Turnstone (company)


Turnstone is an office furniture company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is a division of Steelcase and was founded in 1993. The brand was created with the intention of reaching younger businesses with budgets too small to afford a dedicated facilities manager and offices with a small number of in-office employees. As of January 2006, the company employed 30 people.

Company overview

Turnstone's products are designed to meet the needs of small businesses, startup companies, and entrepreneurs. Initially, turnstone also focused on supplying the home-office market. Between 2002 and 2006, turnstone launched over 40 new products.
One aspect of Turnstone's product development process involves meeting with business leaders and uses observational research from the IIT Institute of Design, IDEO, and the d.school at Stanford University. They also visit co-working spaces to study how workers interact with their products.
Turnstone also researches and studies subjects like startup culture, company culture, and how people work. In 2013, Turnstone partnered with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania to release a list of the 15 top young companies to work for.
James Hackett became President of turnstone in 1993. Kevin Kuske was turnstone's general manager from 2009 to 2014. Brian Shapland became turnstone's general manager in the spring of 2014.

Events

Turnstone frequently organizes RV tours, bus tours, and events like the Turnstone Roadshow, a trip that brings a mobile office built in an 18-wheeler around the country to showcase workplace trends and research. The company has also toured using an Airstream RV as a traveling showroom.

Designer collaborations

Turnstone has collaborated with outside designers for some of their products:
Some of Turnstone's products have awards at the NeoCon World's Trade Fair:
YearAwardProduct
2000Silver Award in Alternative OfficeCrushed Can
2001Silver Award in Alternative OfficeSmoke Office System
2004Silver AwardPET Lounge
2007Silver Award in Work Surfaces and Furniture SystemsTour System
2009Gold AwardCampfire Table
2011Gold AwardBivi
2013Innovation AwardBuoy
2015Product InnovationsCampfire Additions
2016Innovation AwardBassline Tables
2016Product InnovationsBivi

Other awards and nominations: