The Trend Report - Insights on Office Furniture, Contract Interiors & Workplace Design

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Jon Strassner about why sustainability in contract interiors is misunderstood, and why “planet health” is a clearer target than chasing labels. We unpack what certifications can and cannot prove, then land on simple questions leaders and everyday listeners can use to do better without waiting to be perfect. The Trend Report is your inside look at the people, products...

Send us Fan Mail Susan Pilato and Michelle Warren join Sid to challenge the idea that more activity automatically creates growth, and they lay out what a true strategic plan looks like for small businesses in the contract interiors world. They share how outside perspective, team alignment, and deliberate hiring decisions turn a wish list into a foundation you can actually build on.  The Trend Repo...

Send us Fan Mail Sid looks past the celebrity and fame and identifies practical business lessons from Taylor Swift’s strategic playbook: turn adversity into fuel, build customer loyalty that beats price, and grow with a team that elevates the work. Let's challenge ourselves to stop reacting, start learning faster, and create relationships that compound over time. The Trend Report is your insi...

Send us Fan Mail Simona Constantini of Volt Productions joins Sid to talk about why business owners need to stop treating podcasting like a marketing extra and explain how it becomes a real business asset for trust, visibility, and long-term growth in contract interiors. They share how storytelling, SEO, and evergreen audio can open warmer sales conversations and help your brand show up where buye...

Send us Fan Mail We're back with another Hot Takes episode. Sid spins the wheel with Rob Kirkbride from officeinsight, discussing topics on selling, marketing, and trust in the contract interiors world. They challenge each other on vertical specialization, call out social media noise, and lay out what real partnership should look like between manufacturers, dealers, and the A&D community....

Send us Fan Mail Join Sid as he chats with Anika Jackson about using Delphi to clone her voice and expertise so people can get real answers 24/7 without demanding more hours from her calendar. They break down what to upload, how to set guardrails, and how brands can turn an AI knowledge base into better customer experience and smarter lead capture.  References: Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great L...

Send us Fan Mail This week, challenge yourself with one sharp question: if your content disappeared, would your customers even notice?  Sid is breaking down what “adding value” really means in a noisy, AI-fueled content world and sharing simple ways to build trust through clearer, more human content. He's also sharing quick daily habits you can incorporate to make the content creation process...

Send us Fan Mail Sid is digging into why the future of learning deserves as much attention as the future of work with Dr. Lennie Scott-Webber and Libby Ferin of Marco. They discuss how classrooms quietly shape behavior, connection, and performance for years to come. Along the way, they challenge the “butts in seats” mindset and show how research-backed design moves can make learning spaces more fl...

Send us Fan Mail The Hot Takes Wheel is spinning again! This time Kay Sargent from HOK joins Sid to discuss what is breaking, what is evolving, and what needs to get simpler in the contract interiors world. They dig into dealers, talent, consolidation, and AI, then discuss their favorite questions to ask clients. References: Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing Sensory Processing and Cog...

Send us Fan Mail Sid talks with Officeworks CEO Chris Hanes about leading through consolidation while stepping into a bigger role and keeping the dealer business grounded in trust, process, and people. They dig into coaching, talent development across generations, AI readiness, and what the modern office furniture dealer really delivers for clients.  Connect with Chris: Officeworks - https://www.o...

Send us Fan Mail Sid spins the Hot Takes Wheel with Michelle Warren of The Collaborative Network and Catalyst Consulting. They unpack the questions that keep the contract furniture world debating what works. Michelle and Sid get specific about direct sales, hybrid office design, dealer value, and how to make trade shows pay off.  Learn their thoughts on: • when manufacturers should sell direct ver...

Send us Fan Mail Sid is digging into what it looks like when AI moves from headlines to real workflow inside a contract interiors manufacturer. Karli Slocum and Cosmo Kramer break down how 3form uses digital visualization and an AI knowledge agent to speed up answers, reduce errors, and capture tribal knowledge without sacrificing accuracy.  Connect with Karli: 3Form - https://3-form.com/ LinkedIn...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to another Hot Takes episode, this time with Larry Lee of KISP. Sid and Larry trade honest exchanges on what moves the contract furniture industry forward. They dig into why distribution and discoverability can beat “new product” hype, and why real digital strategy means human stories, not endless product posts. Go out there and make today great, and we will see you i...

