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Innovating office environments for over 113 years
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1910
December 23, 1913
US Federal Reserve Established
July 28, 1914
World War I Begins
March 19, 1918
Time Zones are Established
November 11, 1918
End of World War I
March 14, 1912
A.W. Hompe Elected President
March 16, 1912
MOFC Incorporated
March 17, 1912
First Products Manufactured for Macey
1913
Clestra Hauserman Founded
1914
Victor Wastebasket Introduced
1914
Liberty Bond Boxes Introduced
1914
Bent Steel and Resistance Welding Demonstrated
1914
Second Product Line Introduced
January 15, 1914
P.M. Wege Elected President
1915
First Desk Sale
1917
Servidor Company Founded
1918
U-Channel Invention
1919
Forges de Strasbourg Founded
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1920
January 17, 1920
Prohibition Ban Begins
January 25, 1924
First Winter Olympic Games held in France
October 29, 1929
“Black Tuesday” Stock Market Crash
1920
Commonwealth Top Customer
1921
First West Coast Sales Made
1921
The Birth of the Brand
1922
Dealer Network Launched
1924
Desk Strength and Durability
1925
Architect-Designed Office Space
1926
Plant #2 is Built
1927
On Board with Lucky Lindy
1928
Victor Desk Tray Introduced
November 26, 1928
Entrance into the International Market
More
1930
February 18, 1930
Pluto is discovered by US Astronomer
May 1934
Dust Storms Spread from the Dust Bowl Area
November 2, 1936
The BBC Television Service Launches
1930
Acquisition of Doehler Metal Furniture Company
1930s
CEO Walter Idema personally visits employees' homes to ensure they have adequate heating during the Great Depression
1932
“Century of Progress” Desk
1932
Production of Vegetable Spray Units
1932
Specialty Desk Introduced
1933
Employment Levels Maintained Despite Depression
1934
Suspension File Patent
December 23, 1936
Terrell's Equipment Stock Purchased
1937
Furniture for S.C. Johnson Wax Building
1939
Industry's First Roll-Edge Desk - 7000 Series
1939
Our First Chairs
More
1940
1941
Steel Rationed (WWII)
January 10, 1946
First Meeting of the United Nations
April 4, 1949
NATO, the North American Treaty Organization, is Formed
1942
Naval Contracts Won
March 1, 1943
W.D. Idema Elected President & General Manager
1944
Retirement Benefits Offered
1945
First with Standard and Interchangeable Parts
1946
Multiple 15 Desk Introduced
April 22, 1947
“Honeymoon in New York” Shuts Down the Chair Plant
1948
Dealer Office Planning Assistance Pioneered
More
1950
June 25, 1950
Korean War Begins
November 1, 1955
Vietnam War Begins
April 25, 1959
The St. Lawrence Seaway opens along Canada and the US
1950
25 Year Club Organized
1950
Largest Post-War Order
December 27, 1951
Steelcase Foundation Formed
1952
Convertibles Introduced
1953
Sunshine Styling Color an Industry First
1953
Community Chest Record Set
1954
First to Add Typewriter Auxiliary Unit
1954
Steelcase Canada Ltd. Founded
1954
PolyVision® Corporation Founded
December 1, 1954
Company Name Change: Steelcase Inc.
