Two industry leaders partner to expand the interior design industry's most powerful business software.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Keith Granet of Granet and Associates and Lance Haeberle of Studio Webware will join forces in the creation of DesignersAxis, the next generation of technology to transform the interior design industry.
The new software will connect clients, designers, architects, showrooms and manufacturers in a cloud environment and allow for greater efficiency. Designers using the Studio Webware software will be able to purchase all of their product needs directly from showrooms and manufacturers. All necessary data will then transfer from designer to vendor to create a seamless purchasing experience.
There are many more significant plans for the software and these tools will be rolled out in the fall of 2015.
"Working with Lance to build an environment that will connect all stakeholders has been our goal; the platform is called DesignersAxis because we believe all these functions revolve around the designer," says Granet. "Both of us have devoted our careers to improving the way the design industry works as a business. We have worked together for 30 years and are excited to collaborate on this new venture."
"Keith and I have worked with interior designers, architects, showrooms and manufacturers over the last 30 years to maximize their efficiency," says Haeberle. "DesignersAxis is the next step to integrate all members of the industry in one seamless solution. It's an honor to partner with Keith and the design community to simplify the business process and maximize creativity for the entire industry."
DesignersAxis raised capital from industry leading executives and designers to fund and form the new entity.
"The vision for DesignersAxis is to utilize technology to vastly improve the efficiencies for all stakeholders in the interior design industry. The manufacturers, the designers and the clients have the opportunity to all significantly benefit from the software platform that will be developed. Rarely have I seen a clear win-win-win for involved parties. I applaud Lance and Keith's inspiration, focus and implementation plan." – Cary Kravet, Kravet Inc.
"DesignersAxis will forever change the way the design industry does business. The DesignersAxis toolkit will literally revolutionize the way designers bring projects from inspiration to installation. I invested in DesignersAxis because as a practicing designer with projects and vendors all over the country, I know first-hand the critical need for a single platform to allow designers, manufacturers and showrooms to share data and transact business. With this innovation, my interiors practice will run with an efficiency never before possible in the design industry!" – Tom Stringer, Tom Stringer Design Partners
"We are delighted to be a part of DesignersAxis. I believe Keith has a real vision for bringing value to designers and manufacturers through DesignersAxis and he has the leadership acumen to make it happen. Lance is an innovative and talented entrepreneur who has been bringing value to designers for years so the combination of these two talented leaders will be impactful. We are confident that DesignersAxis will be a game-changer for the industry."- Catherine Connolly, Merida
About Keith Granet
Keith Granet is the principal of the management consulting firm Granet & Associates, and the author of the Business of Design, balancing creativity and profitability, Princeton Architectural Press 2011. Granet guest lectures at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California. He is the founder of the Designer Speakers' Bureau and co-founder of the Leaders of Design Council. Granet is the executive producer and host of the Inside the Business of Design, an interview series that explores the business side of successful design practices.
Keith Granet formed Granet & Associates, Inc. in 1991 to provide strategic, financial, operational management and licensing services to the design industry. Granet has 35 years of experience working in the design industry beginning with the highly respected firm Gensler, where he was an associate reporting directly to Arthur Gensler. In 1995 Granet started providing product licensing services to his clients and today has brought over 70 product lines into the marketplace. Granet & Associates has offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Granet & Associates has had the privilege of working with some of the most celebrated designers in the industry, with clients from architectural, interior, environmental, landscape, product development and engineering design firms. Granet has worked with over 400 design firms to manage, develop and expand their brand positions. A partial list includes: Anouska Hempel Design, Barbara Barry, BIG, Calvin Klein, Celerie Kemble, Charlotte Moss, Commune, Ferguson & Shamamian, Fortuny, Gensler, GP Schafer, Grade, Harrods, HOK, Jan Showers, Jonathan Adler, John Varvatos, KAA Design Group, KFA, Michael S. Smith, McAlpine Booth and Ferrier, Morgante Wilson, Nate Berkus Associates, Orlando Diaz-Azcuy, Pantone, Rose Tarlow Melrose House, Suzanne Kasler Interiors, Thad Hayes Inc., Thom Filicia Inc., Tom Stringer Design Partners, Tucker & Marks, Studio William Hefner, and The Wiseman Group. Granet firmly believes in helping firms shift their business from "the things you have to do" to "the things you want to do."
Granet co-founded the Leaders of Design Council, a membership community for design leaders and executives, in order to elevate enhance and communicate the value of design. The Leaders of Design Council provides programs, workshops, and travel experiences that inspire, foster connectivity and nurture robust relationships among its members.
Granet's vision has always been to strengthen the business side of the profession by establishing good business practices with the firms he works with, develop the profession from within, and ultimately communicate the value of design to the consumer at large. His second book is due out Fall 2015.
Granet is a graduate of Hartwick College ('79) and lives with his family in Los Angeles.
About Lance Haeberle
Lance Haeberle is the founder and owner of Studio I.T. and Studio Webware, the premier accounting and project management software for the design industry. For the past 30 years Lance and his software applications have been providing project management and accounting systems to the leading design firms in the industry. Most of the industry's best known designers have utilized the Studio platforms to run their companies. Designers such as Michael Smith, Tucker and Marks, Victoria Hagan, Cullman and Kravis, Peter Marino, and Barbara Barry have all been long time users of the program and have grown their firms with the help of the Lance's programs. Lance has been devoted to evolving and implementing the most progressive tools and technology for managing a design practice. Lance speaks frequently at design events throughout the country and resides in the mountains of Colorado.
SOURCE DesignersAxis
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