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Friant want to help Dealers bottom line
Monday April 9, 2012
by Rob Kirkbride
The office furniture industry is fracturing into two camps: One that believes its high design and innovative products justify higher prices and another that is perfectly happy to duke it out based on selling quality office furniture at a low price.
No one camp is better than the other, though it you are caught in the middle, well, you might have a rocky road ahead. For most companies, it is not an all or nothing proposition. Steelcase falls firmly in the first camp, yet it sells lower priced furniture through its successful Turnstone brand. And even if you are selling based on price — think AIS and others like it — it does not mean your furniture is of inferior quality. In fact, companies like AIS, Friant and others might just have an advantage. How many times have we walked through NeoCon’s showrooms and scratched our heads as we looked for something — anything — that was different or unique?
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Friant & Associates LLC: Innovating Office Furniture Solutions
By Camila Osorno
Paul Friant started Friant & Associates LLC in 1990 as a company that manufactures innovative, customizable, surprisingly affordable high-end office systems. In the process he reformulated the way the furniture industry does business.
Today, Friant & Associates prides itself on offering clients “A-grade products at B-grade pricing.” From its 145,000-square foot showroom and custom wood/fabric shop in Oakland, California, augmented by four international production plants, Friant & Associates manufactures and distributes a full array of panel systems, wood and laminate casegoods, reception units, conference tables, seating and accessories, office furniture, storage and panel systems priced to compete even with refurbished systems from leading manufacturers.
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 Dan Landman, the Senior VP of Sales at Friant, takes some time for Q & A
Q. You’ve had quite a distinguished career in the furniture industry. Give us an overview of your experience, and what attracted you to Friant.
A. My entire career has been within the furniture industry. I’ve worked for many of the largest companies in this industry. Everything I’ve learned, built and created is relevant to my new role at Friant. I’m bringing everything to the table in this position – my knowledge of sales, product launches, distribution strategy and more.
Q. Which manufacturers have you worked for in the past?
A. I’ve worked in sales, design, product development, distribution and general management capacities at companies ranging from HON to Steelcase to Herman Miller and Global Industries. I’ve touched every aspect of furniture at a senior level, and now I’m bringing that depth of awareness to ensure success for Friant in meeting their strategic and growth goals.
Q. How did you meet Paul Friant?
A. Paul and I worked together on some projects through my independent consulting business, and it was immediately clear that our ideas and goals resonated.
Q. Why did you take the job as Friant’s SVP of Sales?
A. Looking at the company in terms of where they stood and the potential they had, the opportunities were clear and I saw the immense growth potential. The company needed someone to elevate distribution and to train and lead the sales organization in providing a consistent message about the brand to the market. There was a perfect fit between the company’s needs and my skill set and, ultimately, I joined because I believe in Friant and wanted to help write the story with Paul and our team.
Q. What’s your primary focus right now?
A. My task is clear: I am here to help grow Friant’s sales volume.
Q. How are you planning to achieve that?
A. Right now I’m focused on strengthening our partner relationships. I want to transform how we talk about ourselves and how the market views us. Our main opportunities are clear – Profits, Products and People.
Traditionally, Friant has always offered low prices — but there’s more to the story. We’re interested in helping dealers succeed, and we want to revise our brand message from the “low price guy” to the company that helps dealers earn greater profit margins. And, when I say much better profits, I mean a significant jump from the name brand manufacturers which usually offer dealers around 7% – 8 % on their systems products. With Friant, dealers have the chance to earn 25% – 30% profit. This is something we need to highlight and underscore at every sales opportunity.
As for the Products – our product scope is developing into a “go to” line up. We’ve got two system today and will be launching our newest system, Interra, in 2011/12. Interra will be a restricted line, available only to our top 250 dealers who sign up for our Friant Advantage program. So far, the feedback on Interra has been phenomenal, and we know people are going to love it. We’re also in the middle of a major seating expansion and sales push. We just launched Celesse – an elegantly designed chair with ‘xtreme’ ratchet back support – and amidst media mentions and intense dealer interest, we can’t keep it on the shelf. The best news is that dealers can make a real chunk of change by selling Friant’s seating. In these lean times, when dealers start realizing the upside of doing business with Friant, we’ll be turning a lot more heads.
