Our Story
Our journey began shortly after the lockdowns from the pandemic. Before the pandemic, some companies had employees working from home. As office shutdowns began and nearly everyone transitioned to remote work, we began contemplating how to encourage people to return to the office.
For a time, working from home felt invigorating. However, both employees and employers began to have second thoughts. For some tasks, remote work proved successful. For others, the loss of camaraderie, interaction, and groupthink diminished effectiveness.
It quickly became obvious that the pandemic was accelerating changes in what we value about our workplace. Safety, health and well-being, privacy, teamwork- all these issues are receiving renewed scrutiny.
We then realized something unexpected: we could design furniture powered by batteries instead of traditional 120V wiring. This innovation allowed us to incorporate features that enhance mobility, simplify installation, facilitate easy reconfiguration, and adapt to buildings without existing electrical infrastructure.
Work habits will never be the same
August Berres was a furniture maker from Bavaria who emigrated to the United States in 1852. He settled in Northwest Missouri in 1866. Proud of his craftsmanship, he marked all his pieces with an “AB” by either carving his initials or using a branding iron.
He primarily built furniture using solid walnut. Certain pieces included carved wooden drawer pulls, carved table bases, and mirrors. He was systematic in his approach to designing furniture using many interchangeable components. The breadth of his abilities extended to caskets and he also served as an undertaker. (We’re probably not going to do that)
We stylized the “AB” image to create our logo.
We chose a name from the past for the future
Our Respond! products are made in West Michigan, the epicenter of the office furniture manufacturing industry in the USA. We use a professional contract manufacturing partner that understands the quality and delivery expectations for commercial office furniture.
Our supply chain is primarily local to West Michigan. Several second-tier and third-tier suppliers serve others in the industry. The selection of suppliers and design of our supply chain is crafted to incorporate the best technology, best quality, best cost, and most responsive partners in the industry.
