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Events

Date Title Category Image
03/16/1912

MOFC Incorporated

The Metal Office Furniture Co. is incorporated after Peter M. Wege moves to Grand Rapids, Michigan.  With the help of 11 investors, Wege's dream of competing in "The Furniture City" amongst wood furniture...

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Company
1914

Victor Wastebasket Introduced

The introduction of the Victor, a steel wastebasket, is a win-win for all parties. This fireproof product quickly becomes a top seller for Metal Office Furniture Co. Due to the low manufacturing costs...

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Products
1915

First Desk Sale

Our product line offerings in 1915 are safe deposit vault equipment, lockers, strong boxes, steel shelving, and wastebaskets.  However, this doesn't stop Metal Office Furniture Co. from submitting a bid...

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Products
1922

Dealer Network Launched

Metal Office Furniture Co. is one of the first companies known to build an official dealer organization. Our first dealer is in St. Louis, Missouri. By 1968 we will have nearly 900 dealers in all 50 states...

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Industry
1927

On Board with Lucky Lindy

Metal Office Furniture Co. makes and installs a custom-built desk aboard the Tri-motor plane that Charles Lindbergh uses for publicity tours around the United States after his transatlantic flight. The...

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Products
11/26/1928

Entrance into the International Market

The Steelcase trademark makes its first appearance in Argentina, with brochures for 1200 Line file cabinets printed in Spanish. This marks our entry into the international market.

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Company
1932

“Century of Progress” Desk

The "Century of Progress" desk is designed for the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. It introduces the island base.

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Products
1932

Production of Vegetable Spray Units

As another means of surviving the Depression, Metal Office Furniture Co. produces Vegetable Spray Units under the Terrell name. These units are designed for grocery store displays, helping fruits and vegetables...

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Products
12/23/1936

Terrell’s Equipment Stock Purchased

Terrell’s Equipment Co., which was founded in Grand Rapids in 1908, manufactured steel cabinets, lockers and shelving. Metal Office Furniture Co. had obtained a controlling interest in Terrell in 1925,...

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Company
1937

Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Furniture for S.C. Johnson Wax Building

Metal Office Furniture Co. manufactures office furniture for the S.C. Johnson Wax Building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Racine, Wisconsin. As a result of a two-year design and production partnership...

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Products
1942

Naval Contracts Won

Metal Office Furniture Co. wins a $254,000 contract to make lightweight, sturdy steel furnishings for U.S. Naval cruiser class ships. As a result of the war, all manufacturing of steel furniture for commercial...

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Products
1946

Multiple 15 Desk Introduced

Metal Office Furniture Co. introduces a postwar desk that has been in design since 1942. “Multiple 15” is designed on 15-inch dimensions, allowing for better space planning in open offices. By 1960...

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Products
12/27/1951

Steelcase Foundation Formed

A form for a Trust Indenture is submitted for the establishment of a charitable foundation to be known as “The Metal Office Furniture Company Foundation.” Over time, the Company has donated a portion...

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Communities
1952

Convertibles Introduced

Metal Office Furniture Co. introduces Convertibles. These products provide users with more storage space, wider knee-space and greater stability for electric typewriters and calculating machines, while...

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Products
1953

Sunshine Styling Color an Industry First

Metal Office Furniture Co. expands the palette for metal office furniture with Sunshine Styling. The new colors, inspired by David D. Hunting’s trip to Arizona, are Desert Sage, Blond Tan, Mist Green,...

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Products
1954

Steelcase Canada Ltd. Founded

Fred A. Bell founds Steelcase Canada Ltd. in Don Mills, Ontario (a suburb of Toronto), the first operation located outside of the United States. The facility includes 15,000 square feet of showroom and...

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Company
12/01/1954

Company Name Change: Steelcase Inc.

The Company name officially becomes Steelcase Inc., differentiating it from competitors who use variations of “metal office furniture” in their names. This change allows us to capitalize on our successful...

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Company
1956

Flight Line Desks for the Office of the Future

Steelcase introduces the Flight Line of desks – square-cornered, contemporary-designed steel desks with one-inch square tubular legs exposed top to base. Flight Line reflects the Space Age zeitgeist...

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Products
1958

1300 Line Desks Introduced

Steelcase introduces the 1300 Line of contemporary desks, credenzas, and cabinets. The 1300 Line is the first desk to offer either a stainless steel binding on the top edge or a Textolite self-edged top....

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Products
1960

2200 Line Desks Introduced

The 2200 Line is the industry’s first furniture with flush drawer pulls, tambour-door cabinets, and letter-/ legal-size modular cabinets with guaranteed drawer alignment. It is the only flush-type design...

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Products
09/13/1961

Datacase Introduced

At the 50-Year Anniversary Dealer Meeting, “Accent on Excellence,” a complete line of Datacase data processing auxiliaries is announced. This line is designed to accommodate the requirements of customers'...

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Products
1963

Steelcase Coordinated Offices Introduced

A national advertising campaign introduces Steelcase Coordinated Offices (SCO). The message: Steelcase can meet all office furniture needs, including color coordination and installation.

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Products
1966

“Operation Skydrop”

To demonstrate the durability of the 450 Series chair a skydiver is strapped to the chair. At 1,000 feet the skydiver disengages from the chair, which hits the ground at approximately 100 mph. The base...

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Products
1968

Mobiles Introduced

Steelcase introduces the Mobiles office suite – merging  Multiple 15, Sunshine Styling and Convertibles. Coupled with Movable Walls (panels that efficiently divide space for workers in an open office...

