Design Public Group Announces New President for All Divisions

Bringing a new perspective and energy to the brands

CULVER CITY, Calif. and MUSCATINE, Iowa, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Design Public Group, a division of HNI Corporation, is excited to announce the addition of Lauren Hession as its new President leading the strategic growth for Design Public Group contract division - DesignPublicGroup.com, DanishDesignStore.com and DesignPublic.com. Hession thrives on creating, developing, and leading diverse dynamic teams in a high-performance culture while inspiring an environment of innovation, collaboration, and trust. Utilizing her diverse and cross-functional experience in sales leadership, operations, finance, six-sigma process improvement and engineering, she will lead the charge in developing the infrastructure to increase brand awareness and overall productivity for each of the DPG brands.

"I'm thrilled and honored to be leading an innovative company bringing design to a wealth of environments including workplace, hospitality, home and more through a leading-edge technology platform that simplifies complex business processes", explains Lauren Hession, President of Design Public Group. "Matthew Lieb and Todd Thedinga have created an incredible business model and I'm eager to continue to build on the strength of the brand along with the support of the HNI Corp team."

In her previous role, Lauren Hession was the Divisional VP of Sales and Distribution for Knoll Inc. for the majority of North America including the East Coast, Mid-West and Texas. Through her leadership she was instrumental in year-over-year revenue growth to surpass annual sales objectives by establishing a results-driven sales organization while providing strategic oversight to sales coverage, distribution strategy and client relationship management.

"As a member of the HNI Corporation, we are looking forward to having Lauren Hession join the team", explains Jason Hagedorn, President of Allsteel. "Her extensive experience and knowledge of both the contract and consumer markets is impressive and we look forward to learning and growing with her as she embarks on this new role at Design Public Group."

"We're excited to pass the baton to Lauren Hession", explains Matthew Lieb, outgoing President of Design Public Group. "Her experience, market knowledge and leadership qualities make her the perfect person to lead Design Public Group in its next phase of growth as the company continues to expand into new markets and widen its offering to customers in both the contract and residential segments of the market. She will make an immediate positive impact and we look forward to assisting in her transition."

Lauren holds an MBA in finance and marketing from the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Miami University. She is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Consultant. 

Under the leadership of co-founders, Matthew Lieb and Todd Thedinga, DPG has experienced consistent market growth and brand expansion. For a seamless transition, Matthew and Todd will remain with the company through the end of 2022.

The Design Public Group platform connects designers, architects, and contract dealers to the highest quality ancillary products from the most coveted designers and brands, offering access to 400 vendors, more than 500,000 products, 2- & 3D images, dimensions, materials, finishes, and more – all in one place. The easy-to-use platform empowers you to search, sort, spec, share, and quote all while fitting seamlessly into existing workflows. Transparent availability, pricing and lead times give you confidence from the start and super-fast search, quotes and orders will save you valuable hours that can go back into design creativity or dealer business expansion. For more information about Danish Design Store, DesignPublic.com and Design Public Group Contract Division, please click on the links or contact Anne Kiss at [email protected].

HNI Corporation (NYSE: HNI) is a manufacturer of workplace furnishings and residential building products, operating under two segments. The Workplace Furnishings segment is a leading global designer and provider of commercial furnishings, going to market under multiple unique brands. The Residential Building Products segment is the nation's leading manufacturer and marketer of hearth products, which include a full array of gas, electric, wood, and pellet-burning fireplaces, inserts, stoves, facings, and accessories. More information can be found on the Corporation's website at www.hnicorp.com.

SOURCE Design Public Group, a division of HNI Corporation