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Industry Unifies to Raise Money for Design Students
"They cheered!" exclaimed Suzanne Swift, President of Info Edge, Inc. and SpecSimple.com, clearly elated with student response at the Sample and Literature Drive Awards Dinner sponsored by her company. Swift was handing out checks to FIT, NY Institute of Technology, Parsons, Pratt Institute and the School of Visual Arts. A week earlier her companies had overseen the transfer of over two tons of finish samples and literature donated by local architects and designers and delivered to each school's design library.
"Last year's Drive was a win-win-win situation," says Swift. "Architects and designers donated materials, which were picked up by Arenson Office Furnishings, Dancker, Sellew & Douglas, FCI and WB Wood Integrated Interiors, local furniture dealerships, and delivered to design schools. This year, we added a fourth "win": we gave manufacturers a chance to participate by contributing money for every box of materials collected. Bernhardt, Bill Gross and Associates, Haworth, Herman Miller, OR Associates, and R. M. Weiland all donated money. The funds collected are earmarked to hire design students to maintain their school's library.
"Today's design students are better prepared to be tomorrow's business leaders because of the support of InfoEdge, Inc. and SpecSimple.com," says Lovejoy Duryea, Chairman of the Interior Design Department at the School of Visual Arts. Ms. Duryea went on to praise the firms' pioneering efforts, whose "scholarship sets a trend and raises the bar for the industry."
"We're looking forward to next year," said Basima Rum of Kliment and Halsband Architects. "We were thrilled to participate! The benefits to the students in NYC design schools as well as to our "green initiative" here in the office make it really worthwhile."
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