National Receives GEI Seal of Endorsement for Essay, Fold, and Whimsy
Three National products have earned the Global Educator Institute (GEI) Seal of Endorsement, placing them as among the best teaching products available today. The Essay seating collection, Fold flip/nest table, and Whimsy impromptu seating all received this endorsement based on success in these main categories: Educational Impact, Effectiveness, Design, Durability, Functionality, and Value. The products were tested in classrooms in five school systems. At the end of the six-week evaluation process, teachers provided detailed feedback via GEI’s comprehensive rubric. The GEI endorsement reflects real-world success and places National’s products among the best-designed, most effective products for learning and the learning environment.
To view the official press release, please click HERE
To read the complete article from National, please click HERE
Health Enhancement Systems in Midland, MI creates “employee wellness competitions that span the globe and engage and inspire — with fun themes, challenging goals, and built-in social connections that dramatically increase participation and success.” We were honored to help them realize their vision of a perfect office space, and are so truly happy with how this project turned out. We invite you to tour the NEW Health Enhancement Systems!!
Thank you to Health Enhancement Systems for being an amazing company to work with and a true asset to our community!!
So many ideas are popping up showing the latest outdoor office spaces from around the world. Some of the most successful US companies are offering these progressive amenities to boost productivity. Simply put, it makes employees happier.
“Office design is often the silent partner, it influences and nudges us in ways you can’t predict. There are so many things that really impact not only how we interact and collaborate but also our performance.” Leigh Stringer, author of The Healthy Workplace.
She adds that there is a strong correlation between employee health and productivity, so could this be the right option for your business? Check out these offices that are promoting health and productivity for their employees.
Earlier this year Nawal Motawi, founder and owner of Motawi Tileworks in Ann Arbor Michigan was selected as the recipient of the Woman Owned Small Business Award presented by the Michigan Small Business Development Center. “Nawal Motawi founded Motawi Tileworks more than 20 years ago. A University of Michigan art school graduate with a restless spirit and an interest in applied arts, Nawal moved to Detroit to learn tilemaking at Detroit’s storied Pewabic Pottery. She returned to Ann Arbor after a few years and began making her own tiles in a garage studio and selling them from a stand she rented at the local farmers’ market.
Today, Nawal is still designing and making tiles in Ann Arbor. Her companies, Motawi Tileworks and Rovin Ceramics, employ more than 30 people. Her company utilizes Toyota-Style Production and practices an intentional workplace culture.
Recently, Motawi tiles have been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Dwell Magazine.” – motawi.com
Motawi Tileworks produces art based tile as well as installation tile. The craftsmanship and mission of this company truly shows through the quality of their work. We are so proud to have this woman owned small business represent the State of Michigan and set such a great example for other small business owners! Just take a look at just some of the examples of their work below. All pictures are credited to motawi.com. To take a video tour of their factory, click here!
A stylish and versatile alternative to standard carpet rolls, carpet tiles can meet the needs of a variety of commercial and residential spaces. Carpet tiles now come in many different sizes and styles and are perfect for high traffic areas. These tiles can even be installed over existing surfaces such as wood and tile with ease. If you come to a crossroad between rolled carpet and carpet squares, here are some things that you should consider:
Photo via Interface
Ease of Maintenance
Carpet tiles are extremely easy to maintain in your business, just vacuum regularly as you would with any standard rolled carpet. A big difference is that if one tile or area get soiled, you can just take those squares out and replace them with new tiles. Buying extra carpet tiles when purchasing can save you the large expense of replacing a whole area of carpet should it become damaged.
Photo via Interface
Types of Carpet Offered
You can now find and equivalent carpet in a tile that you can find in most rolled carpet options. The main difference is the backing. Carpet tiles are backed with heavy vinyl or fiberglass to provide stability and to protect against moisture. The backing is also offered in styles that have adhesive backing for ease of installation or floating tiles that are secured underneath to each other leaving no residue on your existing floors.
Design Away!
With the selection of carpet tiles that are now offered, who says you can’t go wild? Carpet tiles allow you to mix and match colors and styles to show your personality. Fit together different styles, shapes and sizes to make your carpet your own. Just check out some of these creative design styles!
Your office is growing and changing, but is your filing system keeping up with your business’ momentum? An effective office needs an effective way to manage the flow of information. If a digital age, it’s becoming harder to manage all of the documents needed in hard copy. Although we would love to banish the dreaded hard copy altogether, that’s just not a realistic option for most businesses. Here are some filing system DO’s that will help your office run more efficiently.
Via spinologic.org
DO: Decide on a filing system that works for your business. You can choose an infinite number of options but the most common are:
Alphabetical – You can do this by client name, company name, or project name. Just make sure that all files are under the same category for easy retrieval.
Numerical or Chronological – Giving each order or job a specific number can be your best option when working with multiple people or companies. Dates can also be an effective filing tool when used effectively.
Subject or Category – This can be tricky and can be the most confusing, but if you have a system that works for you, it could be the most effective way for your company.
DO: Color Code. Being able to look for information and see company documents broken up by color helps your brain process what you are seeing. When you know that invoices are yellow on contracts are green, it will help you retrieve information quickly and efficiently.
DO: Avoid Saving EVERYTHING! Not every piece of paper from a particular job or project needs to be saved. Save important documents in hard copy, especially papers with signatures or vital information. When in doubt, scanning information is a great space saving tool to keep all the useless clutter to a minimum.
DO: Separate completed work from active work. Designate a place for files that are inactive, unused or outdated. Keeping these files might be a necessity for your business and an allocated area for this information will streamline your system.
