IOPFDA Announces Resignation of Chris Bates and Selection of Clemons & Associates, Inc. as its Association Management Company

After eight years of service, Chris Bates resigned as President of the Association on May 3, 2013. The IOPFDA Board has expressed its appreciation to Bates for his dedicated efforts and accomplishments since he joined the Association in 2005.

“After an enthusiastic and thorough search of alternatives, we made the decision to work with Clemons & Associates, Inc.,” said Mike Tucker, IOPFDA Chair.

How Does Your Dealership Stack Up? The 2013 OFDA Dealer Financial Comparison (DFC) Survey Open Through May 31st!

OFDA’s Dealer Financial Comparison & Benchmarking Guide, based on our annual survey of contract office furniture dealers throughout the United States and Canada, is the industry’s leading benchmarking program. Leading industry consultants have contributed to the design of this survey and themselves draw upon its aggregate results for use with dealer best-practice discussion groups they administer. Whether your company is a member of such a group or individually seeks to understand and act upon the data and in-depth analysis OFDA’s DFC provides, you will find great value in participating in this survey. For information on the DFC, click here and if you are ready to take the survey, click here.

GSA’s Green Building Advisory Committee Recommends LEED for All GSA Buildings
This past week, the Green Building Advisory Committee established by the General Services Administration (GSA), officially recommended to GSA that the LEED green building certification system be used for all GSA buildings as the best measure of building efficiency.

Indiana Furniture Achieves LEED Certification
Indiana Furniture has achieved LEED NC (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction) Certification for its offices at the manufacturing facility in Dubois, IN from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

HPFI Products Certified level® 2
HPFI (High Point Furniture Industries) is pleased to announce that all of its casegoods, seating and table products have been certified to level 2 by SCS Global Services to ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard.

Kimball International, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2013 Results
Kimball International, Inc. recently reported net sales of $301.5 million and net income of $3.7 million, or $0.10 per Class B diluted share, for the third quarter of fiscal year 2013 which ended March 31, 2013.

Herman Miller Announces Acquisition of Maharam
Herman Miller, Inc. has announced an agreement to acquire Maharam Fabric Corporation, a New York-based, global designer and provider of interior textiles for commercial, healthcare, and residential interiors.

U.S. Middle Market Companies Represent Huge Opportunities for Economic Growth Nationwide 
Revenue and employment growth in the U.S. middle market, representing nearly 200,000 American businesses across the nation, continues to outpace expectations and broader growth nationally.

Steelcase Inc. Appoints Jim Keane as President and Member of Board of Directors
Steelcase Inc. has announced that its chief operating officer (COO), James P. Keane, has been named the company's president and elected by the Steelcase Board of Directors as a member of the board, effective April 22, 2013.

Feature articles, whitepapers, research and surveys that provide in-depth industry information for office furniture community.

Furniture Industry Index Dips in 1st Quarter of 2013
Michael A. Dunlap & Associates, LLC unveiled the results of the 36th edition of its quarterly MADA / OFI Trends Survey, a unique tool that designed to measure the current business activity of the office furniture industry and its suppliers.

Dealer Best Practices: New Business Development at MOI
by Simon DeGroot
After 25-plus years in the office furniture industry, there’s one thing Susan Jackson-Lee knows about new business development: Any dealership that doesn’t have a focused program to bring in new accounts and generate maximum sales from existing ones is putting its long term sustainability at risk. As Vice President of Sales at Baltimore-based MOI, Jackson-Lee is charged with keeping sales on a steady growth curve and she says bluntly, without a from-the-top commitment to new business development, that’s just not going to happen.

Stephen Covey Is Gone, and I’m Not Feeling So Good Myself
by Dan McDade Via Sales & Marketing Management
I love Stephen Covey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” The book’s subtitle is “Powerful Lessons and Personal Change.” Amen. What I most like about the book is that it is simple. There are 7 habits. They are easy to understand. I am not saying that I am good at all of them, but I understand and appreciate them and try to follow them in my business and personal life. Unfortunately, some other habits have been picked up by sales and marketing executives that are not simple, easy to understand or worth following.

The B2B Website Audience Litmus Test - Marketing Interactions
by Ardath Albee via Marketing Interactions Blog
Many B2B companies think that their website must serve every type of customer they have—every flavor of persona. I'd ask you to step back a moment and think about your website audience. Just because your company serves a range of people, titles, and roles, doesn't mean that they all use your website—or ever will.

Do More Business With Fewer Salespeople
Kevin Daum via Inc.
Most people, even salespeople, hate to sell. Here are three ways to increase your business while decreasing your sales pain.

Four Things to Remember When Looking for Leads on LinkedIn
Robert Stachowski, B2B Marketing
With over 200 million members in more than 200 countries, LinkedIn is undoubtedly the world’s most popular social network for professionals. As such, it’s become a hotspot for B2B marketers looking for new leads. But while fishing in LinkedIn certainly seems like a sound enough strategy– it isn’t as easy as you may think.

Configura Announces May Webinars
Configura, maker of CET Designer software, announces free May webinars.

NeoCon 2013 Hosts Prominent Seminars and Speakers
Continuing education and professional development have always been an integral component of NeoCon, North America’s largest contract furnishings trade show, to be held June 10-12 at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart for its 45th year.

Designed for the busy Dealer who doesn't have time to take advantage of all that social networking offers, OFDA's WebWise gathers the week's best tweets, web-based articles, discussions, pics, posts and likes into one place.

PINspiration from Around the World

• Canoo Lounge Rocker - View
• Mira Executive Series - View
• Pantone Color of 2013: Emerald Green - View
• Dealer Pass-A-Long: Great tips for your upcoming office move - View
• Accessories: Iconic Chair Eye Chart - View
• LA Center for Women's Health - View
• Clear Dry Erase Paint - View
• Pic of the Week: Read Your Book Case - View

Tweets of the Week

• Remote Work vs. Collaboration: 8 Startups Weigh In On What Works For Them - View 
• Infographic: Why B2B companies must get on board with social media - View 
• The Science of Serendipity in the Workplace  - View 
• Office Design Tips to Foster Creativity - View
• The Evolution of Hon Office Furniture, from the Mad Men-era to Today - View

LinkedIn Lessons

• Five Important LinkedIn Settings You May Have Missed - via Wayne Breitbarth
• The Anatomy of an Excellent Client Meeting - via ProjectManager
• Companies Find New Way to Boost Teamwork: Cram Employees into Small Spaces - via WSJ
• New Products for 2013 - via NeoCon