Furniture maker Kimball Office invests in ShareDesk
Sharedesk, kimball office

Photo By Photo by SpaceKraft, ShareDesk Venue Partner

 
VANCOUVER, B.C. - ShareDesk, a Vancouver services firm that helps customers rent desk space or offices for brief periods, says Kimball Office has invested in its technology, and the two will reveal a new development at NeoCon 2016 in Chicago next month.
 
ShareDesk's system appears similar to AirBnB applied to office space. Kimball will be ShareDesk's exclusive furniture partner. With over 5,000 venues across 40 countries, the ShareDesk marketplace helps mobile professionals discover and access on-­demand work and meeting spaces. With ShareDesk Optix, the company provides cloud-­based solutions to help serviced offices and companies create smart on­-demand workspaces environments
 
"Collaborating with thought leading partners, such as Kimball Office, allows us to reimagine the workplace experience," said Kia Rahmani, founder and CEO of ShareDesk. "By aligning the physical and digital functionality, we can transform the relationship between people and place. We are very excited to be working with Kimball Office. Together, we will provide an eco­system that can revolutionize the way companies manage and measure their workplace effectiveness."
 
The collaboration between Kimball Office and ShareDesk will be focused on helping organizations optimize their real estate use, while improving the effectiveness of the people who occupy the "smart" space.
 
The two companies will debut the smart concept during this year's NeoCon Conference in Chicago from June 13th­-15th, showcased in Kimball's showroom themed "You are Here." ShareDesk will also launch Optix Pro, a fully integrated app that allows companies and serviced offices to seamlessly manage smart shared workspaces. By utilizing the latest in mobile and location technologies, ShareDesk will power Kimball's environments with a virtual layer that will enhance the interaction between people and workspaces.
 
"Our collaboration with ShareDesk ensures that Kimball Office will be at the forefront of the workplace transformation, which is being fuelled by the rapid advancement in technology," says Wendy Murray, director of marketing for Kimball Office.
 
Mike Wagner, President of Kimball Office commented, "As real estate costs escalate, and activity based planning de­-tethers employees from assigned workstations, the interior designers and facility managers need new ways to manage these complexities. Designing flexible furniture solutions, and strategically integrating with the most agile workplace management system, Optix Pro, is critical to our competitive advantage in the emerging smart workplace. We are very proud to be the exclusive furniture partner of ShareDesk."
 
Rahmani finished by saying, "We are modernizing how people experience and interact with space, and how companies manage and measure their space needs. Together with Kimball we seek to build smarter offices, enabling work to flow seamlessly from physical to digital spaces."
 
Kimball Office is a brand unit of Kimball International, Inc., (NASDAQ: KBAL), a publicly­ traded company headquartered in Jasper, Indiana, and a recipient of Forbes' trustworthy companies designation in 2013, 2014, and 2015. For additional information about Kimball Office, visit www.kimballoffice.com

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About the author
Bill Esler | ConfSenior Editor

Bill wrote for WoodworkingNetwork.com, FDMC and Closets & Organized Storage magazines. 

Bill's background includes more than 10 years in print manufacturing management, followed by more than 30 years in business reporting on industrial manufacturing in the forest products industries, including printing and packaging at American Printer (Features Editor) and Graphic Arts Monthly (Editor in Chief) magazines; and in secondary wood manufacturing for WoodworkingNetwork.com.

Bill was deeply involved with the launches of the Woodworking Network Leadership Forum, and the 40 Under 40 Awards programs. He currently reports on technology and business trends and develops conference programs.

In addition to his work as a journalist, Bill supports efforts to expand and improve educational opportunities in the manufacturing sectors, including 10 years on the Print & Graphics Scholarship Foundation; six years with the U.S. WoodLinks; and currently on the Woodwork Career Alliance Education Committee. He is also supports the Greater West Town Training Partnership Woodworking Program, which has trained more than 950 adults for industrial wood manufacturing careers. 

Bill volunteers for Foinse Research Station, a biological field station staddling the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland, one of more than 200 members of the Organization of Biological Field Stations.