Why Does the Contract Interiors Industry Need CORE Foundations?

A personal story about mentorship, opportunity, and why I believe the future of our industry depends on developing people—not just hiring them.

One of the greatest privileges of my career has been introducing people to the contract interiors industry. Almost every time it happens, I hear the same response.

"I had no idea this industry even existed."

And honestly, I understand why.

From the outside, our industry is nearly invisible. Yet from the inside, it's one of the most creative, collaborative, and impactful industries I've ever had the privilege of being part of.

Every day, thousands of people come together to create spaces where others work, learn, heal, collaborate, and innovate. We don't just manufacture, specify, and install furniture. We help shape the environments where people spend a significant part of their lives.

It's an incredible industry. But it isn't an easy one to understand. I know that because I remember exactly what it felt like to be new.

I Didn't Speak the Language

One of my earliest memories in the office furniture industry happened shortly after I started my first job at a Haworth dealership in Birmingham, Alabama.

I remember listening to a conversation about laminate and veneer and realizing I had absolutely no idea what anyone was talking about. I didn't know laminate was a surface material. I didn't know veneer was made from real wood. I didn't understand the terminology, the products, or the ecosystem connecting everything.

Like so many people entering our industry today, I felt overwhelmed. There was no Google. No YouTube. No online training. The only way to learn was to ask questions.

Fortunately for me, I had two remarkable people who changed the trajectory of my career.

Milton Bresler, our local Haworth representative, patiently explained everything from STC and NRC ratings to panel systems and acoustics. More importantly, he made it safe to ask questions without feeling embarrassed.

Then there was Meredith Rubar, one of the top salespeople at our dealership. She invited me to shadow customer meetings, encouraged me to practice quarter-inch scale drawings at my kitchen table, and answered the endless stream of questions I left on her voicemail.

Looking back, I realize something important. Milton and Meredith didn't just teach me about furniture.

They taught me that I belonged in this industry.

That confidence changed everything.

Not Everyone Has a Milton

Years later, while helping a company onboard new employees, I saw those same expressions of uncertainty that I'd experienced decades earlier. 

Different people. Different company. The same questions. The same confusion. The same feeling of wondering, "How am I ever going to learn all of this?"

That's when something clicked.

I was fortunate. I had a Milton. I had a Meredith. Not everyone does. Not everyone has someone willing to patiently explain the difference between a manufacturer and a dealer.

Not everyone has someone who takes the time to walk through pricing, specifications, contracts, project management, or the language we use every day.

Not everyone has someone who reminds them that feeling overwhelmed isn't a sign they don't belong.

It's simply part of learning something new. And that realization has stayed with me ever since.

We Don't Have a Hiring Problem

Over the past several years, I've had hundreds of conversations with manufacturers, dealers, independent reps, recruiters, and business leaders across our industry.

One theme continues to surface. Everyone is looking for great people. Yet many organizations hesitate to hire outside the industry because onboarding takes so much time.

I understand that concern. Our industry is complex.

It's an interconnected ecosystem of manufacturers, dealers, architects, designers, independent reps, project managers, installers, end users, contracts, pricing structures, product applications, and long sales cycles.

That's a tremendous amount for anyone to learn. But I've come to believe something.

We don't have a hiring problem. We have a talent development problem.

We recruit talented people because of the experience, perspective, and skills they bring. Then we expect them to succeed in one of the most complex industries in commercial business without giving them a structured way to learn it.

That's not a people problem. It's a development opportunity.

Why I Created CORE Foundations

For years, I kept asking myself a simple question.

What if every person entering our industry had access to the kind of guidance I was fortunate enough to receive?

Not to replace company onboarding. Not to replace mentorship. Not to replace real-world experience. But to complement all three. That's why I created CORE Foundations.

CORE Foundations exists to provide new professionals with the foundational knowledge, industry context, and confidence they need to begin building a successful career in contract interiors.

Because when people understand the industry, they ask better questions. When they ask better questions, they gain confidence. When they gain confidence, they contribute more quickly. And when they contribute more quickly, they build meaningful careers that strengthen our entire industry.

An Opportunity for All of Us

I believe we're standing at an important moment in the history of contract interiors. Experienced professionals are retiring. Institutional knowledge is leaving organizations. At the same time, a new generation of professionals is looking for careers that offer purpose, growth, collaboration, and the opportunity to make a difference.

Our industry offers all of that.

But if we want talented people to discover it, and stay, we have to make the path into our industry easier to navigate. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens because leaders choose to invest in developing people.

Every Great Career Deserves a Strong Foundation

When I look back on nearly three decades in this industry, I don't first think about the projects, the products, or even the companies. I think about the people.

The people who invested in me. The people who answered my questions. The people who believed in me before I fully believed in myself. Every successful professional has a story like that.

My hope is that CORE Foundations helps create more of those stories. Because I believe every career in contract interiors deserves a strong foundation.

And I believe the future of our industry will be shaped not only by the workplaces we create, but by how well we develop the people who create them.

Welcome to CORE Foundations.