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Products
1971

Gardner Leaver Chair Introduced

The guest chair designed by Gardner Leaver is introduced at the third annual NeoCon. Also designed by Leaver, are matching tea and coffee tables.

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Products
1973

Series 9000® Introduced

Steelcase introduces Series 9000®, soon to become the world’s leading systems furniture line and garnering multiple awards. With the explosion of the "white collar" worker and computerized offices,...

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Products
08/05/1974

Steelcase/ Strafor S.A. Joint Venture Formed

Steelcase, in a 50% joint venture agreement with Strafor-Facom (a division of Forges de Strasbourg), forms Steelcase/ Strafor S.A. This new arrangement allows for the manufacture of Steelcase chairs in...

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Company
1976

Lighting Evaluation Laboratory Opens

The first Lighting Evaluation Laboratory is established by Steelcase in Grand Rapids to find ways to cut office energy costs.

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Sustainability
1977

Middle East Dealer Organization Established

Steelcase is the first major U.S. office furniture manufacturer to establish an extensive dealer distribution organization in the Middle East, covering Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

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Industry
1977

Begin Testing Speech Privacy

The Acoustics Lab opens in Grand Rapids – making Steelcase the first to test speech privacy in simulated open office conditions.

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Industry
1978

First Lou Harris Study Published

“The Steelcase National Study of Office Environments: Do They Work?“ summarizes the results of a first-ever Louis Harris & Associates Inc. study commissioned by Steelcase on the effects of the...

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Industry
1980

Pohlschröder Joint Venture Formed in Germany

We begin a joint venture with Pohlschröder GmbH KG in Dortmund, West Germany. Pohlschröder began manufacturing metal safes in 1855, and now focuses primarily on office furniture, while also manufacturing...

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Company
1982

Support Services Offered for Designers

The Steelcase Environmental Support Services (ESS) department is established and software is developed to help position us as The Office Environment Company.  The ESS Survey Analysis collects and analyzes...

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Industry
1983

National Environmental Award

Our engineers pioneer a high solids paint process that earns the Company a National Environmental Industry Award for Excellence in Air Pollution Control, jointly from the President's Council on Environmental...

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Sustainability
1985

Stow & Davis Furniture Co. Acquired

Steelcase acquires Stow & Davis Furniture Co., a well-respected manufacturer of wood office furniture, based in Grand Rapids, MI. The acquisition provides us with an additional 1 million square...

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Company
1986

Sensor® Chair Introduced

The Sensor® chair is introduced at NeoCon. An ergonomic chair scaled in three sizes, Sensor is designed to sense and support the body’s movements. Developed in concert with West German designer Wolfgang...

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Products
1987

Meyer May House Opens

Steelcase opens the fully restored Meyer May House, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the public. Designed for Meyer S. May by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1908 and completed in 1909, the house is an outstanding...

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Communities
03/08/1990

Details® Founded

Details® launches in New York City and becomes part of the Steelcase Design Partnership®. A few of the many products introduced are the Articulating Keyboard Support designed by ID Two in San Francisco,...

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Company
1993

Turnstone® Founded

Turnstone® is founded as a subsidiary of Steelcase to cater to the needs of small business and home office workers. The name comes from the Ruddy Turnstone (depicted in the current logo), a small, hardworking...

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Company
12/1994 - 02/28/2014

J.P. Hackett Elected President & CEO

James P. Hackett is elected President and CEO. Hackett's history with the Company includes: various sales and marketing positions (1981); regional manager in Houston, Texas (1984); director of national...

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Leadership
1996

WorkLife Center Opens in NYC

The first Steelcase WorkLife Center opens on Four Columbus Circle (4CC) in New York City. The Center is devoted to helping customers address workplace issues and create environments that can help achieve...

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Company
02/18/1998

Steelcase Goes Public

Steelcase becomes a publicly traded company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SCS.

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Company
12/17/1998

Werndl® Büromöbel AG Acquired

Steelcase acquires Werndl® Büromöbel AG, Germany's second largest wood office furniture manufacturer. In April the following year, Steelcase will acquire the remaining 50% of Steelcase/ Strafor S.A....

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Company
1999

Leap® Chair Introduced

Leap®, a revolutionary, high-performance task chair, is introduced. Leap seating technology has 23 issued and pending patents. Because of revolutionary LiveBack® technology that separately supports the...

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Products
08/27/2001

PolyVision® Acquired

Steelcase acquires PolyVision®, which allows us to offer a greater variety of visual communication tools, from standard whiteboards to fully interactive plasma displays. The acquisition also sets the...

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Company
2002

BlueSpace Developed

Steelcase partners with IBM to create BlueSpace, a "smart office" that combines advanced technology, architecture, and furniture. It was designed as a "prototype of the future."

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Products
2004

Think® Chair Introduced

The Think® chair is launched at NeoCon in the U.S. and at Orgatec in Germany. Marketed as "a chair with a brain and a conscience," this 99% recyclable chair is developed by a project team made up of Steelcase...

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Products
04/2006

Nurture® by Steelcase Launched

Nurture® by Steelcase launches to provide user-centered solutions in healthcare. Nurture views the healthcare environment as an integral part of the healing process and provides holistic solutions that...

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06/2010

node® Chair Introduced

The node® chair, a collaborative effort between IDEO and Steelcase, launches. The first product from Steelcase Education Solutions, it is an active learning classroom solution by enabling mobility and...

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Products

1955

Available in the Archives

    If you are a Steelcase Employee addition information is available at FactFile. For more information contact archives@steelcase.com.

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