The last “P “is for People and it’s the main reason I joined Friant. Paul Friant has amassed a team of seasoned professionals that really care about the customer. Caring about the customer is the only way to sustain long-term growth in this industry. When customers are happy, we succeed – it’s that simple. Our inside support team and sales force are strong. Throughout the entire sales cycle, people here know what they are doing and how to support the customer best; as a result, we’re beginning to unleash the company’s true potential.
Q. Where do you see the greatest opportunities?
A. Friant has experienced rapid growth. I want to manage that growth and make sure we exceed customer expectations. I plan to build on what we have today by working closely with our customer service, marketing and design support teams to deliver that gold-star experience.
Q. What are some of the sales strategies you’ll implement that focus on the customers?
A. Soon we’ll be rolling out the Friant Advantage program. While all dealers will be able to sell Friant’s products, a Friant Advantage dealer will have full access to exclusive products, such as our new Interra system. These products will be in demand and will offer great profit margins. The program will initially roll out in Chicago, Atlanta and Washington D.C. and as the program gains traction, we’ll expand it across the U.S. until all markets have access. We believe that this type of strategy will significantly change the dynamic of our relationships.
Q. What does Friant’s future look like right now?
A. Right now, dealers turn to Friant too infrequently – most often when they are looking for a low-cost provider. I see a future where dealers turn to us all the time, knowing they’ll earn higher profits with, making Friant their first and most consistent choice. That’s why we’re working hard to develop the Friant Advantage relationships right now.
Q. Can you share any initial successes?
A. NeoCon was a tremendous opportunity for us. We had the chance to show off a prototype of our Interra system and new seating choices. We held a very well attended, informative and inspiring sales meeting. All in all, we showcased our products and communicated our plans to some of the top dealers in the country. The good news is that everyone really loved it. We were proud about what we accomplished, and we’re continuing with that momentum now.
Q. Do you have a guiding principle when it comes to leading a sales team?
A. It always comes back to the customers and meeting or exceeding their expectations. If we can’t do this, someone else will. Too many companies look internally, but I always look to the customer. Then, I tell the customer what we can do, and make sure we do it.
Q. What do you think the current state of the industry means for Friant?
A. The industry is still downsized from its heyday. And, while there is some growth, it’s modest. At this point, our competitors aren’t going away but they are under considerable pressure and the margin of profit they can offer dealers is slimmer – too slim. Dealers are being forced to get by on less. Friant can do a lot better on margins because we operate a streamlined business model, owning our own facilities both domestically and abroad. As I mentioned before, we can offer 25% – 30% margins on a systems product. Not many other manufactures are even in this ballpark.
The future is truly bright for the Friant team and our customers. While there are challenges, we are perfectly positioned to continue our growth.
NeoCon may be over but the excitement of us all being together is most definitely still in the air. As usual, we came back recharged, inspired, and ready to charge ahead.
If you came to our cocktail reception at the Renaissance Hotel, thank you for spending some time with us. It was great seeing everyone! At the reception, we were thrilled to give you a sneak peak of Interra, our newest panel system, which uses 30% less material and addresses both environmental and budget demands. Based on your phenomenal feedback, it seems as if Interra is bound to be the “go to” panel system for tomorrow, and we are working hard to get it to you in early 2012. We were equally excited to show off Celesse, the first chair that “closes the gap” on lumbar support. Everyone was incredibly enthusiastic about this one-of-a-kind chair. We have Celesse in stock and ready to ship, and we can’t wait until your clients see it, too.
If you didn’t get the chance to say hello or give us your feedback at the show, it’s not too late. If you have some thoughts on our newest products (or gossip from the show), we’d love to hear from you now.
Sometimes simple and elegant trump complicated and convoluted. Elegance and functionality are the hallmarks of our new Celesse chair, which offers “xtreme” lumbar support with a ratchet back mechanism that comes far forward to support sitters when they are midway on the seat.
Take a walk through any office and you’ll notice that most people sit midway on their seat while working – not all the way back in their seats, as most chairs are designed for. Celesse literally “closes the gap” by bringing the lumbar support far forward to the midpoint of the chair.
Everyone who has tried Celesse has recognized the pure ergonomic bliss of its design. With all the features you need – and none of the complications – Celesse will revolutionize the comfort level of task sitting.
Not only is Celesse great looking and comfortable, it’s also offered at our signature low price point, making it accessible to everyone in the workplace (which is good, because all your customers are going to want one).
To try out Celesse, schedule a showroom visit in Oakland, CA or Atlanta – or contact your sales consultant for details. Meanwhile, visit the Celesse page where you can download the sales sheet and learn about its additional features.
