Workspring by Steelcase

In January 2007, I joined Steelcase Inc and, under the direction of Mark Greiner, SVP of WorkSpace Futures, I became the Project Lead for a team that began to envision a new type of workspace.

Initially our Research team uncovered some fascinating trends, including the emergence of coworking facilities in the United States. We visited many and learned an extraordinary amount about this fascinating trend. As we moved to our Synthesis phase, our team grew to include to bright MBAs from the University of Michigan who helped us build not only a business plan but also an extraordinarily robust financial model that showed how interesting a new type of work platform could become.

I'll never forget the moment when Steelcase leadership green-lighted our platform – internally called Birdland. I walked into the C-Suite with a robust presentation and a sound business plan – happy to make the presentation, and relieved when it was over. It was an incredible experience hearing Jim Hackett say to me shortly thereafter, "Great job. You know we're going to approve it."

Shortly thereafter we launched Workspring – Steelcase's first high-end offsite facility. Our first location opened in November 2008 in Chicago, IL. It’s a beautiful space that’s well worth visiting. If you get a chance, please stop on by! It will be an experience like no other.