100 Years Series: OREO

Good Morning and welcome back to the 100 Years Series. Just to catch up, we are celebrating one of our favorite vendor's - Steelcase - 100 Year Anniversary (which we're celebrating Nov. 8th with great party - contact us for more information!) by looking at their past and future. They've achieved so much and have such a great theme. If you haven't seen it yet, check out there site: http://100.steelcase.com/.

After talking about Steelcase in week 1, we visited one of my favorite childhood memories - the Girl Scouts. Their history is rooted deep in tradition and respected what the girls and women of the world can do. Read last weeks post for info and then check out some facts about them here: http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/facts/

This week we visit what we're told is "Milk's favorite cookie". Oreo was made by Nabisco (a division of Kraft foods) in 1912 at the Chelsea Factory in NYC. The name was trademarked on March 14th, 1912.

The original design was set to look like a wreath  with the name "oreo" in the center. The newer design we see today was created in 1952 by William A. Turnier.

Did you know the Oreo Cookie has been renamed a few times? Originally, it was the Oreo Biscuit. In 1921, it was renamed the "Oreo Sandwich". In 1948, it was called the Oreo Creme Sandwich only to be changed in 1974 to the Oreo Chocolate Sandwich. Now, as far as I can tell, we call them Oreo cookies.  

Over the years, Oreos have been keeping busy. They've become international (mostly in the last 10 years) with great success. They changed their size (mini oreos, double stuf'd oreos), added some flavors (Neapolitan oreos, green tea, strawberry), they even got into baked goods and ice cream. And they continue to be a favorite as they market to the next generation of kids and adults.

For more information, I highly recommend checking out the Wiki site - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oreo - and then visiting Oreo's online http://brands.nabisco.com/Oreo/birthday/. Play some games, share your birthday, take a pic of yourself dunking and oreo old school style...and do what their slogan says: "celebrate the kid inside".

Oreo, we wish you a very happy 100th birthday and look forward to many, many more!

~ Kendal

100 Years Series: Girl Scouts

Welcome back to our 100 years series that looks at a handful of great organizations that are hitting 100 years in 2012. Last week, we covered Steelcase (one of our favorite vendors) and gave a brief over of their history and awesome firsts!. Today's organization...Girl Scouts! Who are celebrating "the year of the girl".

As a girl scout member from 1989-1994 (troop #316 from Milford, CT, representing!), I have fond memories of camping and silly songs and crafts. Marching in the parade and learning about assembly lines and teamwork. It was a fun and rewarding experience and one that I cherish and hope to offer future generations. But the history and motto of the organization, as well as its evolution and continued effort to provide more options and education to girls is truly wonderful.

"Girl Scouts is dedicated to every girl, everywhere". - probably my favorite quote from the website

I am taking the rest of my information from their website: http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/facts/ - there is waaay to much information to share, and so I highly recommend taking time to go through it yourself. But here are the general facts:

Girl Scout Mission
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

100 Years
Founder Juliette Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout Troop on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Ga.

An American Institution
Girl Scouts of the USA was chartered by the U.S. Congress on March 16, 1950.

Still Growing Strong
Today, there are 3.2 million Girl Scouts—2.3 million girl members and 890,000 adult members working primarily as volunteers.

Empowering Girls
In Girl Scouts, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Through a myriad of enriching experiences, such as extraordinary field trips, sports skill-building clinics, community service projects, cultural exchanges, and environmental stewardships, girls grow courageous and strong. Girl Scouting helps girls develop their full individual potential; relate to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect; develop values to guide their actions and provide the foundation for sound decision-making; and contribute to the improvement of society through their abilities, leadership skills, and cooperation with others.

At Home and Abroad
Girls at home and abroad participate in troops and groups in more than 92 countries through USA Girl Scouts Overseas, and over 100 local Girl Scout councils offer girls the opportunity for membership across the United States.

An International Family
Through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), Girl Scouts of the USA is part of a worldwide family of 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries.

A Pivotal Part of Women's History
More than 59 million American women enjoyed Girl Scouting during their childhood—and that number continues to grow as Girl Scouts of the USA continues to inspire, challenge, and empower girls everywhere.

 Such an amazing organization and one which will continue to change the lives of girls everywhere!

100 Years Series: Steelcase

One of our prime manufacturers, Steelcase, has been celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. To join them in this momentous occasion, we will be hosting a party in a few weeks to commemorate their major achievement and to look towards the next 100 years.

In doing research, my boss, Kristi, found 3 other major American institutions that are also celebrating their centennial. So to help lead up to our event in early November, this blog is going to highlight these outstanding organizations.

But first, we will begin with Steelcase and their story...which started with a garbage can.

Though founded in 1912, Steelcase, then known as "The Metal Office Furniture Co.", had it's first big hit in 1914 with the manufacturing of the metal trash can. People had the careless tendency of throwing their cigarettes into the wood cans thus igniting a fire. But the ability of the metal cans to be mass produced at a low cost created an instant success.

Following this came other great pieces, including bond boxes, desks, discovering how to use U-Channels to make lighter yet sturdier products and so much more. They officially changed their name to Steelcase (though the brand name had been used since the early 1920's) in 1954 and continued on with a history of firsts:

1939 - Industry's First Roll-Edge Desk
1945 - First to have standard and interchangeable parts
1954 - First to add typewriter auxiliary unit
1961 - First to use acrylic paints
1978 - First Lou Harris Study published on the effects of the office environment
1990 - First to filter effluent paint tanks
2001 - First U.S. LEED-Certified plant opens
2007 - First to have a movable wall system C2C certified (Pathways)

Steelcase's history and devotion to the industry is an amazing achievement to recognize. B&OI has been selling Steelcase pretty much since we opened our doors in 1934 - so our partnership and much of our success is based off of their innovative products and dedication to their dealerships. Please check out more of their illustrious history here (I like list view best) as well as checking out their great story of the next 100 years here.

