CURRENT ISSUE
| Cover Story |
| Columns |
| Spring: Whitney Inc. - Workplaces Inside and Out |
| Design/Architecture | |
| By Furniture + Interiors | |
| Thursday, 01 March 2007 | |
 Today, Whitney tries to match the right employees with the applicable talents to its clients. The company also has “great flexibility” because of its ability to interchange staff members in order to form project-specific teams. Based in Oak Brook, Ill., Whitney has formed many lasting relationships on both a local and national basis with its clients, which include Resources Global, Mesirow Financial, Synovate, Robert Bosch Corp., Allstate Insurance and ABN Amro. In addition to these established clients, Whitney also seeks out opportunities to work with up-and-coming businesses. “We love to work with new start-ups and ventures and grow with them,” Stenftenagel says. Stenftenagel founded Whitney with two partners in 1984. He began the company with the goal of assembling a diverse staff of architects and interior designers who were grouped into multidisciplinary teams that could provide a full range of services in both design and technical areas. This method created an organization based on a studio model instead of a typical departmentalized structure. This approach allows for the collaboration of disciplines, expertise and experiences, challenging the staff to grow within all segments of architecture and design. Today, Whitney tries to match the right employees with the applicable talents to its clients. The company also has “great flexibility” because of its ability to interchange staff members in order to form project-specific teams. “Whitney is all about its people,” Stenftenagel says. “Our design staff and six great partners help make this company what it is.” In addition to design talent, Whitney seeks people with energy and excellent communications skills, as well as a passion for the design industry. Whitney also employs LEED-certified designers and is working to add more. “We’re dedicated to green approaches and design,” Stenftenagel says, adding that Whitney has a green committee. In an ever-changing industry, green design has become increasingly important in both maintaining the planet and bringing design forward. As an environmentally conscious company, Whitney strives to achieve these objectives in its projects and approaches. The green committee meets on a regular basis to discuss new green products and design concepts, which it then shares with the rest of the firm through presentations and an interoffice newsletter. According to Stenftenagel, this environmental expertise appeals to clients as their awareness of sustainable design increases. “You don’t have to explain it to people like you used to,” he says. Asking ‘The Right Questions’ Helping to make Whitney’s design unique is the company’s innate ability to listen to its clients, as well as ask delving questions to achieve more insight on a project. Because Whitney’s internal philosophy is centered on solid communication, the staff members are able to apply these collaborative skills to their interaction with clients in a professional and accessible manner. Through interviews, assessments and observations, Whitney is able to define the specific needs of a client’s business. Based on this information, the assigned team develops a design approach best suited to a client’s culture, values and budget. “[We] get feedback on such issues as work analysis, communication, flows, team orientation and, basically, what makes the company tick,” says Stenftenagel. “This gives us a body of information we can use to create unique solutions for each client.” Bringing ‘Change’ Stenftenagel possesses more than 30 years of experience in interior design. “I have always felt that design has so much potential to change things,” he says. “I come to work and that potential’s always there.” He adds that Whitney is excited about the future of design and architecture. “There’s so much that we think is going to happen in the design business that [hasn’t been] revealed to us yet,” he says. “So we’re excited about discovering that.” Whitney recently helped Synovate, a market research firm and division of the Aegis Group Plc., with the redesign of its U.S. headquarters. The company moved from a 133,000-square-foot office in Chicago’s northwest suburbs to an 85,000-square-foot location in the city, and Whitney was able to accommodate the consolidation of space while maintaining aesthetic appeal and functionality. Keeping Synovate’s “forward-thinking mentality in mind,” Whitney developed a corporate headquarters that “became a much more collaborative, open environment,” with such features as 120-degree workstations with lowered panel heights. In addition, the company opened up window lines, allowing for more natural light throughout the entire space. Stenftenagel says Whitney received the support of Synovate CEO Robert Philpot throughout the project. “[He] believed in this idea of the environment being able to change the company,” he says. “[He] gave us the opportunity and had the confidence in us [and] what we were trying to develop.” Since the redesign, Philpot has noticed an increase in productivity, with workers collaborating more often and keeping longer hours. Because of the success of the Chicago office, Synovate asked Whitney to redesign its New York office, as well. In the Manhattan office, Whitney added unique features such as workstation file cabinets that also act as modular seating units and mobile dry erase boards, which allow for more accessibility between employees. “Synovate’s New York space now reflects the openness and vibrancy of the firm, while maintaining its sense of integrity and professionalism,” says Stenftenagel. “The past 23 years have provided Whitney with many opportunities to develop lasting relationships with clients, as well as open doors for more work on a national level,” he says. “The collaborative culture and continual quest for innovation, quality, client satisfaction and creative integrity have contributed to Whitney’s success in developing functional and attractive spaces that not only fulfill, but also exceed, clients’ goals and expectations.” |
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