Meyer Design Workplace Strategy Experts to be Panelists at PG Commercial Real Estate Event, Thursday, June 20th, 2013

Ardmore, PA— On Thursday, June 20^th, Meyer Design’s Director of Interiors Debra Breslow and Senior Project Manager Phil Burkett will be featured panelists on the “Trends & Tips to Reduce Cost of a Corporation’s Real Estate Decision” panel discussion sponsored by PG Commercial Real Estate.  The event is targeted to company executives involved in the firm’s real estate decisions in Montgomery County.

The panel will discuss “current trends happening in the workplace relative to office use, space planning and leasing or buying of commercial real estate,” states Peggy Gallagher Principal of PG Commercial Real Estate, Inc. who will moderate the discussion.  Questions will cover topics such as the latest trends in local commercial real estate; interior space planning to increase efficiency and productivity and cost/benefit analysis of strategic office space planning.

Debra Breslow, a nationally recognized expert in workplace strategies, will provide expertise on companies seeking a new office environment to better align with the company’s brand and culture, as well as new workplace trends and goals. Phil Burkett, who often oversees major real estate projects for regional owner/developers, offers seasoned insight into how to best manage projects across multiple stakeholders and services providers.

Ms. Gallagher approached Meyer Design to secure Meyer Design senior staff on the panel. “The leaders and team at Meyer are always at the forefront of design trends and they have a strong understanding of how to connect client needs today with what they will need in the near future as workplace trends evolve. “  Located in Ardmore, Meyer Design also has a detailed understanding of the preferences and concerns specific to Montgomery County Commercial Real Estate clients.

The panel discussion will be held from 8:00 am to 10:00 am, June 20^th at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club in Lafayette Hill, PA. To RSVP visit: http://pgofficespace.eventbrite.com

About Meyer Design, Inc.

Founded in 1976, Meyer Design is a steadfast architecture and interior design firm dedicated to creating environments that enrich daily life. Our team holds professional registrations in 18 states, and specializes in corporate culture changes, workplace strategies and repositioning assets. At Meyer Design, Inc., we believe in the power that a well-designed space has on every aspect of a company's success. www.meyerdesigninc.com

First Annual Meyer Design Award for Interior Design

Philadelphia, PA— Meyer Design is pleased to announce the First Annual Meyer Design Award for Interior Design at Philadelphia University.

 

On Saturday, May 4th, the Meyer Design Award for Interior Design was given to Philadelphia University senior Casey Thompson at Philadelphia University’s 37^th Annual University Academic Award Ceremony. As part of Philadelphia University’s scholarship and annual award program, Meyer Design sponsored this new award to recognize and celebrate an outstanding interior design student. 

 

Casey, who graduated last week with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, held the 3^rd highest GPA in the senior class of Philadelphia University’s Interior Design students.  While a student, Casey was a board member of the University’s chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and recently was the recipient of the 2012 NEWH scholarship which funded a trip to San Francisco to attend a leadership conference on hospitality design, which Casey plans to focus on in her career.

 

Casey Thompson; “I was truly honored to receive the Meyer Design Award and even more so knowing that I was the first recipient. It is great to see a company so involved in student work and it provided me with a great networking opportunity.”

 

With over twelve current staff members and interns from Philadelphia University, Meyer Design has had a long-standing relationship with the University and has sought out different ways to connect to students and the Philadelphia University community.  Meyer Design Project Manager Phil Burkett, an adjunct Professor in the Interior Design program, says that the Meyer Design Award for Interior Design “celebrates the hard work of a talented design student at an exceptional Interior Design program. PhilaU provides excellent training in interior design and we constantly recruit students from there to be part of the Meyer team.”

 

About Meyer Design, Inc.

Founded in 1976, Meyer Design is a steadfast architecture and interior design firm dedicated to creating environments that enrich daily life. Our team holds professional registrations in 18 states, and specializes in corporate culture changes, workplace strategies and repositioning assets. At Meyer Design, Inc., we believe in the power that a well-designed space has on every aspect of a company's success. www.meyerdesigninc.com

Kids Day 2013

A Day of Learning, Exploration and Design by our Next Generation Leaders.

