Promoting Wellness at Work - Yoga, Dogs & Active Feet.

 

Sometimes many small efforts manage to come together and turn into something much larger and far more impactful than originally intended or anticipated. This is how KSA Interiors discovered that we had tremendous influence as a company on how well our employees and team members live their lives through promoting wellness.

Wellness for us began as something we did not entirely realize we were doing, at least not in an organized fashion. It simply began with an awareness of how much harm a sedentary - sitting at your desk - lifestyle can cause. Slowly, awareness blossomed into a full-fledged effort to eat better, work better and live better.

This week on Tuesday, February 12th, KSA Interiors will be recognized by Sports Backers as an "Active RVA Certified" Employer.

We appreciate the accolade, but far more important is what this means for our team and how it impacts our daily lives.

In 2009 KSA's CEO Kim Schoenadel asked if there were any way we could bring exercise into the daily routine at KSA. We soon hired a Yoga instructor, Sonia Stoeckli from Spiritual Flow Yoga, to lead our team in an after-hours yoga session each Thursday. Bringing Sonia into the office spurred a revolution at KSA of various team members becoming champions for wellness in the workplace.

One of our former team members, Joanna Yates, took a deep interest in Yoga, becoming an instructor on her own and leading our team through "Yoga Breaks" intended to get us out from behind our desks.

Yoga, was soon followed by weekly wellness updates lead by Gillian Bowman, who took the lead in helping to internally promote healthy eating and daily habits. Afternoon walking groups soon formed, as did "Daily Health Checklist" competitions, and weekly Zumba classes held within our offices.

In our second year of the checklist competition, Gillian noted that many of our team have commented to her on the benefits of the program - whether it is related to better sleep, healthier eating, or the occasional better fitting pair of pants!

By 2013, we had not only incorporated an active healthy lifestyle into our corporate culture, we also incorporated it into the way we do business.  In January 2013 our workspace was renovated to change the way we collaborate, interact and work. Wellness and ergonomics were prime factors in developing our new work styles. Standing height work tables replaced conference tables, and sit-to-stand adjustable height desks replaced cockpit style cubicles. 

Sara Lasseter incorporated this aspect of wellness into the design solution she championed for our offices "We are always told the risk of living sedentary lives while being seated all day in the office. Having the flexibility to adjust the desk heights for periods of time not only changes my posture but I am often more apt to move and stretch while still being connected to my task".

 

Wellness of course does not stop with the challenge to improve our physical selves and environments. After reading several studies on the emotional and mental benefits found from inviting pets to the work environment, KSA embarked on a "Dog Days" program where we invite our furry pals to the office the first Friday of every month.

"We all look forward to Dog Days" states Heather Croy. "Whether it’s your dog or someone else’s, having them around creates a happy buzz around the studio".

The best component of our wellness program however is the way it galvanizes our team around supportive goals and camaraderie. Whether we are engaged in personal challenges to lose weight, training for a race, or engaging our competitive spirit, we have found that the shared experience with our co-workers sits at the root of our success.

KSA is proud to join the list of companies working to build a more healthful workplace, and hope our experience will encourage others to do the same. Here is to good health, and shared wellness with all our friends in the greater Richmond community.

Perhaps we will see some of you on one of our lunch time walks, or at the next Innsbrook Corporate 4 Miler? Feel free to join us as well in our Daily Health Checklist competition. You can contact us at info@ksainteriors.com for more info!

KSA Announces Multiple Promotions

KSA Interiors is pleased to announce several promotions for key members of the KSA team! Karen Burton, Melissa Moseley, and Sara Lasseter will each be expanding their leadership roles at KSA as Associates within the organization.

We are excited for the opportunities before each of them, and know that their talents and leadership will drive KSA's future success.

Please join us in congratulating Karen, Melissa, and Sara for their hard work and dedication!
  
You can read the entire release here:

Sharing the gift of friends and family this holiday season

Our team would like to extend heartfelt holiday wishes to all of our clients, partners, friends, and families. In our 30th year of business we are proud to celebrate all of our accomplishments, and know that they could not have been achieved without the support of our community.

We look forward to a new year and more opportunities to share the gift of design.
Best wishes for a happy holiday and new year from KSA!

