STEELCASE CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

02 April 2012

Steelcase today launches a year-long celebration of its 100th anniversary, and its reinvention as a globally integrated enterprise, focused on the future of work.

Steelcase, the global leader of the office furniture industry, has thrived for a century not only because of its products and manufacturing strength, but because of its core commitment to people at work and its human-centered approach to innovation and design.

James Hackett, CEO of Steelcase Inc., said:''From the start, our company has been about more than furniture. We have always focused on people and what people can do. Companies don’t survive for a century – ideas do.''

Founded as the Metal Office Furniture Company on March 16, 1912, the company’s legacy of innovation began with its first product — the fireproof metal waste basket. This marked a significant advancement in health and safety at the time, as cigar and pipe smokers risked workers lives because of fires caused from ashes dumped in wicker wastebaskets
Steelcase is launching a celebration called ''100 Dreams, 100 Minds, 100 Years'' as a dialog around the future and innovation necessary to support the changing world of work. They asked children from around the world to envision how people will live and work in the future and to complete the sentence ''One day...'' with their own ideas expressed in artwork and stories. The results of the project are available online at 100.steelcase.com.

The company also invited ''100 Minds'' - thought leaders from around the world - to share their ideas for the future. These ''100 Minds'' contributors share their thoughts through words, drawings, photographs and other multimedia on the 100.steelcase.com site.
''Our centennial year is an opportunity to cherish the legacy of our past and embrace our purpose going forward,'' notes Hackett. ''Our company has continually focused on the future, on unlocking human promise through creativity and collaboration, and this fundamental purpose has more meaning every day.''

Steelcase invites people of all ages and experiences to join the celebration and discussion at 100.steelcase.com, to engage with the company’s blog and submit their own ideas for the future.

www.steelcase.co.uk