CHICAGO – June 13, 2016 – In 1902, Gunlocke launched its solid-wood seating business and eventually moved into a full complement of office furniture collections. While the company turns 114 this year, it’s anything but old. In fact, this leading provider of high-end contract furnishing has a fresh new look and attitude thanks to a recent update of its brand direction.
“We might be 114, but we’re still young,” says Gunlocke President Don Mead. “Over the years we have kept up with our customers and have been willing to deliver what they need. We’ve evolved with a constantly changing market, refining our products and services while staying true to our craft. The core of who we are hasn’t changed, but we have re-centered and put on a fresh face – one’s that energized, current and relevant not just in our logo or company colors but in all that we do every day in our business.”
For the better part of the past year, Gunlocke leaders have worked alongside brand experts, Truth Collective out of Rochester, New York, digging deep to determine who they are, where they have been and where they want to go as a brand.
Out of this introspection came the realization that the company has moved from being the “safe, sturdy furniture maker” to one that offers designs that are forward facing and capture attention. Gunlocke’s designs have changed, and it’s time to make that apparent, the company realized.
The company also reaffirmed its three core values, ones on which the company was built and continues to operate upon today – craft, integrity and harmony.
From Day 1, Gunlocke has consistently prided itself on the craftsmanship and human element that goes into each and every piece of furniture it produces, whether it is for private offices, collaborative gathering spaces or formal conference rooms.
“It all comes down to attention to detail and the pride of those who create these pieces,” Mead says. “We have incorporated modern technology and design into our furniture over time, but we always have maintained the human craft element in how it is built, always using superior materials. That’s what makes our furniture timeless, and it always will be one of our cornerstone values.”
As is integrity. For years, Gunlocke has made its mark in the contract design industry as a company that stays true to its word, delivers quality products and serves as a true partner, rather than “just a vendor,” for its customer base: A&D clients, dealers and end users, not to mention its employees, known company-wide as “members.” And that’s where the third value, harmony comes in – in the company’s relationships with those whom it connects.
“We started as a small family and have remained one as we have grown,” says Tim Costello, Gunlocke’s vice president of sales. “We work together in harmony, both internally and with those we serve, and we do it warmly and with intelligence.”
This harmony extends beyond people and into the spaces Gunlocke products help fill. The company aims to enable designers to create an overall harmonious environment and experience for the people who work in the spaces they create. All of its current furniture works together, even if designers blend collections.
In fact, the company’s Chicago showroom will serve as a testament to this sense of harmony at NeoCon 2016, June 13-15, at theMART in Chicago. The space will show new product introductions working alongside popular existing lines, in aesthetic and functional harmony, exhibiting the company’s move toward sleek lines and modern details in its design.
“We’re good listeners, and we’re devoted to our customers and their needs,” Mead says. “We understand individual productivity still reigns in a world where workplace rules are changing and collaboration has become a necessity. Only Gunlocke is truly devoted to creating harmonious, productive and inspired workplaces with distinctive character, designed for the way people work today and into the future. We have helped redefine the workplace in the same way we have redefined ourselves as a company.”
In addition to a fresh new outlook on its role in the A&D marketplace and how it does business while staying true to its historic craftsmanship, Gunlocke also has adopted a new visual identity, which it also will introduce at NeoCon 2016. Look for updated typefaces and a new, relevant corporate palette, all envisioned by Truth Collective.
“A brand has to stay current with a business’s evolution and drive what you do every single day,” Mead says. “We’re looking forward to who we will continue to be in the future while still honoring our storied past. We’re the same Gunlocke, but even better.”
For more information about Gunlocke, contact 1-800-828-6300 or visit www.gunlocke.com.
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About Gunlocke
Since 1902, The Gunlocke Company leads the industry in designing, manufacturing and marketing private office and collaborative contract furniture for professional services clientele and other office environments. Specializing in casegoods, seating and tables, the company carries forward a tradition of quality craftsmanship, technical expertise and features the Gunlocke Advantage – legendary support for dealers, architects, designers and their clients, all backed by the industry’s strongest warranty. The Gunlocke name stands for lasting design integrity, uncompromising manufacturing excellence, and enduring substance, communicating status in meaningful ways. Nine U.S. presidents and leading business decision makers have made the company’s products their choice.
Gunlocke invites its partners and customers to visit one or more of its showrooms, strategically located in Chicago, Dallas, New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as at its headquarters in Wayland, New York.