Believe In Your Office

25 Years, One Company, One Industry: What the Office Looked Like Then vs. Now with Adam Wayne

Episode Summary

What does the office furniture industry look like through the eyes of someone who's been in it for 25 years? That's exactly what Josh finds out in this episode with Adam Wayne, a seasoned veteran at Global Furniture Group — one of the largest privately held office furniture manufacturers in North America, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Adam traces Global's remarkable journey from founder Saul Feldberg starting the company in his garage to a billion-dollar enterprise with 3,500+ employees — and explains how the culture Saul built has survived being multigenerational and massive in a way most companies never manage. The conversation takes a nostalgic and genuinely funny turn as Josh and Adam map the evolution of the office from 2001 to 2026: from the days of asking about filing cabinets (nobody asks anymore) to the corner workstation insert that existed purely because CRT monitors were enormous. They talk about the shift from massive boardrooms to smaller, flexible meeting zones, the rise of height-adjustable desks, built-in power in seating, and the felt-topped cubicle ceiling that's quietly solving acoustic problems without a single permit. They also preview Global's new Fulton Market showroom opening at NeoCon in Chicago — the industry's biggest annual trade show — and talk about what it means to be at the forefront of a manufacturer moving from the Merchandise Mart to a cool industrial neighborhood that better reflects where design is headed.

Episode Notes

GUEST

Adam Wayne — 25-year veteran, Global Furniture Group, Northeast Region (PA, NJ, NY, DE)

Website: globalfurnituregroup.com

WHAT WE COVER

• Global Furniture Group's origin story: Saul Feldberg starting in his garage, now a billion-dollar manufacturer celebrating its 60th anniversary
• How Global maintained culture from a family garage to 3,500+ employees across North America
• Adam's 25 years at one company — what loyalty and culture actually look like from the inside
• The Grand Getaway: Global's legendary annual customer appreciation trip and what attention to detail looks like at the highest level (branded toothpicks, napkins, mirrors — all of it)
• What changed most in the office furniture industry from 2001 to 2026: filing cabinets, CRT corner inserts, height-adjustable desks, built-in power
• Why height-adjustable tables went from luxury to standard — and the Bluetooth app that tracks your standing habits
• NeoCon 2026 in Chicago: the trade show, the Merchandise Mart, and Global's exciting new Fulton Market showroom opening
• The 'live in it for a while' philosophy — why Boomerang and Global both tell clients not to rush into changes
• AI pop-ups during a podcast recording and what they say about where technology is headed
• The felt-topped cubicle ceiling: the acoustic solution that looks open but functions like a private office
• Tax advantages of furniture over construction — why building with furniture instead of walls is smarter than most people know

KEY QUOTES

"You almost have to get a height-adjustable table now to attract people. And it's so inexpensive not to."

"From a toothpick with a Global symbol to the sticker on the toilet paper — that's what tells you what the main focus of a business is."

"We can build out an entire office without doing any construction. Most people have no idea that's even possible."

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

NeoCon — the annual international contract furnishings trade show, held every June at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago

Fulton Market, Chicago — where Global is opening its new showroom for 2026

Global's Free Fit height-adjustable table series — includes a Bluetooth app that tracks sit/stand patterns

Artifex — acoustic felt cubicle ceiling panels referenced in the John & Josh segment

CONNECT WITH GLOBAL FURNITURE GROUP

globalfurnituregroup.com

SPONSORED BY

Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com

Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com