Workspring® by Steelcase Wins Bronze in Annual Edison Awards
Competition Recognizes Product Innovation in the Spirit of Thomas Edison
May 3, 2010 – New York – Steelcase Inc. announces today that it was the recipient of a bronze award from the Edison Best New Product Awards, an annual competition that recognizes innovation in the spirit of American inventor Thomas Alva Edison. The Edison Awards recognizes Workspring, a high-performance collaborative retreat in the heart of Chicago, in the Living, Working & Learning Environments category.
“In the spirit of Edison, we believe Workspring represents a significant advancement in the design of ‘space as a service’, where individuals and groups are able to focus on their goals and perform at their very best,” said Mark Greiner, general manager, Workspring. “We are humbled and honored by the recognition of this prestigious award.”
Based on decades of research, Workspring provides a refined experience for organizations that demand an optimal level of effectiveness. Workspring provides the social, spatial and informational components — everything from concierge and catering services to technology and tools — that contribute to transformative exchanges between workers. Designed specifically to address group work processes and activities, Workspring fits the unique nature of products and services recognized annually by the Edison Awards, as Edison himself was a passionate believer in teamwork within his labs.
Founded 23 years ago by the American Marketing Association, the Edison Awards is a peer-reviewed competition which is voted on by approximately 2,000 members of the not-for-profit Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), an association of America’s top executives and academics. The awards symbolize the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison, America’s premier inventor, inspiring America’s drive to remain in the forefront of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy.
“Innovation is more important now than ever,” said Sarah Miller Caldicott, great grandniece of Thomas Edison, and Chairperson of the Edison Awards Steering Committee. “The Edison Award winners are the moving parts in the engine of economic growth. They inspire people to think outside the box and their results improve the lives of people around the world.”
The 2010 Edison Awards were sponsored by TV’s Discovery Channel, Google, The Nielsen Company and Strategyn, a global leader in innovation management. The Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, serves as a guarantor of the Edison Awards. The Edison Papers since 1979 has cataloged and analyzed the five million pages of documents left by the great inventor, and is the custodian of the criteria of The Edison Awards. The Edison Papers in concert with the Edison Awards Steering Committee evaluate all Edison Awards entries seeking innovation achievements in the spirit of Thomas Edison.
About Steelcase Inc.
Steelcase Inc. helps create great experiences — wherever work happens. Our brands offer a comprehensive portfolio of workplace furnishings, products and services, inspired by nearly 100 years of insight gained serving the world’s leading organizations. We are globally accessible through a network of channels, including over 650 dealers. We design for social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Steelcase is a global, publicly traded company leading our industry with fiscal 2010 revenue of approximately $2.3 billion.
Contact:
Sara Whitman
212.931.6121
swhitman@peppercom.com