Honoring Freedom and the Independence of a Strong Economy

This Independence Day KSA wishes to thank our many clients, vendors, manufacturers, and industry partners who work together to make America great.

We believe in hard work, and the mission of bringing interior space to life. We are all shaped by the environments in which we live, work, and play - and at KSA those spaces we design help define us.

Our team not only works hand in hand with institutions such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, and Army Corps of Engineers; but is also an integral partner with the private enterprises which drive our economy, and the public universities that foster innovation.

Let's honor America as we design the built environments that shape us. Let KSA help your organization or institution find the American products & resources that build our great economy and ensure our liberty.

"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

General Services Administration

Dominion Virginia Power

Rappahannock Community College

2011 - A Year in Review at KSA Interiors

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

- Winston Churchill

At KSA we have lived by these principles for the last twenty nine years. As we aproach our thirtieth year of business we hope to reflect on the last year and the many ways we have been influenced by our community.

Leadership –

Defending the right to practice.

As 2011 has come to a close, the interior design industry in Virginia has been roiled by the proposal by Governor Robert F. McDonnell to deregulate “Certified Interior Designers”. KSA is a firm supporter of the interior designer’s right to practice and has taken the lead in the effort to educate the Virginia legislature on the importance of Certification in Virginia. Working with the Council for Certified Virginia Interior Designers (CCVID), as well as the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), KSA has actively promoted the benefits to Certification in Virginia while dispelling common myths and stereotypes.

Deregulation creates barriers to business by selectively eliminating competition between design disciplines and establishes potential barriers to state and federal projects, as well as the permitting process. Interior designers face additional restrictions and discrimination in regards to scope of work, board membership within professional corporations, and interstate commerce.

Most importantly however, deregulation removes protections for the public. Interior designers play a key role in protecting the health, welfare, and safety of the inhabitants of interior space. Interior designers are the sole professional body focused on the relationship between human beings and interior spaces. People spend in excess of 90% of our time inside buildings. Interior designers are the ones charged with space planning, materials selection, and furniture, fixtures and equipment selection for commercial buildings. These choices directly impact people's abilities to function effectively, and to remain safe in the case of emergency. Wuite simply, interior designers have the greatest impact on the safety of building occupants in regards to interior content.

2012 will prove to be a very important year for KSA and the interior design industry as a whole. If you are interested in learning more about this issue, or are interested in how you can help, please contact KSA or your state representatives.

You can learn more about the facts of Interior Design regulation by following this link:

http://ksainteriors.blogspot.com/2011/12/leave-virginias-protection-for.html

Qualified Professionals

A number of KSA team members expanded upon their qualifications in 2011. Heather Croy and Erin Riggan passed the NCIDQ exam and joined Ruth Deibler in becoming CID's (Certified Interior Designers) in Virginia. KSA is proud of Erin, Heather, Ruth, and our many other Certified professionals.

Reinventing the design process – and how we serve our clients.

KSA spent much of 2011 reinventing how we deliver inspired design solutions to our clients. The first half of the year was devoted to building on the previous year’s corporate retreat where we investigated ways to place service to our clients at the core of our business. The end result was a mindset we like to refer to as “Best in the World”. Built around five keys to service, “Best in the World” is rooted in one primary insight – what is best for each of our clients is an entirely relative thing. Learn more about “Best in the World” by reading our e-book here:

Best in the World

http://www.slideshare.net/cgooddesign/best-in-the-world-e-book

The second half of 2012 was devoted to ways that we could improve our design process based on the lessons we have learned in developing the “Best in the World” mindset as well as in learning from the best practices of the design industry. The result was the KSA Way – a design methodology developed through the investigation of processes developed by KSA as well as design leaders such as IDEO, Apple, HOK, and others. Combining aspects of Design Psychology, Evidence Based Design and Design Thinking, KSA created a design methodology tailored to its needs and the practices of its clients. Learn more about the KSA Way design process by viewing a short presentation here:

The KSA Way

http://www.slideshare.net/cgooddesign/the-ksa-wayprocess-story

Wellness –

For the last several years KSA team members have had the great fortune of receiving yoga lessons taught by Sonja Stoeckli. Each Thursday afternoon Sonja visits KSA’s Richmond office to host classes for our team members. What began as an opportunity to release stress and promote fitness has become a movement within KSA. Our wellness initiative has expanded and grown to include not only yoga, but also a company-wide weekly wellness dialogue and the encouragement for a number of KSA staff members to become pre-dawn running partners, join their local gym, or even sign up for the 140.6 mile Ironman Triathlon.