If your aesthetic falls somewhere between graffiti art and topiary hedges, you might enjoy the fun and spontaneity of “Yarn Bombing” – where those inclined to knit or crochet are actually going around and “tagging” their environments in a new way.
Why not? To see color and maximal contrast in (or on?) everyday objects is striking and so different than what we usually work with in our world of neutral interiors where grays, beiges, and browns are the norm.
As designers and creators of environments, we know that color can lift moods and inspire hope. Other artists are using color to address a breakdown in infrastructure as seen in the Lego repairs, brightly-painted low income housing, and flower –filled potholes all dubbed “joyful repair” by web blogger and Core77 magazine columnist, Ingrid Fetell. I can’t help but smile when I see the Legos and I know the kids could appreciate that kind of joy too. Next, I’m thinking we should start filling nail holes with Playdough. Well, maybe not…Different people are inspired by different things. What inspires you?
Photos
Colorful Cracks in Paris – Aesthetics of Joy.com
Yarn on Trees in Vancouver– Yarnbombing.com
Bicycle Rack in California – Yarnbombing.com
Precious Potholes in the U.K– http://www.petedungey.com/projects/pothole_gardens.php
Painted Town in Brazil- FavellaPainting.com
Joyful Repair Legos in NYC – dipatwork.com
Springtime brings good news: on May 23rd, we’ll open our new distribution center and showroom in the metro-Atlanta area, resulting in huge savings on shipping for our Georgia customers.
Our popular line of laminate casegoods, Gitana, will be stocked in Cherry as well as some of the company’s best-selling chairs, including Axiom, Madison, Classic, MidZONE, and HighZONE. We’ll soon expand the Gitana inventory to include Espresso as well.
And now, instead of 5-7 days for shipping, our metro-Atlanta customers will have access to product in only 24-72 hours.
The new facility will also serve as a showroom for our entire product line – systems, casegoods, conference tables and reception units will all be available for viewing out of this showroom. To make an appointment, contact Steve Lipton at (678) 923.8357 or steve@friant.com.
In case you aren’t yet familiar with Gitana, check it out here.
The facility is located at 5015 Oakbrook Pkwy, #600, Norcross, GA 30093, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta (conveniently off of Route 85/403).
Hope to see you in Atlanta.
In Excellence,
Paul Friant
We’ve had a prosperous 2010 and feel privileged to be able to give back to an amazing organization in our community, Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland. Not too long ago, a group of us went on a tour of the hospital, and I was so impressed that I want to share a little bit about this special place with you.
Children’s Hospital was founded in 1912 by Mabel Weed, a social worker, and Bertha Wright, a nurse. It was originally called the “Baby Hospital” and was established to serve “all babies, and children, no matter what their family circumstances”. Today, the Children’s Hospital is one of only 45 freestanding children’s hospitals in the nation recognizing that children require vastly different medical care than adults. It has grown into a regional and global resource for advanced pediatric care, research and medical education, with more than 200,000 patient visits per year. And, while Children’s Hospital has modernized and expanded throughout the years, some things never change – to this day, no family has ever been turned away from medical treatment because of inability to pay. Children’s Hospital saves lives with literally no fee to the patient whenever necessary.
But that’s just the beginning. A host of additional programs and services ensure that children aren’t just holed up in hospital beds, but are actually engaged in learning and enrichment programs during their stay. Some of these amenities include play areas for kids, a teen lounge, art and pet therapy, a playground and a butterfly garden. The accredited in-house school program offers a full curriculum and a classroom with computers, books, art supplies, and even engaging projects like video production and editing. The hospital staff also includes specialists who offer age-appropriate activities to help young patients understand and adapt to the hospital experience though therapeutic play, education and self-expression. It also means playrooms stocked with goodies and supported by Child Life specialists.
So seeing all this, it was a given that we would continue our support of the hospital. This year, like last year, we’re participating in its Adopt-A-Family Holiday Gift Program, started five years ago. By fulfilling the wish lists of 20 oncology patients and their families, we hope to spread some cheer and bring a holiday celebration to a home where there may not have been one. We’ve already begun to buy gifts for each child plus their siblings and parents –- from new toys and clothes to basics such as grocery and gas cards. In the coming days, as we shop and wrap our gifts, it brings a renewed joy and meaning to the holidays for each of us here at Friant.
