Universal Furniture And UNCG Partner For Education In Interiors

Furniture World News Desk on 10/30/2016

Universal Furniture recently announced that more than 30 University of North Carolina at Greensboro students were welcomed to its High Point showroom the morning of Friday, Oct. 21. It was the culmination of a project that began in August, when Universal launched a contest for interior architecture students to create a winning design for Universal’s corporate headquarters renovation.

“With the evolution of our brand and product offering, we wanted to better connect what happens in our showroom and website with our employees on a day-to-day basis,” said Universal Furniture Director of Marketing Neil MacKenzie. “And we’d been looking for a way to connect with the student design community not only for a project partnership, but also as a way to build a pipeline of talent for the company.”

Under the direction of UNCG Assistant Professor Stoel Burrows and Visiting Assistant Professor Sabrina Frey, interior architecture majors toured Universal’s corporate headquarters on Penny Road in late August and heard from CEO Jeff Scheffer and MacKenzie about the company, its direction and its goals for an office makeover.

“Our business goal is to attract and retain customers, and attract and retain top talent,” said MacKenzie. “And we need a corporate space that reflects that goal.”

After months of study and planning, 17 student teams presented their space, color and furnishing plans to Universal’s marketing and design staff on Friday, Oct. 21. Throughout Market, interior designers from around North America are voting on their favorite plans. The winning design will be announced November 1.

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More about Universal: Universal Furniture creates quality furnishings for the whole home with a focus on function and lifestyle. The company’s casegood, upholstery, accent and accessory designs are developed under the brand names Universal Furniture (Lifestyle Collections), To The Trade (Interior Design) and Smartstuff™ (Baby and Child), and sold through retailers and interior designers throughout North America and around the world. Founded in 1968, Universal Furniture is a brand of Samson Holdings, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated furniture manufacturers. For more information,visit www.universalfurniture.com,