Business
& Labor
Office Systems Legend G.W. Haworth Dead at 95
(archrecord.construction.com - 11/09/2006)
By Leigh
Batnick
Former high school teacher-turned-entrepreneur
and philanthropist G.W. Haworth died October 25 at the age
of 95. Haworth grew his namesake company from the garage of
his Michigan home to a $1.4 billion family-owned, private
business where, until two years ago, he was still working
3 days a week.
Founded in 1948 as Modern Products,
the company sold a variety of wood products, and began its
shift to office environments, its current focus, in 1954.
In 1971 Haworth introduced Modern Office Modules, an acoustical
panel system with universal panel hinges, which, as the first
in the industry, propelled the age of modular office components.
With the invention of a prewired modular panel in 1976, Modern
Products changed its name to Haworth, Inc.
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Company spokesperson Julie Smith says
Haworth himself fostered a legacy of innovation. Of sustainability,
she notes, “Although in 1948 it was not called sustainability,
Mr. Haworth was already looking at the wood scraps—donating
them to schools, repurposing them, and making sure Haworth
generated as little waste as possible.” The company was
years ahead of the curve when it built its own on-site corporate
recycling center in 1992. Later, it took part in developing
the guidelines for the U.S. Green Building Council’s
LEED Commercial Interiors pilot program.
A memorial board set up on Haworth’s
website has prompted an outpouring of emotion from employees
and others. Many testimonies speak to the former teacher’s
continued commitment to education: He extended scholarships
and reimbursement programs to employees, and often their children
as well, and gave sizeable endowments to Western Michigan
University, home of the Haworth School of Business, and to
Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Haworth was quoted as saying
that his driving force in starting Modern Products was to
put his five children through college.
Despite the loss of its visionary
founder, the company is continuing its push forward, on Tuesday
announcing plans to move the New York showroom and offices
from Chelsea to 42nd Street and Park Avenue, directly across
from Grand Central Terminal. The showroom will feature new
ideas in adaptable workspaces and sustainable design; Haworth
is set to move into the space in fall 2007.
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