Beyond KSA’s desire to promote wellness within our firm we were thrilled when Richmond was awarded the 2015 World Road Cycling Championships, and with the recent plans by the city to make cycling an integral part of our city’s framework. Cycling, like running, swimming, and many other wellness activities around the city not only promote individual wellness but they also engage and bond the community.

KSA looks forward to 2012 as we are excited by the opportunities that lie before us and our city in regards to promoting wellness across our hometown. If you are interested in how wellness can improve our local community, we recommend you visit our friends at Richmond Cycling Corps. A non-profit organization that provides leadership and personal development to Richmond’s urban youth through the sport of cycling.

http://www.richmondcyclingcorps.org/about/

http://www.spiritualflowyoga.com/default.aspx?PageId=8

Community –

Real World Design Week.

Over the course of two days in November, KSA played host to over a dozen aspiring interior designers currently enrolled at universities and colleges across the state. RealWorld DesignWeek represented an opportunity to share our passion for the design industry with the next generation of up and coming professionals. Students shadowed our design staff, attended CEU presentations, met with the firms leadership, business development and marketing staff, and asked lots and lots of questions. At KSA we have the highest level of respect for interior design education and are passionate about sharing our knowledge and insight with young designers.

Engaging Peers, Clients, and Friends.

KSA has continued its commitment to the design community by sponsoring events, hosting CEU’s and taking a leadership role in organizations such as ASID. KSA’s Mary Katherine Crouch joins a long line of KSA team members who have either served on the board of the Virginia Chapter of ASID, or who like Mary Katherine, have taken the helm as Chapter President.

White Elephants and Habitat for Humanity.

KSA’s design staff donated hundreds of hours of volunteer work to the Virginia Chapter ASID White Elephant Sale, raising over $30,000 for Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity. Over 300 people attended the event which featured modern furnishings, art, jewelry and other fine items. The newly renovated Hippodrome Theater played host to the event and set an appropriate tone for all those who support the mission of Habitat and the revitalization of Richmond communities.

Photo Credit: Chris Anderson Photography

Photo Credit: Chris Anderson Photography

Giving –

Ft. Lee Holiday Helper.

For the last several years KSA has participated in the Ft. Lee Holiday Helper program, a wonderful way to thank and give back to our troops. The soldiers are able to browse and select gifts for their children from a wide variety of donations from the community: plush toys, electronics, jewelry, games, clothing, books, and a wide variety of other items. "Elf" volunteers help the soldiers navigate through the gifts and answer any questions they may have about items. Volunteers can also offer their services as a holiday "wrapper". All the gifts may be gift-wrapped and tagged, so they can go directly under the tree! It is a very fulfilling way to serve those who serve us.

Toys for Tots.

In keeping with tradition KSA combines its annual corporate holiday party with a drive to collect toys for the Marine Toys for Tots program. Selecting gifts to represent our team members is a fun way to say thanks and share interesting personal stories. Even better it provides us a great opportunity to donate to a great cause. If you are interested in getting your team more involved with the marine Toys for Tots Foundation, visit the website today!

http://www.toysfortots.org/

http://www.richmondhabitat.org/

Gifts for the Community with Toys for Tots!!

With a company packed full of creative minds and big hearts, KSA was in search of a way to give back to the community during the holiday season. After putting our heads together, we came up with a solution that has provided gifts for children in need during the holidays while enhancing our team culture.

Each year, the KSA team transforms our company holiday gathering into an opportunity to donate to the community while learning and sharing about each other. In November, each KSA team member draws the name of a fellow co-worker and purchases a toy that depicts that individual. The drawing is kept anonymous to create an energetic buzz of curiosity leading up to the day of our holiday gathering.