1955
Jewel Tea Desk: A First
1956
Flight Line Desks for the Office of the Future
1957
U of M Custom Library Furniture Produced
December 13, 1957
Move to 36th Street
1958
1300 Line Desks Introduced
1958
Steelcase Sponsors Junior Achievement
1959
Vecta Contract Inc. Founded
March 1959
Electrical Connections in Desks Introduced
April 1959
Growing Home Office Market
More
1960
August 13, 1961
Construction of the Berlin Wall Begins
October 14, 1962
The Cuban Missile Crisis Begins
July 20, 1969
The Apollo Program Completes its Mission - First Man Walks on the Moon
November 21, 1969
The Internet is Invented
1960
2200 Line Desks Introduced
September 1, 1960
Original Factory Donated to The Salvation Army
1961
DesignTex® Founded
March 1, 1961
W.C. Davis Elected President
July 1961
Acrylic Paints Introduced
September 13, 1961
Datacase Introduced
1962
50th Anniversary Celebration
1963
Steelcase Coordinated Offices Introduced
1964
Attwood Corp. Acquired
1964
Steelcase Inc., California Founded
1966
"Operation Skydrop"
May 7, 1966
R.C. Pew Elected President & CEO
October 3, 1966
Broadsides Lateral Files Introduced
1968
World’s Largest Manufacturer
1968
Mobiles Introduced
1968
First NeoCon
1969
First Environmental Engineer Hired
More
1970
1973
First Cell Phone
October 1973
Oil Embargo Begins
April 30, 1975
Vietnam War Ends
September 1975
IBM 1500 PC
1970
Steelcase Canada, Ltd. Expands
1971
Gardner Leaver Chair and Side Table Introduced
1971
Fabric Cutting Technology Better for the Environment
May 1971
Word Processing Center Opens
June 1972
Designs in Wood Introduced
1973
Series 9000® Introduced
June 15, 1973
Sears Tower Installation
June 19, 1974
430 Chair Introduced
August 5, 1974
Steelcase/ Strafor S.A. Joint Venture Formed
1975
Paperflo® Introduced
1976
Lighting Evaluation Laboratory Opens
1976
Top Companies Standardize on Steelcase
1977
President Ford Speaks at United Way Luncheon
1977
Middle East Dealer Organization Established
1977
Begin Testing Speech Privacy
1978
Opinion Surveys on Office Environments Conducted
1978
First Lou Harris Study Published
1978
Spectrum Logo Introduced
June 1978
Acquisition of Vecta®
1979
Tech Center Opens
1979
Began Converting Paint to High-solids
More
1980
1980
Beginning of the Information Age
1989
World Wide Web
November 9, 1989
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
1980
Pohlschröder Joint Venture Formed in Germany
1980
Waste to Energy Facility
1983
44th Street Corporate Headquarters Opens
1983
National Environmental Award
1983
NeoCon 15 - Products Launched
1985
Stow & Davis Furniture Co. Acquired
1985
Steelcase Joins Corporate Angel Network
1986
Sensor® Chair Introduced
1987
Meyer May House Opens
1987
Steelcase Inc. Turns 75
June 1987
Steelcase Design Partnership® Forms
1988
$1 Million Gifted to GR Public Museum
1988
Economicology: The Eleventh Commandment
November 1, 1988
F.H. Merlotti Elected President & CEO
1989
Context® Introduced
1989
Environmental Excellence Award
1989
CDC Opens: Context® Furniture Installed
More
1990
August 2, 1990
Persian Gulf War Begins
November 20, 1993
NAFTA Passes the Senate
January 1, 1995
World Trade Organization Founded
March 8, 1990
Details® Founded
December 3, 1990
J.K. Myers Elected President & CEO
1991
Global Presence Expanded
1991
Details® "Wastebasket" Introduced
1991
First to Filter Effluent from Paint Tanks
1992
Furniture in 48 Hours Available
1993
Turnstone® Founded
1993
Replacing Non-Electrostatic Paint Applicators
1994
Lifetime Warranty Introduced
1994
Adopted the Montreal Protocol
July 19, 1994
F.H. Merlotti Elected Interim President
1995
"Rooms That Work" Introduced
1995
Middle East Production Begins
1995
Personal Harbor Wins IDEA Gold Award
1995
Joined Air and Waste Management Association
March 22, 1995
J.P. Hackett Elected President & CEO
December 1995
Leadership Community Opens
1996
WorkLife Center Opens in NYC
1996
Investment in IDEO
1996
Criterion® is the Best Selling Chair
