Once upon a time there were two women who saw an opportunity and jumped in with both feet. Through hard work, long hours, continuous learning, and family support, Kathie and Lisa grew that opportunity into a “real” company. I was lucky enough to be in at the beginning to watch the transformation. 2010 marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of SPACE, Inc., and we’ve come a long way, baby!
In 1995 SPACE opened its doors on a showroom that was cement floors, unfinished drywall, two computers, and a typewriter. With only three of us on board, we all wore many hats. Kathie was salesperson, spokesperson, and negotiator; Lisa was salesperson, designer, benefits manager; I was receptionist, order entry, accountant, warehouse manager. The original office furniture consisted of card tables, cardboard files, and no walls.
After a few months Lisa had designed a beautiful showroom and we actually had real offices. Orders, delivery tickets, and invoices were typed up on the typewriter until we got Team Design. Accounting was a manual exercise up to that point, too. When we first had computers, they weren’t networked, so we shared documents by swapping floppy disks back and forth.
Within the first year, 2 more people were hired and SPACE was on its way. In the second year, SPACE opened another location in Flint. In subsequent years we expanded the office, added account managers, designers, support staff, and brought install in-house. Part of the warehouse was closed in to add a sales/design area to the existing office. That created a second floor that was and is used as a conference room. When the second tenant in the building vacated the premises, SPACE took over the whole facility, doubling the warehouse space and adding much-needed office space.
While all this was going on, SPACE became one of Michigan’s “50 Companies To Watch,” the staff grew to 30, and technology bloomed. Due to the diligence and opportunistic eye of Stacy, our New Business Development guru, SPACE acquired a GSA contract and a BPA with the Department of Health and Human Services. That put SPACE in the national arena.
At our team meeting in March, Kathie and Lisa were presented with a birthday cake and blew out the 15 candle to the applause of the staff. We didn’t sing “Happy Birthday”, but we hope there are many more!
Haworth Lifespace Modular Walls Reduces Construction Waste
President Obama has signed an Executive Order for Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance. Among other initiatives within the scope of this Executive Order, federal agencies will be asked to reduce by 50% the amount of “construction and demolition materials and debris.” This is defined as “materials and debris generated during construction, renovation, demolition or dismantling of all structures and buildings and associated infrastructure.”
Here’s a great way to avoid construction debris when renovating your office interiors. Use modular walls to create the interior you want. These walls can be relocated within your office interior without creating any debris. Plus these are very aesthetically pleasing and acoustically superior to the products created a few years ago. Our designers regularly recommend these for our client’s because they make so much sense. Not only from an environmental standpoint but from a flexibility standpoint. Our clients need office space that is flexible enough to adjust to the way they have to do business.
Haworth has two types of modular walls and both are great. They can be used in place of all of the interior walls and can be moved around as your office grows, changes strategy or downsizes.
SPACE, Inc. and Unicell have created a partnership on working towards GSA and Women Owned Small Business opportunities along with Healthcare.
Unicell is a flexible materials handling, storage and cart system which is easy to configure. It consists series of structural molded cells, in a variety of sizes, which provides superior storage capability.
Unicell has a vast systems of interchangeable components that integrate with mobile and flexible work surfaces
Cells can be free-standing , fitted with casters to form self-contained carts, or mounted on walls, utilizing the Unicell rail system
SPACE, Inc. is looking forward to all of the available opportunities with Unicell in the future.
Posted by Stacy | Under Government
Wednesday Sep 23, 2009
GSA is taking aggressive steps to expand federal contracting opportunities and support to small businesses. The U.S. General Services Administration recently launched a new Mentor-Protégé Program.
The goal of the program, sponsored by GSA’s Office of Small Business Utilization, is to motivate and encourage GSA Prime Contractors to partner with smaller companies and help them earn more business.
GSA recently received the highest possible rating on its Small Business Procurement Scorecard issued by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
GSA is committed to incorporating principles of sustainable design and energy efficiency into all of its building projects. The result is an optimal balance of cost, environmental, societal and human benefits while meeting the mission and function of the intended facility.
Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health and comfort of building occupants. The basic objectives of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create healthy, productive environments.
