News and Events: News and PR

JASPER GROUP PURCHASES 1M+ SQUARE FOOT MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN ORLEANS, INDIANA

In 1929 Jasper Group opened its doors as Jasper Seating Company, making school and office chairs at its new building in Jasper, Indiana. Seven dry kilns and lumber tracks with a half million feet of lumber capacity furnished the entire plant; and the operation, when running at capacity, employed about 125 people. Over the years, as demand increased and the product offering diversified, the company evolved its brand platform, acquired additional manufacturing space and entered new markets. Jasper Group is now the parent company of four brands making product in Dubois and Orange counties with over 1 million square feet of manufacturing space and more than 1000 employees.

Today, a robust economy combined with the strong momentum and demand within each brand continues to push Jasper Group to find additional capacity and resources close to home. This search led the company to purchase the 1.2 million square foot facility in Orleans, Indiana formerly operated by Paoli, Inc. “The layout of this facility provides tremendous ability to streamline and expand our operations for future growth. And we are looking forward to welcoming talented individuals of the furniture craft to our growing family,” stated Jasper Group’s President, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Mike Elliott.

Jasper Group will be working to finalize a detailed transition plan in the coming weeks, laying the groundwork to begin production there. Elliott finished, “Our formula is simple: high quality product

and great service at the right price point. The essential ingredients: dedicated people and the right resources. We love what we do, we love our people and we can’t wait to get started with this expansion in Orange County.”

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We are excited to announce Susan Goldschrafe will be representing JSI & Community brands in New York City as the new owner and principal of Pringle-Ward. Susan brings with her 21 years of furniture industry experience.

Pringle-Ward’s longtime owner and operating principal, Roy Lamendola, has begun the process of transitioning into a well-deserved retirement. Roy and Susan will work together over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition.

Susan is thrilled for this opportunity and looks forward to providing dealers with the continued integrity and excellence expected from Pringle-Ward. Kevin Clark, Cara Lamendola and Walter Rydd will remain in their current roles. Roy will be available throughout the transition.

Pringle-Ward is a manufacturer’s representative firm, representing JSI and Community in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey. Pringle-Ward operates from the JSI and Community

showroom in the New York Design Center, 200 Lexington Ave, Suite 1514.

JSI and Community are a part of the Jasper Group family of brands, reaching a broad range of markets, price points and customers. JSI is furniture for business interiors in the upper mid-market range. Community is furniture for public spaces, providing solutions in environments where people gather, dine and learn.

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Jasper Group is excited to announce a new addition to its corporate facility. Photovoltaic solar panels now line the southwest corner of the property and beginning this week will reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

Jasper Group collaborated with the City of Jasper’s Net Metering Program to ensure the maximum allowed usage of the solar panels. The company plans to continue bringing solar power to its six additional facilities across Dubois and Orange counties.

The solar energy project is an important step in Jasper Group’s ongoing effort to protect and preserve the environment for future generations. Since opening their doors in 1929, Jasper Group has been committed to sustainable energy practices in area facilities. Wood material off-fall serves as a heat source for the factories and is also provided to the community for reuse.

operates seven facilities in Southern Indiana, each with a focus on sustainability and respecting the world’s resources.

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Romy and Jude, by Community, are a study in the perfection of simplicity. The sleek, Italian design mixes durable elements with the elegance of clean, contemporary lines – making a bold statement without taking up much room.

Just as Romeo and Juliet were fated for one another, Romy’s light, geometric shape is destined to be paired with Jude’s compact, sculpted form. The

Romy table features solid beech wood legs and rounded-corner top in white laminate or natural beech wood. Jude delivers comfort and style in a mix of plastic colors – red, white, gray or black and six wood finish options. The wider Jude lounge chair is offered in six wood finishes and several fabric choices.

Whether it’s a small coffee nook, a large dining area, or a cozy communal area, Romy and Jude take design seriously.

Come see that durable, compact and contemporary can mingle beautifully at this NeoCon in space #3-111. All graphic elements throughout our showroom space were designed by Gensler.

Press Release

January 2014 - Jasper Group is excited to announce significant enhancements to the customer experience within our contract furniture brands: Jofco, JSI and Community. We are bringing our sales and services teams together to allow our customers to enjoy the simplicity of doing business with one point of contact for all brands. This plan includes expanding the services and streamlining the processes each offers.

Since the merger with Jofco in early 2013, the company has experienced extraordinary synergy between the brands by integrating the resources, knowledge base and operations of various segments throughout the organization which is yielding many added values for our customers. We are seeing great advantages in areas like product development, marketing, design, engineering and sourcing, just to name a few that have benefited from the shared assets of a strong and unified team.