May 1996
TNT™ Furniture System Introduced
1997
Zinc Plating Process Replaced
1997
Zinc Plating Removal Initiative
February 18, 1998
Steelcase Goes Public
March 11, 1998
Pathways® Introduced
December 17, 1998
Werndl® Büromöbel AG Acquired
1999
Please Is Europe's Best-Selling Office Chair
1999
Leap® Chair Introduced
1999
Successful Mentoring Program Expands
1999
Awarded for Waste Reduction
More
2000
September 11, 2001
9/11
2003
NAFTA and WTO Policies Implemented, Eliminating Trade Barriers
March 19, 2003
Invasion of Iraq
2000
Steelcase University Learning Center Opens
2000
DesignTex® Technology Wins Awards
2000
New Corporate Identity Introduced
2000
E-Commerce Sales First Offered
April 2000
End of an Era: 454 Production Ceases
2001
Launched our renewable energy purchasing efforts
2001
Cachet® Chair Introduced
2001
Lean Manufacturing Efforts Begin
April 2, 2001
Steelcase debuts in Fortune 500
August 27, 2001
PolyVision® Acquired
September 11, 2001
Attwood Assists After Terrorist Attacks
October 2001
First U.S. LEED-Certified Manufacturing Plant Opens
2002
BlueSpace Developed
2002
Top 10 Socially Responsible Companies
2002
Steelcase committed to measuring and reporting its carbon footprint
2002
WaterWise Program Recognition
2003
Eliminating VOC Emissions
2003
Green by Design
2003
Steelcase Participated in the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)
March 2003
WorkSpace Futures Formed
2004
Think® Chair Introduced
2004
Steelcase is the Industry's Patent Leader
2004
Privacy Wall Introduced
2004
Joined US Green Building Council of West Michigan
August 28, 2004
Athens, AL Plant Celebrates 25 Years
2005
C2C Certification Awarded for Think® Chair
March 28, 2005
Consolidation Announced
2006
Steelcase International WorkL@b Opens in France
2006
Steelcase UK Partners with Green-Works
2006
Pledge to Reduce Environmental Footprint
2006
First-ever C2C certified office workstation
2006
Steelcase commits to a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the following decade
April 2006
Nurture® by Steelcase Launched
2007
Steelcase Named Best Corporate Citizen
2007
Cradle to Cradle Product Certifications Awarded
September 14, 2007
Ultra Group Acquired
2008
WorkLife India Opens
2008
Green School Makeover
2008
Energy Credits Purchased
2008
WasteWise Large Business Partner of the Year
2008
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody certification
2008
Global Environmental Strategy Launched
2008
Steelcase Canada Ltd. Receives Prestigious “Pollution Prevention Award”
2008
Steelcase launches its first comprehensive environmental strategy globally.
May 2008
Coalesse Formed
November 19, 2008
Metal-Free Textiles
2009
Steelcase Ranked Second for Efforts Against Climate Change
2009
Collaboration Solutions Introduced
2009
Amia Seating Introduced
2009
Steelcase engages the most suppliers for "green and lean" improvements
January 26, 2009
Steelcase joins forces with the Institution Recycling Network (IRN)
March 9, 2009
AMEX Industry-First Award for Social Responsibility
May 18, 2009
The Steelcase Sustainable Design Contest challenges students
September 14, 2009
EPA recognizes Steelcase with the Green Power Leadership Award
More
2010
June 23, 2016
United Kingdom Votes to Leave the European Union
January 23, 2017
US Withdraws from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
January 2018
President Trump Imposes a Series of Tariffs, Angering Trading Partners
2010
Flexframe Workwall Introduced
2010
EPA's Climate Leaders features Steelcase in research paper
2010
Steelcase receives the S. General Services Administration Evergreen Award
2010
Steelcase announces PVC-Free edge banding standard
June 2010
node® Chair Introduced
June 2010
EcoCradle Packaging
2011
Community Support
2011
Steelcase first reports its greenhouse gas emissions to CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project)
April 28, 2011
NanoSphere Finish Added to Designtex® Finishes
