The office furniture market is a big one - with an estimated worth of 1bn as of 2008. The used office furniture market is accounting increasingly for bigger shares of this 10-figure sum, with more and more savings-savvy businesses considering second hand furniture each year. In this article, we look at 10 things to consider in the used office furniture market - whether you are a buyer or a seller.

Potential money to be saved. In this time of the economic downturn where many businesses are struggling, efforts are being made to cut costs. Buying used furniture can contribute to these efforts immensely, with potential to save 75% off the retail price of certain products. More...

While the choice of used office furniture is impressive, one of the key objectives of any purchase is to find an item that is durable and will be reliable for the future. One instrumental element in finding this is the material of the furniture in question. This article asks: What are the best materials to buy?

It is wise not to venture into antique furniture lightly, as typical prices can be four and even five figures. Before you even begin to consider investing, do your research to make sure you know what to expect when you are looking for. An unknowledgeable purchase made could be money wasted. More...

Are you an executive which sits at your desk and in your chair all day long? Are you a salesperson who is on the highway most of the day and rarely sits at your desk? Are you a busy assistant who has to be seated at your desk and in your office chairs and type all day long? You may be a combinations between two of these job types, or every three if you own your business and don’t have any staff. More...

As we know we have been caught in a huge credit crunch. But do not allow your work place to be affected by the current situation.

While we are at high times of stress, we need to think of ways to make your company and team more productive. I have visited a lot of offices that have as of late been letting their work place look a bit of a mess to be honest.

The other week I went to an office meeting and they had let things slip a lot, there was food all over the carpet and the chairs were all ripped and stained. My first incline was what type of business do they run? If they are trying to get clients and invite them to their head quarters the clients will take one look at the state of things and just walk straight out. More...

Lift chairs are designed to make the process of sitting in a chair and getting up an easier task, generally for people with limited mobility problems, back problems, arthritis, or other illness or accidents. They work by lowering the user into the sitting position. When the user wants to get up, the chair will lift and tilt them into an upright standing position. Lift chairs typically take the strain off the back and legs and can be very beneficial to someone who is recuperating from surgery.

There are many styles of lift chairs available from simple models to more luxurious models. Many lift chairs simply look like basic recliners. They are probably the most economical way to go, and come in many different colours and fabrics so you can match them perfectly with your current home décor.More...

Did you know that a person can spend an average of 80,000 hours sitting on an office chair until such time that that person retires? If you didn’t then its time to see that ever loyal office companion of yours—the office chair—in a totally new light.

Let’s go back in time when office chairs first came into being. According to Wikipedia:

“…in the mid-1800s, businesses began to expand beyond the traditional model of a family business with little emphasis on administration. Additional administrative staff was required to keep up with orders, bookkeeping, and correspondence as businesses expanded their service areas. While office work was expanding, an awareness of office environments, technology, and equipment became part of the cultural focus on increasing productivity. This awareness gave rise to chairs designed specifically for these new administrative employees: office chairs.

The office chair was strategically designed to increase the productivity of clerical employees by making it possible for them to remain sitting at their desks for long periods of time….”

In order to fulfil this need, ergonomics is being applied to office chair design. Ergonomics is defined as the application of scientific principles that will increase productivity in the workplace while keeping work-related injuries to the body at a minimum.More...

Ron Ostlund keeps a bag of potato chips in one of his desk drawers at his office at Riviera Pools. He stashes a jar of cashews there, too.

The snacks aren't for him. They're for the dogs roaming his office.  On any given day, the pool company's corporate office is jingling with the sound of dog collars from as many as eight pooches. The pups greet visitors at the front door. They stroll into and out of meetings. They beg for snacks, bark for attention and have free rein over desks, couches and chairs.  "They're spoiled rotten," Ostlund said, as he offered cashews to Jack, Panda and Riley, who patiently waited on all fours for a treat. "I've created monsters here."

It may sound disruptive or just plain crazy to allow dogs in the office, but Ostlund's company is among the nearly one in five that allows employees to bring pets to work, according to a 2008 survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Almost a quarter of working Americans believe pets should be allowed in the workplace, the survey found.

Bob Vetere, APPMA president, said companies are now more open to pets in the workplace. He understands why.More...

JANESVILLE — At the end of his junior year in high school, Jamin Arn knew exactly what he wanted to do, and it didn't involve his senior year and the two credits needed for a traditional high school graduation.

"I wanted to get out and get moving," said Arn, who as a 17-year-old left Kentucky and moved to Janesville to live with his grandparents.

A night course satisfied the two-credit conundrum. A job at Hardees confirmed for Arn that he what he really wanted was a business of his own.

Several entrepreneurial efforts later, Arn owns the Janesville-based OfficePro, a supplier of office products and furniture and commercial janitorial supplies.

Founded in 2003 in his basement, OfficePro closed 2007 with three-year revenue growth of 409 percent, good enough to land the company in the 883rd slot on Inc. magazine's list of the 5,000 fastest growing privately held companies in the United States.

With several addresses behind it, including one at the former Parker Pen building, OfficePro is now at home in a 35,000-square-foot building at 615 N. Parker Drive, just south of Traxler Park. Arn's formation of OfficePro followed sales jobs with three other office supply companies, including Wagner's in Janesville and Beloit.

Rows of desks, chairs, tables and cubicle equipment are surrounded by reams of copier paper and other office odds and ends.

"It's not pretty, but it's not supposed to be," said the 31-year-old Arn.

A flashy showroom would only add to the company's overhead, a cost that would ultimately be paid by OfficePro's customers who range from Rockford to Wisconsin Dells and Delavan to Monroe.More...