To give you a little more insight into the hospital, we asked a couple questions of the Oncology Services Team about the about the Adopt-A-Family Gift Program:
Q. How many families does the Adopt-A-Family Gift Program serve?
A: This year we are serving 60 families just in oncology and this number will go up in the next couple of weeks. There are many other families being adopted from other departments like Primary Care, ICU and others.
Q. Why is this program so important?
Because we have children that not only have cancer but are also living in poverty, without the means to provide presents for their children due to loss of employment and other financial strains. We want to provide an opportunity for our patients, their siblings and parents to feel some level of normalcy around the holidays. Historically, the holidays is an especially difficult time for our families who are dealing with the double challenge of financial instability and a significantly sick child.
Coming together as a company — on so many levels in such significant ways — is an inspiration to me. I hope you’re as moved as we were and will also consider a donation of any size to this program. If you want to learn more, please email Ana Morales at AMorales@mail.cho.org.
Happy Holidays to all our staff, associates and customers – we wish you a healthy and prosperous new year.
If you take a look at the landscape of top-notch furniture manufactures in the U.S., you may notice that there’s a large disparity between a company like Friant and some of our gargantuan competitors that have multi-billon dollar sales figures and thousands of employees. But it’s not just sales figures or the number of employees that defines a company’s corporate profile. Big companies usually act, well, big. And, in this case, big isn’t necessarily better.
Friant is an agile and nimble company. Our size enables us to do what larger corporations can’t dream of doing. For example, our design cycle is fast. From concept to design and manufacturing, we can turn out new products in just a few months. This means that customers have more product options, more quickly. And, while we may be small, I’m proud to say we offer an extraordinarily wide breadth of product lines. From complete panel systems, to case goods, reception desks and more, we also offer an amazing array of finishing options, surface materials, and fabrics. Most companies of our size offer a few chairs and a few desks and call it a day. We strive to provide the perfect balance of choice, quality and value. Anyone looking through our complete catalogue might have a hard time realizing that we’re not a behemoth company but a privately run, hands-on operation.
Because of our nimbleness, Friant can also easily and quickly make important changes to products. We expand lines based on customer feedback and tweak designs to make new products even better. We’re able to take advantage of the most innovative technology and with it create new machinery and processes to improve our products and efficiency. As a small company, Friant isn’t weighted down with unwieldy infrastructure, unused real estate, middle managers or other overhead costs that drive up prices. All of our nimbleness and agility goes towards creating quality office furniture at industry-low prices.
Perhaps most importantly, we’re all very hands on at Friant. I work with many customers, dealers and reps on a regular basis — it’s one of my favorite aspects of my job. But the truth is, at Friant, we all know the business like the back of our hand. The level of knowledge and care here is bar none. This means, you can always get through to a live person when you have a question or need to talk through an issue.
So, what’s am I really trying to say here? Ultimately, it’s the small business benefits that help us deliver world-class office furniture at prices you can afford and in the coming months, I’ll blog again on different ways that Friant runs more efficiently to in order to keep prices low for you.
In the meantime, please post your comments. I’d love to hear from you.
In excellence,
Paul Friant
We’re excited to announce that our Mesa conference tables are ready to launch to the marketplace. Think of Mesa as more than a new line of conference tables: it’s also your newest friend in the IT department (and it’s always good to have friends in the right places, yes?).
To make your lives easier, we’ve designed Mesa specifically for handle the power requirements of today’s conference rooms: power, multimedia conferencing and Internet connectivity are accessible to everyone at the table, without hassle. The technology infrastructure is built right in at no extra cost, which means that this modern marvel is priced extremely competitively.
What differentiates Mesa is that simple and accessible data set up is integral to its design, with a built-in modular power system and separate troughs to organize voice and data wires. (Additional wire storage is also provided in each base.) Cable access points are located on the surface and in bases for a streamlined appearance and easy troubleshooting. With all cables out of sight, the uncluttered surface allows for focused and productive meeting spaces – with everyone fully plugged in. What more can you want from a conference table?
Ah, yes…aesthetics. Mesa has that, too. The contemporary design allows for material mix and matching, for a custom look without the custom price. Choose from MOZ metal patterns or many veneer and laminate options for the tops and bases, and many edge options give a signature finishing touch. We’re offering many sizes, in three table shapes (boat, racetrack and rectangular). Help your customer have fun playing around with the options to come up with a table that uniquely suits their environment.
Say No to paying more for power in your conference table. For more information download the catalog here.
In Excellence,
Paul Friant
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April 30th, 2012 | 
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