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The story
1940s–70s
During the 1940s, while teaching Industrial Arts at Holland High School, G.W. Haworth started a woodworking shop as a hobby in his garage. His intention was to increase the income for his children's future college education by producing and selling special-order wood products. As his reputation and orders grew, he expanded to a 4,800-square-foot plant in Holland, Michigan and decided to turn his sideline into a full-time business, launching Modern Products in 1948. In the 1950s, the focus of Modern Products shifted toward office environments in response to the development of modular office partitions, and the company changed its name to Modern Partitions.
In 1976, G.W.'s son, Dick Haworth, took over as president and CEO. Under Dick's leadership, the company's name changed to Haworth and focused exclusively on contract office furniture. Dick invented the first cubicle wall panels with internal wiring. These panels could be snapped together and eliminated the client's need to pay electricians to wire office spaces. In 1977, Haworth International Inc. was formed to set up foreign licenses for the manufacture and marketing of office interior systems. A year later, Haworth opened a national showroom in Chicago's Merchandise Mart.
1980–2000
During the next two decades, Haworth developed and patented a number of industry innovations, including panel-to-panel cabling systems. In the early 1980s, the company moved its headquarters to One Haworth Center in Holland, while showrooms were open or renovated in 18 North American cities and four international locations. Office seating was also added to the Haworth product offering being built in Holland, Michigan. By 1986, Haworth had become the third-largest office furniture manufacturer in the U.S., with sales topping $300 million and a workforce of 2,600 employees.
In 1988, Haworth became a global company after undertaking a strategic expansion. The business acquired 15 companies in Europe and North America, then built in Asia to expand its sales and dealer network. In 1995, the company's Ideation Group formed, applying user-based research to concepts and products. In 1996, competitor Steelcase was found at fault in a patent infringement suit brought by Haworth in 1985. Steelcase was ordered to pay $211.5 million in damages and interest.
2000 to present
In 2000, Haworth passed the $2 billion mark in annual revenues. In 2008, Haworth's new corporate headquarters, a LEED-NC Gold-certified facility, opened to serve as a living lab. In 2009, Haworth became the first company in the industry to achieve zero waste to landfill in all U.S. manufacturing facilities. That same year, Dick Haworth stepped aside and his son, Matthew, then 40, became chairman.
The company purchased Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau in 2014, gaining a majority stake in several Italian design brands including Cappellini, Cassina, and Poltrona Frau.
In 2013, Bluescape was launched to support virtual work and visual collaboration. "We recognized that our deep insight into the physical workplace could be translated into user experience in a virtual workspace," Dick Haworth said.
The company purchased outdoor furniture company JANUS et Cie for an undisclosed amount in 2016. In 2017, the company's headquarters was given a design refresh by Patricia Urquiola and Haworth Collection, which partnered with Pablo Designs and GAN rugs.
From Wikipedia’s article on Haworth Inc., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5