Last Thursday was Meyer Design’s Take-Your-Kids-to-Work-Day. This action-packed event is a full-day program where kids experience the working world and gain a deeper understanding of what Mom or Dad is up to during their workday.

This year’s theme was “Work in Progress.” Divided into three teams of four to five kids, ages 7 to 14 became professional project managers and designers tasked with designing a new playground for their “client” (a Meyer Senior Designer).

Each team went through a five phase process to take their playground from concept to a physical model that they presented at the end of the day.

Phase One was Programming. The teams interviewed their “client” to understand the client’s needs and preferences.



A team translates "client" Tim Wanaselja's playground
 preferences into design concepts.

Phase Two was Research. The teams conducted a site survey at a local park for inspiration, gathered images from magazines and website for ideas and used Meyer Design’s Resource Center for materials. From this information, each team member created an Inspiration Board.



Right: Testing out some polayground equipment for design inspiration.
 Left: Putting together a dynamic inspiration board.

Phase Three was Documentation. The teams created their shared vision for the playground by sketching their design on 30 by 30 inch paper.

Drawing up the design plans.

A quick break to decorate and enjoy cake pops!

Cake pops!

Phase Four was Model Building. Each team created a physical model based on their drawings. True Architects in the making!

Finished model of an innovative playoground.

Phase Five, the final Phase and the day’s closing, was Client Presentations. Each team had half an hour to compose a professional presentation on their final design to give to their respective client.  At this time, each team member received their own professional business card with their “company” name.

The entire Meyer Design staff gathered to hear the presentations and see the final results. All-in-all, Kids Day was a huge success resulting in three fantastic models for exciting new playgrounds as well as over 50 kids and Meyer staff who shared a fun and very special day.

Team "Grand Slammers" with "client" Mike Stanczak.

The Superstars team.

The Dream Team.

Photos by Cashae Davis.

Meet Cashae Davis Wingate, Meyer Design’s Mastery School Intern

By Cashe Davis Wingate

Hello Everyone

I’m pleased to meet you. I am the new Intern at Meyer Design, Inc. I go to Mastery Shoemaker Charter School. It’s the first Mastery school that was created in West Philadelphia. Mastery is a great college-preparation school. This school prepares you for the life ahead into college and adulthood. There are many classes with strict rules applicable to life outside of school that helps prepare us for the future. This includes having a future career in a successful business job. I’m not saying that everyone would be successful at Mastery, but it’s solid preparation for the tough challenges in life that could happen.

Internship Program

In the 10^th grade year, sophomores have to attend a class called ‘Internship: College Coordination’. This class is required for 10^th graders. It prepares you for college through training in financial aid, GPA goals, and college requirements, but also helps prepare students for life beyond college. For this class, students are required to do a semester-long internship. This both gives you experience in a job setting and real job skills.

My Journey to Meyer

I became an Intern at Meyer Design, Inc.  after vigorous interviewing. In the Internship class, we were sent to different locations over Philadelphia area for internship interviews. The interviews were based on everything that my teacher had taught us in how to be accepted into the types of jobs that were best suited for us. Students were evaluated on manners, non-verbal communication (body movements, professional dressing, and eye contact), the amount of questions we asked, and our resume. My Internship Coordinator recommended that I go to an interview that she thought would be a good-fit for me based on my resume and interests. The place that I went to was called Meyer Design, Inc.

After my interview, Meyer Design accepted me as their intern. I thought that the place was a very good fit. It had a lovely environment and was very peaceful. After my first week of working at the company, I thought, “this place could be the type of place to help me with my writing and researching skills so I may completely understand something that I never noticed before.”

What I’ve Learned so far at Meyer Design

I am beginning to learn many new skills at this company that could help me in going to college and into my future. The things that I’ve been working on for the past months were things that could help make the company better. For example, I’ve been researching best practices in social media through online research and listening to professional webinars and I have been assisting the financial department with file organization. I have also helped with the organization of Meyer’s Resource Library; this is there collection of sample fabrics and materials that they interior designers use for inspiration.

There are many things that I would like to learn while being at Meyer Design, Inc. such as gaining a deeper knowledge of the organization and how it works, and building more skills. But there are a lot of things that are still occurring so I’m just taking my time to learn and experience it all., I’m sure that all of this experience will relate back to my main goal which is to build a good future.