LEED Building
In a result of the 2006 evaluation by GSA of sustainable building rating systems, the Administrator concluded that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) remains the most credible rating systems available to meet GSA’s needs. GSA has therefore continued to evaluate building designs and all newly owned construction, major renovations and build-to-suit leasing require a LEED silver rating or higher.
SPACE, Inc. currently is utilizing the resources of Haworth, Inc. Office Furniture with GSA and their FSS Schedule. Interested and want to learn more about LEED Office Furniture… contact SPACE, Inc.
If you ask four different people what company culture is, likely, you will get four different responses. Our culture includes our values, personality and practices of SPACE Inc. The culture determines how our teams interact, problem solve, provide client satisfaction and solve problems.
A company with a strong culture may find they have mutual trust and cooperation, open communication, efficient decision making processes and fewer internal disagreements. Creating and maintaining a vibrant culture is what SPACE Inc. strives to do year in and year out. Building relationships and encouraging teamwork help to enhance and grow company culture. Communicating and empowering team members solidify a strong culture.
SPACE Inc. values its team members viewpoints and styles and this makes our growing company attractive to potential employees and is why our current employees stay!
Appropriately named, Candor is straightforward and open-elegantly balanced and simply designed, with an unmistakable dash of personality. Its focus on refined details and performance sets a new standard for design and quality at its price point. Available in two distinct styles, Candor’s low profile and slim frame make it perfect for compact spaces and a variety of aesthetics. From private offices and open plan to hospitality, conferencing and dining areas, Candor meets all your guest seating needs. For more information, visit SPACE, Inc. or Haworth, Inc.
Achieve a sense of presence and permanence, while ensuring your endless ability to adapt. Create a more sustainable and responsive environment. Enclose moveable walls provide the look, feel and acoustical performance of conventional construction, yet are designed to anticipate your need to change.
Defining Design!
Clear, patterned, or custom glass. Monolithic or segmented tiles. Frameless, closed, or open corners. Eight door options, including full-height, frameless glass doors. Enclose offers a tremendous breadth of design options, allowing each space to fulfill its specific objectives and achieve aesthetic individuality.
Efficiency is everything!
Spaces are getting smaller yet expected to do more. Enclose offers space-saving options that make the most of these shrinking footprints. creating comfortable workspaces that feel generous, while supporting all of the business needs today.
Enclose has now been approved on the GSA FSS Schedule for purchase. SPACE, Inc. can point you in the right direction to secure pricing under GSA- try us out….
GSA means excellence in the business of government. GSA is a more diverse range of business lines compared with any number of large corporations. Excellence in the business of government means speaking to GSA customers with “One GSA-One Voice” whenever possible.
Facts about GSA:
11,792: Number of full-time employees (FY2008)
$26.3 billion: Budget (FY2008)
$500 billion: Amount of federal assets managed by GSA
8,600: Number of federally owned or leased buildings managed by GSA
208,000: Number of vehicles owned or leased by GSA
425: Number of historic properties preserved by GSA
98.1: Percentage of budget paid for through services provided by GSA
1.9: Percentage of budget paid for by congressional appropriations
SPACE, Inc. has been fortunate to have an existing GSA FSS Contract 71-1 Office Furniture for over 5 years and it has been a pleasure during business with the GSA- keep up the great work!
With the new administration in DC- there is more opportunities for Small Businesses to diversify their companies with the government.
Space, Inc. is a Women Owned Small Business with a GSA Contract GS-28F-0025P under Schedule 71-1 Office Furniture. With the above contract we can help the U.S. Federal Government succeed in their procurement percentages requirements of small business.
If your agency is in need of Office Furniture, Office Interior Design, Project Management, or all of the above- take a moment to check out our website on how Space, Inc. can get you results.
In 1995 SPACE opened its doors on a showroom that was cement floors, unfinished drywall, two computers, and a typewriter. With only three of us on board, we all wore many hats. Kathie was salesperson, spokesperson, and negotiator; Lisa was salesperson, designer, benefits manager; I was receptionist, order entry, accountant, warehouse manager. The original office furniture consisted of card tables, cardboard files, and no walls. 
Services. That put SPACE in the national arena.
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