Relationship, Relationship, Relationship!
Knickerbocker Bed Company and Brownlie Design
In the commercial real estate industry, the famous saying is; “Location, location location!” For Brownlie Design it’s been all about relationships for over 45 years!. Scott Ryan, President of Brownlie Design often says that we haven’t been successful by finding new clients each year, we have been successful by tirelessly serving our clients at all times and developing long term business relationships.
A great example of this philosophy is our relationship with Knickerbocker Bed Company in Carlstadt, NJ. Knickerbocker, founded in 1919, takes great pride in the fact that the fourth generation has now joined the business and that all of their products are “Made In America”. True accomplishments.
As a maker of metal bed frames, Knickerbocker was a real “nuts and bolts” company in its early years. While they expanded to some related product niches, the primary business of U.S. made metal bed frames was the true “foundation”.
Richard Polevoy, CEO of Knickerbocker realized early in the globalization process of the furniture and bedding industry that they needed to innovate to stay relevant. Chasing costs alone was a poor strategy that would not serve future generations or the company’s team members. Fortunately for Rich and the company, he had deep and long-standing relationships with a wide array of industry leaders. He was a respected supplier with a reputation of integrity, reliability and service. As a result, he had the access needed to present his new concepts and to obtain product opportunities and feedback from key retailers around the country.
About 15 years ago, realizing that their internal resources were not sufficient to expand and expedite his innovative ideas, Rich decided that it would be beneficial to bring in an outside design firm. It was a relationship with a mutual business partner that brought him to Brownlie Design. Following an initial meeting with Scott, Brownlie and Knickerbocker began to collaborate on several of Rich’s ideas.
We have continued to develop products together since those initial concepts 15 years ago. We participate in the full range of product development activities:
- Ergonomic Studies
- Concept Brainstorming
- Product Line Extension Discussions
- Appearance Design
- Structural Testing
- Cost Analysis and Cost Improvement Activities
- Production Liaising
- Prototype and Sample Construction
As the relationship grew, we began to design marketing and branding materials, trade show displays, showroom layouts and point-of-purchase displays.
We are proud to say that this collaboration has assisted Knickerbocker to be positioned as THE innovator in the industry because they can take customer needs and translate them into competitive products in a timely manner. They have changed the paradigm from being a metal bedframe supplier to be a bed support system supplier and “owns” the space under the bed.
For Brownlie Design….it’s all about relationships!
Check out Knickerbocker’s products at www.knickerbockerbedframe.com