Send us Fan Mail Ed Eisaman joins Sid to talk about how the independent rep model is evolving into a capital-intensive, service-heavy business that still runs on a backbone of relationships. We get specific about what’s working right now, what’s breaking under margin pressure, and the things rep firms and manufacturers can do to keep the channel strong for the next generation. Listen to learn abou...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Avanto leaders Matt Danyliw and Leonardo Vargas about what “operationalised innovation” looks like when AI moves from talk to execution across the contract interiors ecosystem. We break down the shift from AI tools that only automate alerts to AI agents that take real action with humans reviewing results. Listen to learn: • What Avanto does and why the intersection of...

Send us Fan Mail What would change in your business if you truly put your customers first? Sid explores how the Savannah Bananas used courage and a fans-first mindset to turn a failing team into a phenomenon, then map those lessons to customer experience in contract interiors. He shares ten focused takeaways that help you shift from tradition to memorable value. • sponsors who streamline operation...

Send us Fan Mail Sid connects sustainability, design, and the future of work with Todd Bracher of Humanscale, tracing his craft-first roots in Europe to a clear framework: form follows function, and function follows context. They unpack the Path Chair’s net positive story, fast assembly, flat-pack efficiency, and what it means for the industry in the next decade. • how European craft cultures shap...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the new Trend Report segment called Hot Takes. Join Sid along with Amanda Schneider as they challenge the idea that our industry sells products and argue for outcomes, ease, and risk reduction as the real value. Along the way they share leadership advice, unlearning in the age of AI, a dress code debate, and the books shaping our thinking. • process innovation over...

Send us Fan Mail Senior Interior Designer, Krystal Lucero, and Sid explore how to earn trust and build durable relationships between product sellers and the design community. From fast, accurate support to visible thought leadership and inclusive mentorship, the conversation maps a clear path to relevance for sellers and designers. • integrating work and life for sustainable energy • coaching less...

Send us Fan Mail Sid explores why gratitude is a performance multiplier and how simple daily habits can raise trust, engagement, and results without adding more work. Learn four practical practices to balance high standards with real humanity and change how teams show up. He shares: • the research-backed link between gratitude, engagement, and burnout • why gratitude as a driver of psychological s...

Send us Fan Mail Hunter Jensen of Barefoot Solutions, and Sid unpack why AI is moving so fast and the important basics leaders skip during implementation and use: data quality, governance, and a focused strategy that targets real ROI.  Hunter shares practical use cases across support, HR, and sales, plus how to deploy secure, private LLMs with RAG for reliable answers from your own data. • Three C...

Send us Fan Mail Join Doug Shapiro and Sid as they tackle the biggest sales and showroom challenges in the contract interiors industry — from outdated cold calling and bid-driven selling to training that fails to stick. Learn how leading teams are shifting to targeted outreach, story-led sales training, and micro-learning tools that support today’s mobile, fast-moving workforce. They explore appli...

Send us Fan Mail We kick off season seven with Bryce Stuckenschneider, CEO of Loftwall, to explore how privacy-first design, flexible architecture, and AI-forward practices can reshape the workplace while keeping people at the center.  We also unveil DesignStage, a new on-demand CEU platform built to fix the  broken continuing education system. • doubling down on privacy as a product, not just par...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season 7 of The Trend Report. This opens with a clear plan and a sharper purpose: weekly episodes that blend deep interviews, fast Hot Takes, and 10‑minute professional wins. We invite listeners to help shape topics, join a new Insider Community, and lean into candid conversations that move workplace design forward. Head over to sidmeadows.com/podcast to learn more abou...

Send us Fan Mail We're doing things a bit differently today. In an effort to show you practical uses for AI, I've put all of the transcripts from Season 6 in and AI platform called Notebook LM. It then created what it calls "The Deep Dive", a podcast episode with AI voice actors who have a conversation wrapping up this season. I'm interested to know what you thought about...