From Local Manufacturer to Global Innovator: Steelcase Celebrates 100 Years

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.   Known as the long-time leader of the office furniture industry, the company 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.

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"From the start, our company has been about more than furniture," said James Hackett, CEO of Steelcase Inc. "We have always focused on people and what people can do. Companies don't survive for a century – ideas do.  So as we turn 100 years old we want to take this opportunity to look out into the future and see all the things that make us optimistic.  We see a future full of limitless possibilities."

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 -- a leap forward in safety and productivity for its time when, a century ago, cigar and pipe smokers risked workers' lives because of fires caused from ashes dumped in wicker wastebaskets. Today, Steelcase continues its focus on innovation with global product solutions for business, health care and education, all based on research and insights about the changing nature of work, what workers need today and how the workplace can help organizations compete in a complex, interconnected world.

Looking ahead to the next 100 years, 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.  Steelcase began its anniversary initiative by asking 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.  Highlights of these "100 Dreams" are captured in a documentary film titled "One Day" that will be seen at Steelcase showings around the world and is available online at 100.steelcase.com, along with the children's artwork.

The company also invited "100 Minds" - thought leaders from around the world - to share their ideas for the future. These "100 Minds" contributors, including author Daniel Pink, architect Patricia Urquiola  and artist Dale Chihuly, share their thoughts through words, drawings, photographs and other multimedia on the 100.steelcase.com site. The minds each have a unique, intriguing perspective on what the future holds, from a greener planet, increased innovation, changes in education to advances in technology.  Their online dialogue is moderated by Emmy and Peabody award-winning author and journalist John Hockenberry.

"Our centennial year is an opportunity to cherish the legacy of our past and embrace our purpose going forward," notes Hackett. "From the start, Steelcase has been a company that has mined human insights and applied them through design to an ever-changing world.  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. These dreams of 100 children and ideas from the 100 minds will influence the world and the workplace. They're a springboard to the century ahead."

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.

About Steelcase Inc.

For 100 years, Steelcase Inc. has helped create great experiences for the world's leading organizations — wherever work happens. Steelcase and our family of brands – including Steelcase, Coalesse, Designtex, Details, Nurture, PolyVision, and Turnstone - offer a comprehensive portfolio of furnishings, products and services designed to unlock human promise and to further social, economic, and environmental sustainability. We are globally accessible through a network of channels, including over 650 dealers.  Steelcase is a global, industry-leading, and publicly traded company with fiscal 2011 revenue of approximately $2.4 billion. Our workplace research is published through the Steelcase 360 Magazine, 360.steelcase.com and 360 iPad app.

SOURCE Steelcase, Inc.