After the anticipation has been building throughout our office, we gather for our holiday lunch and get to enjoy guessing which toys personify which team members. From individuals' quirky favorite characters, childhood stories, and hobbies, the toys purchased always come with an entertaining presentation! After all of the gifts, stories, and laughs have been shared, KSA collects all of these toys and donates them to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

The Desk of the Future! A Journey to EurekaFest 2010 with Hopewell High School's InvenTeam

“Sitting through classes at Hopewell High School isn't exactly comfortable, especially if the student is taller than 4 feet 5 inches. The desks currently in use were patented in the late 1950s, and little has changed since.” (Markus Schmidt of progress-index.com)

In an effort to improve the condition of student desks at Hopewell High School, an ambitious group of students, led by an innovative and dedicated teacher named Andrei Dacko, represented one of only 15 groups in the country to win an InvenTeam grant from the Lemelson-MIT Foundation to create and present a new product of their own invention at MIT’s EurekaFest in mid-June 2010.

In January 2009, Dacko, Hopewell High’s Engineering Technology instructor, asked his students if they were interested in inventing something. After getting a resounding, “Yes!” he told his then sophomore students about the InvenTeam grant program. From there, each student on the team was tasked with coming up with two to three invention ideas. Dacko explained, "In the end, we had over 30 ideas, from a doggy door alarm to a temperature controlled pillow." Eventually, the students chose the idea that would have the most positive impact on their school and fellow students. "All agreed that our current desk designs need to be redeveloped," Dacko stated.

One student explained, "Our current desk has so many problems it was easy to work on improvements." The sole female student on the team stated, "(The current desk) just looks really old, and (the support) bar makes it impossible to slide in from both sides." Another teammate explained, "Our first step was to take an original desk and then add other features to it.” The endless list inspired the students to come up with numerous ideas for the Desk of the Future.

Upon submitting their entry application, Hopewell High School was one of 312 initial applicants. Of those, only 64 actually completed the application after which only 32 were selected for the second round of applications. The Hopewell team and their idea for the Desk of the Future was ultimately chosen to make the final cut of just 15 schools across the country and to design and build a prototype of their invention to be presented at MIT’s EurekaFest in June 2010.

The new student desk, billed as an active-dynamic learning system designed to change the direction of education in the 21st century, proposes the possibility of several new features. All of these new features were decided upon based on surveys the InvenTeam sent to students, teachers, buyers, and custodians asking them what improvements they believed should be made to current desks. In order to build their prototype, the students actually built several different iterations; one with sheet metal, one with wood and tubing, one with aluminum, and another with PVC pipe. The students also brainstormed ideas to make the desk more ergonomic, user friendly, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective.

During the design phase, Kim Schoenadel, President & CEO of KSA Interiors contacted Andrei Dacko after reading an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch about the Hopewell High School InvenTeam. Using Kim's professional resources, the team received input from Gary Chin, President of Dauphin Human Design, the world’s leading office seating manufacturer, and the Industrial Design students at Virginia Tech.  Delta Graphics in Chester, Dauphin, and KSA Interiors contributed seating and desk samples to the students so they could evaluate different product components. Will Frederikson, a retired mechanical engineer, also read about the InvenTeam and provided crucial support to the development of the prototype. Dacko says, “ Will’s timing couldn’t have been better. It was exactly the time in our process when we were in huge need of engineering support. Will truly helped us to realize our vision for the desk."

As the InvenTeam made final preparations for MIT’s EurekaFest, it was determined that a trade show booth would be an excellent way to tell the story of their invention. KSA Interiors worked with the InventTeam to create the text and graphics for the booth.  Kim also recruited Larry Ragland, President of Mark Bric, and Wayne Nystrom, President & CEO of GraphicsGallery through their shared connection with the Virginia Council of CEOs.  Mark Bric donated the portable display booth to the InvenTeam and GraphicsGallery provided the production of the booth graphics.

"(The team was) really excited about the trip to Cambridge in June," Dacko explained. "Who knows, the next generation of Hopewell High School students may be sitting at desks designed right here at our school." The team returned from EurekaFest even more energized and confident about their invention, which was well received and sparked a great deal of interest among their fellow inventors. Long-term, they hope the desk will go into mass production and return to classrooms, including those at Hopewell High, where all students will be able to benefit from it!

 
*Due to the confidential nature of the InvenTeam's desk prototype and design, no images of the desk will be shared.