon, and office designers like Workspace Solutions, have been carefully studying what type of furnishings and designs not only bring people together, but help them work together to create the desired results.  At the same time, they are aware that such spaces must still fit the décor and decorum of your office.  Many companies have learned that their collaboration area is useful as a recruitment tool, since perspective employees are excited about the prospect of a strong collaborative environment, and are even already experienced these in college.

So the bottom line is, it must function properly, and it must look great, or it just won’t work at all.

With the incredible rate of change driven by technology, it shouldn’t’ be surprising to find our workspaces are changing as well.   Hon’s new Flock Collaborative Solutions, from Workspace Solutions shows how we continue to innovate to keep your work space up to date and running at maximum efficiency.

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What if you designed furniture with the goal of keeping just the essential elements of function and form? You’d probably wind up with the Clarity seating series from AllSteel. Nothing extra, just what you need. The result is a chair that adapts to any space you put it into, and any type of work you are doing.

Workspace Solutions is proud to be an AllSteel dealer for Fort Wayne, South Bend, Indianapolis and most of Northern Indiana. AllSteel has been quality, innovative office furniture now for almost one hundred years.

 

When you sit on the Clarity chair, the mesh seat and back adjust immediately to you, providing instant comfort that actually anticipates your posture. Your comfortable at your desk, or anywhere you sit, and no matter which office task you are performing.

Contact us and learn more about the latest in seating, the Clarity Series Chairs from AllSteel and Workspace Solutions.

 

Treadmill Desk the next big thing in Office Furniture?

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(Salo LLC/NPR)

First, there was the standing desk, where instead of sitting all day, you worked standing up, a much healthier alternative.  So, it didn’t take long to make the next leap of faith to create the treadmill desk, where you not only stand, but work out while your working.

The creators of the treadmill desks claim that this process actually increases productivity.  It certainly helps you find the time to get in your daily walk, and that should make you a healthier, happier worker for the long run, anyway.

According to NPR, the idea belongs to a Mayo clinic doctor, who believes it’s not only healthy, but also a great way to lose weight, while working.  The Doctor warns people not to jump on and walk eight hours a day to start.  He suggests a half hour on, then a half hour off for three or four days a week to get started.

What would you think if you came to work and found your desk was now a treadmill?