Verb: A New Back to School Furniture Essential

You can smell it in the air in Seattle. That time of year when children, teenagers, and adults alike eagerly make their way back into the classroom to learn important information like "who won the war of 1812?" , what is x = 12-4(3) / 8(27+45) , can our culture successfully embrace transformational leadership in corporate America?

Well, maybe not everyone is eager. However, there is always the possibility of getting to go back to class and having new and improved stuff to work with. Here is a great new product line to look for!

Verb by Steelcase 

Steelcase has created a great new table product that has installed what every student over the past 20+ years has most likely doodled on...a mountable, mini whiteboard. Verb is great for collaborating during class and sharing ideas, this line of products (which includes tables) "is an integrated collection of furniture designed to support... learning spaces and project team rooms". Find out more here!

Here's an interesting and quick youtube video that showcases the properties and capabilities of Verb for the classroom:

And for some fun, check out this great video from EM Strasbourg (France) taking complete advantage of the awesomeness that is the Node chair. 

 

Blog Favorites

Today's post marks number 65 for Bank & Office Interiors. Writing once a week (usually on Wednesdays) since March 18th, 2011, our topics have ranged from cool furniture products, ways to stay healthy at the office, and a list of songs about work. As the primary writer, I've enjoyed creating many of these posts and wanted to share what I think the cool/interesting ones have been so far and look forward to creating more witty, entertaining and educating posts in the future.

Please click on the title to link to the article

1. Gearing Up For NeoCon. - NeoCon for the furniture community is a big deal. And it is huge. I wrote this article to give tips to first timers or a refresh for veterans. Such a cool event!

2. Your Health and the Office - Don't Neglect Yourself - Last year saw a lot of awareness raised about the evils of sitting for too long in your office chair. It includes a great infographic from mashable's story.

3. One Lean Journey Leads To Another - Dana, our Director of IT, wrote a great blog on a project we did with Steelcase and the University of Washington to make them more lean.

4. Your Worklife Without the Copier? - Can you believe that the copier has only been around since 1960? What did they do before then?!? Well...another great article from Dana to let you know some cool facts.

5. Giving Hospital Rooms a Facelift - Looking Towards the Future - Oprah had a great article in her magazine, O, on the direction hospital rooms could be taking to help patient care. This was a review of that great piece.

Enjoy!

Kendal

B&OI Furniture Favorites

Bank & Office Interiors sells quite a few pieces of furniture to our customers - but I've never taken the time to find out what some of co-worker's favorite pieces are.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the dash light by Details. It's sleek. It has an LED light. It also comes in a variety of colors. You can learn more about it here.

Josh in IT chose Answer by Steelcase. "It goes together like an erector set - which every child should have played with". As a former installer, Josh would know about putting it together with a major benefit being the ease you can rearrange it. Check out more info here.

Lynda, a designer, loves the look of the Coalesse Enea Lotus Stool. "The profile is clean lines and doesn't obstruct the views" It is a good looking and versatile with a look and dynamic that allows you to put it just about anywhere. Find out more info here.

Claudia, an admin assistant, is a fan of the Steelcase i2i chair (which is my number 2!). "They're just really fun to sit in!". And she's right! The low seating is part of the collaborative collection which was designed to make teamwork easier. Definitely a cool product that would be great in any office! Find out more info here!

Kevin in contract sales had to choose two. First, he went with the Leap Lounge with Ottoman because it's a cool design and very comfy when you get to put your feet up. It does look really nice - find out here!

He then went on to say the media:scape (which is my number 3). "It's one of my favorites because of the ease in which you can share ideas with associates and clients". And he's right - now Steelcase has the mini and the mobile media:scape with allows for any room to become interactive and collaborative. Check it out here.

Answer - here it's a cube, but the possibilities are endless

The lovely Enea stool in action

Leap Lounge with Ottoman - I could definitely get comfy

media:scape offers easy collaboration and a great way to share info!

5 Office Friendly Fitness Tips



You can do push-ups in the office!

 If you live out on the west coast, specifically the Pacific Northwest, then summer is just starting to come through. When we're not outside enjoying the gray, 60 degree weather, we're inside the office, sitting, working hard for our jobs and neglecting our bodies. It's important to remember to stay fit for yourself, even when buried under mounds of paper work. I found two cool articles that offer some tips to staying fit...in the office.

From Parade.com, they offer 9 tips you can use (check out the article here) - here are a few:

* Need ideas? Take a walk: Brainstorm project ideas with a co-worker while taking a walk, either in or out of the office.

* Visit your coworkers: Walk down the hall to speak with someone rather than using the telephone or sending an e-mail.

* Save the Date: Schedule exercise time on your business calendar and treat it as any other important appointment.


Total performance offered two (out of five) tips I really liked for the office (check out full article here):

* Morning workouts - summer (normally) tends to get warm and working out at lunch or in the evening can be painful. However, there's something about a 5:30am run with the cool air invigorating your senses to wake up that gets your work day going!

* Summer diet - oh I said it (well they started it). They suggest Barley should be added to your diet (great for kidneys, keeps intestines cool), as well as fruits and veggies. I agree! Make this the summer you skip the muffins and croissants and cake Wednesdays and enjoy Greek yogurt, baby carrots with peanut butter and fresh salads with yummy trimmings and a light vinegarette.

Of course this isn't the end all, be all list of tips. If there's a coworker in the office your friends with, working together and making each other accountable for changes is a great way to stay motivated. But ideally, not neglecting your limbs and health for the sake of 10 more minutes of sitting in your chair (which really turns in to 2 hours and you know it) is what you're striving for.

Good luck!

Kendal