IIDC Fundraiser at Kimball Office Chicago Showroom
Posted: 03.04.10
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Kimball Office and Evolution Interiors held a fundraiser for IIDC.

On Thursday February 11th, Kimball Office and Select dealer Evolution Interiors partnered to support fundraising efforts for the Illinois Interior Design Coalition (IIDC) by hosting a wine tasting event. Nearly 200 people attended the fundraiser event at the Kimball Office Chicago Showroom. Representatives from the A&D community attended as well as brokers, clients, dealers, and even other manufacturers. Raffle gifts were also donated to support the cause. Thanks to everyone’s participation, we helped IIDC to get significantly closer to their fundraising goals for 2010.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this fundraising event.

The Illinois Interior Design Coalition is a not-for-profit committee that volunteers time, money, and efforts to protect the right to practice Interior Design in the state of Illinois. The IIDC keeps the interior design community informed of any legislative acts that affect their right to practice, organizes responses to those actions, and educates designers. Currently, the IIDC is stressing to the design community the importance of being a registered Interior Designer in the state of Illinois.

For more photos, visit our Flickr photo album.

Gonzaga University & Kimball Office Post Falls make a great team!
Posted: 02.23.10
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Congrats to Gonzaga University and Kimball Office, Post Falls! Through a grant from the Kern Family Foundation, the students of Gonzaga University partnered up with Kimball Office, Post Falls to connect academics with business and industry. The Foundation provides grants to support private universities that encourage entrepreneurial activities. Their KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network) program promotes leadership, educational excellence, and high quality, innovative engineering talent.

As a project sponsor, Kimball Office builds working relationships with the GU students by mentoring them and working together on new and creative concepts. This is the third year that the partnership has fostered fresh ideas and sharpened problem solving skills for the students as well as the employees. This year, the second in a row, the Gonzaga University and Kimball Office combo has been selected to represent the university to the KEEN foundation. Gonzaga University presents their senior projects to demonstrate how the Gonzaga Engineering Program applies academics to real-life industry issues. The GU/KO project was selected by Gonzaga due to the team’s excellent track record for successful projects, excellent program support, high quality mentoring, and overall high level of involvement.

This program is truly a win-win situation, as Kimball Office and Gonzaga University find creative solutions to existing, actual work issues. Each year, from this working partnership, Kimball Office has gained a useful machine that improves quality, safety, and productivity. Thank you Gonzaga University!

	2008 –Tower Weld Fixture This weld fixture reduces operator fatigue and improves quality and productivity. The fixture rotates to reduce operator back strain. Parts are located accurately and clamped with pneumatic cylinders built into the fixture.
	2009 –Top Cap Blaster This machine blasts the aluminum top cap to remove scratches and imperfections prior to powder coating. It replaces a manual sanding operation which generates dust, causes operator fatigue, and is labor intensive.
	2010 – Aluminum Tube Router This router will replace the strenuous and messy manual routing operation with new CNC technology. Gonzaga University and Kimball Office Post Falls are currently working on this project.

An educational use for discontinued fabric
Posted: 12.16.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Why recycle something when you can re-use it, right? When Kimball Office employee Kevin Mehringer (from our Jasper, Indiana office) heard about a quantity of discontinued fabric being sent away for recycling, an idea occurred to him. He contacted local seamstress and volunteer worker, Shirley Rogers, to see if she could use the fabric. A short phone call later, Shirley took all of it!

Seems Shirley had an idea that would brighten some local elementary school classrooms, improve their organization, and boost the children’s productivity! She used the fabric to make 80 chair pockets for the backs of the students’ chairs. With some creative measuring and strategic sewing, now the kids have a neat, out-of-the-way place to store notebooks, pencils, glue, erasers, and anything else that might clutter their desks.

The kids liked their chair pockets so much that they sent Kevin a “Thank You” card signed by the whole class. The teachers love the improved organization of the classroom and the kids learned a valuable lesson in recycling and sustainability. Gotta start ‘em young, right? Special thanks to Shirley Rogers for her donation of time and creativity to this project. We hear she is also working on tote bags, pencil bags, floor runners, and even costumes made out of discontinued fabrics!  Way to go!

Kimball Office Supports Chattanooga Habitat for Humanity
Posted: 12.14.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Kimball Office was pleased to join in the third annual “World Heavyweight Chili Championship 09″ in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  OCI, the Chattanooga Kimball Office Select Dealer, was an event sponsor.  The goal of the December 5th event was to raise funds for the local Chattanooga Habitat for Humanity.

Twenty chili teams competed from around the globe, with music provided by four local bands, events held for the kids, and earth-friendly holiday decorations provided by “Restore”.  ReStore accepts donations of new and gently used items from individuals and businesses in the Chattanooga community, and sells those items to the public at a reduced cost, usually 50-70 percent of the original retail value. All proceeds go toward building Habitat homes with the local Habitat affiliate.

Warm coats, warm hearts…San Francisco sales team heads charity event
Posted: 11.20.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

‘Tis the season for giving! Kimball Office’s San Francisco sales team just completed a charity event with Compass Community Services to collect  donations for blankets, jackets, and coats. The donations were given to the people in the community that Compass helps and supports every day. The team’s goal was to substantially donate to Compass Community Services what they need most for the winter months.

The holiday season is a time to appreciate our family and friends and the warmth of our homes. Compass Community Services is an organization that reaches out to the community and offers direct support to those less fortunate, providing simple necessities like a warm blanket or coat.

 A total of 15 A&D firms (listed below), as well as Bay-area dealer Resource and Design, donated over 250 items to the event. With such a great response, our San Fran team has made this an annual event and will continue to support Compass in the future. Great job to all who particpated in this wonderful charity event. We hope your warm hearts are contagious!