August 16, 2011
WorkCafe Opens
September 2011
Sharing the Warmth
November 2011
OpenIDEO Partnership to Revitalize Communities
December 1, 2011
First Asian Market Merit Recognition
January 2012
Tools for Active Learning Environments Introduced
2012
Steelcase exceeds its 25% reduction goal for greenhouse gas emmissions
2012
Steelcase sets new 25% environmental footprint reduction goals
March 16, 2012
Steelcase Celebrates 100 Years
April 2012
Recognized For Sustainability Leadership
June 2012
Living on Video
October 4, 2012
Stock Exchange Bell Ringing
January 2013
Workspring Celebrates Second Chicago Location
February 25, 2013
Gesture Chair Launches
June 2013
V.I.A. Launches in North America
July 2013
Innovation Center Opens in Grand Rapids, MI
2014
Steelcase joins RE100
March 1, 2014
James Keane becomes 9th CEO
March 13, 2014
Growing a renewable energy future
June 10, 2014
Susan Cain Quiet Spaces by Steelcase
September 30, 2014
Completely remastered Think is Introduced
March 16, 2015
Munich Innovation Center Plans Announced
June 2015
Brody WorkLounge Launches
2016
Steelcase purchases RECs to cover more than 50% of it's global electricity consumpution
January 29, 2016
Navi Team Island Launched in APAC
February 8, 2016
Global Workplace Report
February 18, 2016
10 Years on Fortune's Most Admired
October 2016
Most Civic-Minded in the U.S.
October 1, 2016
Portfolio Growth with Partnerships and Acquisitions
December 20, 2016
Steelcase Welcomes Tim Brown to BOD
March 6, 2017
Microsoft Partnership to tackle creativity
October 2017
Series 1 Introduced
November 9, 2017
Munich LINC Opens
November 17, 2017
New Spaces for Gerald R. Ford International Airport
November 28, 2017
AMQ Solutions, Smith System and Orangebox Acquisitions
2018
Lite Scale Introduced
2018
Steelcase is named a finalist in the 2018 Circulars Awards
January 25, 2018
Multinational Finalist in the Circulars
January 30, 2018
SILQ Seating Introduced
December 21, 2018
Mackinac Microzones Wood Line Introduced
January 28, 2019
#1 Fortune Most Admired 2019
February 4, 2019
Great Place to Work
March 1, 2019
CF Series Introduced
June 18, 2019
Roam Mounting solutions to support Microsoft Surface Hub 2 and 3
More
2020
2020
Science-based targets approved by Science Based Targets Initiative
January 21, 2020
#1 Fortune Most Admired 2020
March 1, 2020
LexCo Collection Introduced
June 30, 2020
Steelcase Series 2 Introduced
August 1, 2021
Work Tents Introduced
October 4, 2021
Sara Armbruster becomes 10th President and Chief Executive Officer
March 31, 2022
Steelcase takes industry lead in sustainability standard with 281 BIFMA LEVEL® Certified Products
April 12, 2022
Amobi Agile Workspaces Introduced
June 1, 2022
Designed to Transform, Lares Single Desking Introduced
June 8, 2022
Steelcase is recognized for outstanding environmental sustainability practices
June 20, 2022
Steelcase Series1 First in Carbon Neutral
October 2022
Everwall Introduced
October 2022
Please Air Introduced
March 6, 2023
Frank Lloyd Wright Reintroduced and Reinterpreted
April 3, 2023
Agree Table Introduced
April 17, 2023
Ocular Introduced
April 17, 2023
Work Valet Introduced
April 25, 2023
Steelcase Karman Introduced
June 19, 2023
Carbon Neutral Option for Tasks chairs
July 7, 2023
Steelcase receives a Gold Rating from EcoVadis and earns a perfect score on the environmental scorecard
September 18, 2023
Steelcase partners with Ecomedes to make sustainable product sourcing easier
December 21, 2023
Agree Chair Introduced
January 2024
Orangebox Beyond the Desk Launches in EMEA
January 2024
Orangebox Recur Launches
January 2024
AMQ Personality Plus Launches
February 18, 2024
Steelcase earns the highest CDP score in it's history (A-), and in the industry
April 2024
Coalesse Ensemble Launches
May 1, 2024
Steelcase Recognized as One of America’s 50 Most Community-Minded Companies
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