In the News
09/17/12 - Brooke, the Stackable and Mobile Chair
by Jean Lin , 3Rings Designer Pages blog
The spotlight is on Brooke - with convenient features and good looks, Brooke is a flexible option for a wide variety of spaces. Link to Full Article
12/2/11 - GVSU engineering school launches new, industry integrated graduate assistant program
by Monica Scott, The Grand Rapids Press
In the fall of 2012, Grand Rapids Chair is excited to welcome a graduate student from local Grand Valley State University to work with our Engineering department. The student will spend approximately 2 years with GR Chair as a part of his/her Masters of Engineering studies. Link to Full Article
09/26/11 - New Restaurant Grove Locally Sources More than Just Food
by J. Bennett Rylah, Rapid Growth
J. Bennett Rylah highlights a new Grand Rapids restaurant, Grove, which fills its menu and its building with locally sourced products. The LEED certified establishment is full of Grand Rapids Chair tables and chairs. Link to Full Article
03/11/10 - GR Chair Company Owner Credits Company Expansion to Thriving West Michigan
by Deborah Johnson Wood, Rapid Growth
Grand Rapids Chair Company has always made tables, but saw the opportunity to enhance production in both volume and flexibility, as well as the opportunity to develop new types of tabletops and chair components. Bringing the entire manufacturing process in-house allows for a cost reduction for customers and increased quality control. Link to Full Article
03/8/10 - Production Returns to the U.S.
by Rob Kirkbride, Monday Morning Quarterback
Rob Kirkbride of the Monday Morning Quarterback writes about how Grand Rapids Chair Company's new table plant was developed in response to an ongoing increase in table orders from the company's healthcare, education, hospitality, corporate and government customers. The company's diverse markets have allowed it to hold its own during the recession and sales are up dramatically in the last few months. The new plant allows Grand Rapids Chair to keep doing what it does best - creating one-of-a-kind signature looks for its customers. Link to Full Article
03/5/10 - Grand Rapids Chair Co. Invests $1 Million in New Table Plant
by Kaitlin Shawgo, The Grand Rapids Press
Kaitlin Shawgo of The Grand Rapids Press reports on Grand Rapids Chair Company's investment in their new table plant. The new plant is an oddity at a time when most office furniture companies have been downsizing, but the investment reflects the company's decision against outsourcing and its commitment to quick lead times - two weeks compared to an industry average of six to eight weeks. Link to Full Article
03/4/10 - Grand Rapids Chair Maker Expands Into Table Business
by Lambrini Lukidis & Matt Campbell, WZZM13 News
Local news reporter, Lambrini Lukidis, talks with Tom Southwell, VP of sales and marketing, about the company's opening of a new table plant. This new woodworking facility was developed in response to an ongoing increase in table orders from the company’s healthcare, education, hospitality, corporate and government customers. Focusing on the production of tabletops, the plant will enable the company to dramatically expand both the volume and variety of its table offerings. Link to Full Article
10/14/09 - Opinion: The Art of Perception
by Birgit Klohs, Business Review
Birgit Klohs, CEO of The Right Place Inc. in Grand Rapids, uses the collaboration between Kelly Allen and Grand Rapids Chair Company for ArtPrize as an example of “opportunities for local companies to showcase to the world that creativity is not limited to the arts, but can be found throughout West Michigan among our innovative professionals, technologists and specialists who design and craft products.” In helping Kelly Allen with her precision cut metal, Grand Rapids Chair Company developed a way to handle complex designs directly from an artist’s software – a process innovation that can now be used with customers. Link to Full Article
09/17/09 - Get Ready for ArtTech
by Matthew Gryczan, Rapid Growth
Matthew Gryczan writes about how design engineer, Chris Pabst at Grand Rapids Chair Company, worked with Kelly Allen, a local artist to produce her entry for ArtPrize – using a 6 x 8 foot sheet of 1/8 inch thick laser cut steel. Their collaboration is an example of how Grand Rapids Chair Company works with customers to customize seating and tables. Link to Full Article
09/17/09 - Unprecedented ArtPrize Results Revealed
by Tommy Allen, Rapid Growth
A local artist, Kelly Allen, had a vision for creating an intricate 6 x 8-foot piece of art using multiple components with acrylic and oil paint on treated laser cut steel for Grand Rapids' very first ArtPrize competition. She knew of Grand Rapids Chair's abilities to customize their products with laser cutting and asked for their help. Link to Full Article
10/29/07 - Can you do That?
by Rob Kirkbride, The Monday Morning Quarterback
Rob Kirkbride of Monday Morning Quarterback talks about Grand Rapids Chair Company’s custom capabilities in making chairs and tables for contract, food service, hospitality and medical markets. Although “not a household name, nearly everyone has sat in one of their seats.” Kirkbride notes that Grand Rapids Chair Company’s chairs are favored by McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Jiffy Lube, Hyatt Hotel, and that “Grand Rapids Chair has installations in arenas, banks, casinos, churches, cruise ships, health care environments, hotels, malls, offices, restaurants, stadiums and theaters around the country – and increasingly around the world.” [Note: Article can only be viewed by MMQB subscribers.] Link to Full Article