Now, we see this incredible opportunity to further maximize the strengths of each brand by bringing the sales and services teams together and to provide a singular platform to our customer, presenting a complete package offering – a wide breadth of product, pricing and design – a total solution with one seamless point of contact. While each brand will continue to maintain its unique identity and target market; Jofco, JSI and Community now come together to offer our customer expanded and more efficient services for quoting, specification, order entry and contract business.

“Everything we do is in the effort towards making it easier for the customer, our one and only true boss, to do business with us,” states Mike Elliott, President and CEO of Jasper Group. “And this is just the beginning. With these pieces in place, we are in a great position to capitalize on the investments made in each brand over the past few years.” Jasper Group continues with precision focus on strategies and opportunities to grow each business unit, including an expanded brand specific training program and increased regional management coverage to ensure the needs are met for customers in all markets. This plan provides the opportunity for the strong relationships that are so integral to the success and culture of each Jasper Group brand to become mutually beneficial partnerships between distribution channels, specifiers, end users, suppliers – all stakeholders that make up our evolving family.

“We eagerly anticipate going to NeoCon this year with much energy and excitement, as Jofco brings innovative solutions in conferencing, JSI unveils additions to its new seating series, and Community demonstrates its wide range of capabilities,” added Ashley Werner, Director of Marketing. “The momentum here is contagious! We can’t wait for the big reveal and the revelry to begin.”

About Jasper Group
Jasper Group opened its doors in 1929 as Jasper Seating Company, producing high quality seating products for offices, schools and institutions. In the last 84 years, the company has changed its name to Jasper Group to reflect the wide spectrum of product offering now included in its brand portfolio. JSI manufactures furniture for business interiors in the upper mid-market range from office and conference to reception and training. The Community brand is furniture for public spaces, providing solutions in environments where people gather, dine and learn. And Klem’s furniture is for hospitality, creating beautifully crafted casegoods for hotels meeting a variety of star classifications. Jofco, in business for 90 years, joined the Jasper Group family in 2013 as a brand that provides design-driven furniture for the architecture and design market with an extensive collection of collaborative seating, conferencing and casegoods.

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Wink unites innovative construction with a relaxed and comfortable sit. With new color additions, bar and counter height stools, and armless options, Wink is more versatile than ever. By expanding the offering, Wink now has three heights in arm and armless versions to outfit any space in any color profile.

Make a statement, add elegance or promote playfulness with Wink seating.

High polish, vibrant solid colors (green, red, orange, white, black and grey) instantly brighten any area. Translucent colors (smoke grey, yellow, violet and clear) create a subtle design statement. Wink wood adds a natural, yet unexpected feel to any space. New sled based stools open opportunities for counter and bar height environments. Armless and arm chairs feature low-density stacking, yet yield high class results.

Wink’s originality and expressive nature create excitement and make a design sensation in any space. Designed by Claus Breinholt.

Press Release

Jasper Group and Jofco jointly announced Monday that negotiations regarding the merger between the companies had reached a successful conclusion. “We were very pleased with the findings from the discovery process,” began Mike Elliott, Jasper Group President and CEO. “Jofco will function as a wholly owned subsidiary of Jasper Group, retaining all previous and current avenues of distribution. We move into the transition phase now, which will include some corporate logistical changes, sharing of ideas, and cross-functional communication to drive the new corporate synergy.”

Jasper Group opened its doors in 1929 as Jasper Seating Company, producing high quality seating products for offices, schools and institutions. In the last 83 years, the company has changed its name to Jasper Group to reflect the wide spectrum of product offering now included in its brand portfolio. JSI manufactures furniture for business interiors in the upper mid-market range from office and conference to reception and training. The Community brand is furniture for public spaces, providing solutions in environments where people gather, dine and learn. And Klem’s furniture is for hospitality, creating beautifully crafted casegoods for hotels meeting a variety of star classifications.

Jofco, currently enjoying its 90th year in business, now joins the Jasper Group family as a company that provides design-driven furniture for the architecture and design market. Known for its products of premium quality, Jofco offers an extensive collection of collaboration seating, conferencing and casegoods ideal for organizations looking for a high end feel. Jofco will continue its partnership with FREZZA in the United States. FREZZA, the second largest manufacturer in Italy, presents European style furniture for the high caliber executive office. Its collections perfectly fit any architectural design using products ranging from conference and desking systems to glass and wood walls.

Together Jasper Group and Jofco have a combined 173 years of experience in the furniture industry, over 1.6M square feet of manufacturing space and 800 employees. The merger will allow the integration of resources and knowledge which will strengthen operations to provide stability for the employees, equity for shareholders, and advantages for customers.

Jasper Group will continue with its plan to have all brands maintain their operations with existing sales team, field sales representatives and customer service as part of the newly expanded organization. Additionally, each brand will maintain its unique identity, target market and distribution network. “We feel the transition process will be fluid,” finished Elliott. “We have already begun to learn from each other and find where our resources complement each other. There is great potential for new opportunities, more growth and many successes to be had.”

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