Forward Thinking

The type of future I would want isn’t something that I’ve decided yet, but I would like something that could involve freelancing. I don’t want to be stuck with the same thing forever. I want to try a lot of new things and learn through everything. I’m sure that there will probably be one day that I do stick with a big company or job, but not now. I have dreams to be a photographer, or maybe a criminal investigator working in the morgue; both seem very interesting. But, for now, I’m just taking small critical steps toward my professional future.

An Inside Look at Interface, the World’s Leading Modular Carpet Manufacturer

 

Meyer Design, Inc. Project Designers Tour Interface’s Global Headquarters and Mill, LaGrange, Georgia

By, Kathryn Hunchar, Meyer Design Inc. Project Designer

Last month, fellow Meyer Design Project Designer Lindsey Bloor and I were lucky enough to travel to LaGrange, Georgia, compliments of Interface Carpet. Pleasantly greeted by springtime weather we were able tour Interface's Mill and headquarters, which included marketing space, show space, tufting mill, reclamation center and backing plant.

Interface's carpet manufacturing process from start to finish is extremely well oiled, efficient and practically waste free. They purchase branded nylon fiber from three well-known fiber manufacturers. 

Interface takes the fiber per color and puts them on spools which are organized on portable creels (photo #1), which are then arranged based on the "recipe" for each individual carpet style & color way. The fiber is threaded from the creels to the tufting machine (photo #2) in which an upholstery version of carpet is created (photo #3). 

From here an anti-microbial, moisture resistant coating called Interscept is put on the back of the tufted material (photo #4). Then the material is transported on large a-frames to the backing plant. Each order is custom made and processed individually, which largely helps minimize waste. 

Once the material is at the backing plant it is run through machines that layer on the backing in liquid form. Interface offers two primary backing types – GlassBac & GlassBac RE. The GlassBac offers a 40% pre-consumer/post-industrial recycled content and the GlassBac RE offers 49-74% recycled content with a minimum of 18" post-consumer recycled content. The liquid backing layer is then sent through large machines which sets the backing and then cools it to prepare the carpet to be cut & packaged in order to be sent to the job site. (photos #5)

Not only did we get an in-depth tour of the technical side of the process, but we also got a sneak peak at all of the new and upcoming trend setting products that are about to hit the market. While we couldn't take pictures of everything, stay tuned because there is lots of new and exciting products coming to the world of carpet tile!



Photo #1. Spools on portable creels.



Photo #2. Tufting machine.





Photo #3. Upholstery version of carpet.



Photo #4. Intersecpt sealant.


















Photo #5. Backing and cooling machine.



Introducing two new Meyer Design employees!

Keving Jasey and Beth Hendricks.

We are excited to introduce two new members to the Meyer team: Project Architect Kevin Jasey and Project Designer Beth Hendricks. Both bring exceptional professional design and project management experience.

With their arrival last week, the grand total of 2012 Meyer Design new hires hit an all-time high of 12!

On Monday we welcomed Project Architect Kevin Jasey, an architecture project manager with over ten years of experience, including expertise in corporate real estate. Kevin was a Project Manager at Jones Lang LaSalle where he managed client relationships and oversaw relocation projects, budget assessments, contractor selection and vendor partnerships. Prior to his time at Jones Lang LaSalle, Kevin was a Project Manager and Project Architect at DLR Group where he managed project teams for education and local government projects, and where he conducted a feasibility study that resulted in a $50M construction project.

Last week we welcomed Project Designer, Beth Hendricks. Beth has over ten years of interior design experience in a diverse range of specialties including: healthcare, assisted living, corporate, and residential interior design. Prior to joining Meyer Design, Beth was a Senior Interior Designer at Merlino Design Partnership where she provided design and documentation for high-end assisted living projects. She also previously worked for Francis Cauffman as a Senior Interior Designer where she created healthcare interiors with hospitality-like aesthetics and for Aramark as a Lead Interior Designer where she provided interior design and project management for dining facilities and implemented branded food service concepts.

We look forward to a fantastic 2013 with such strong talent!