Herman Miller blog: Discover » Holland Michigan

Holland to Google: “We Need Speed”

Randall Braaksma — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:36 +0000

The faster the network connections, the better people can work at home and on the move. Google thinks more speed for more people is the answer. It’s planning to test a network that will deliver the Internet over 1 gigabit per second fiber connections “in one or more trial locations across the country.”

Holland, Michigan, where our Design Yard facility is located, is one of the communities vying to be chosen. From now until March 26, residents can nominate the city and make the case for why it should be chosen. All you need is a Gmail account. Here’s hoping that Holland will be chosen (and that you’ll help by nominating the city).

It’s Summertime and the Biking is Easy

Marcia Davis — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00:17 +0000

One of the reasons I like living in Holland, Michigan, is that it’s a balanced mix of city, country, and beach resort. Complemented by the beauty of four seasons, we have a lot of variety all year ‘round. In the summertime, there’s nothing like a commute to work by bicycle, especially with a network of bike paths to keep you safe and free to enjoy the ride.

Living only four miles from the office makes for a short commute, but the bike paths are the true motivator. Or maybe it’s the scenic horse farms. Or the smell of hayfields and meadows. I suppose my endorphins don’t mind either.

For some of my coworkers, it could be the rebate carrot dangling in front of them. Because Herman Miller believes in conserving the world’s gas and burning employees’ calories, the company offers us a one-time $100 rebate toward a new bike. Already this year, 344 employees have purchased bikes. What a great incentive to ride—whether it’s commuting to work or a leisurely ride on the miles of paths available in our community.

By Marcia Davis

How Gardens Are Like Healthy Companies

Marcia Davis — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:03:12 +0000

Not everyone gets to step out from their workplace and pinch off some fresh dill to top their leftover salmon at lunchtime. Or bring tomatoes home from work for dinner. Unless you work at our Design Yard facility in Holland, Michigan, where a group of employees have nurtured a garden full of veggies, herbs, and perennials for all employees to enjoy.

Shasta daisies, yarrow, lavender, salvia, rudbeckia, and butterfly bush bring in the bees. Once lured, they pollinate the heirloom tomatoes, beans, zucchini, and fruit tree blossoms. As you walk around these vegetables, your ankles are tickled by catmint, tarragon, sage, dill, and cilantro. The garden also has beets, radishes, and kohlrabi.

Herman Miller provided an initial financial contribution for this experiment in permaculture, which was the vision of a small team of employees: Willie Beattie, Bob Beck, Carolyn Maalouf, and Thaddeus Owen. They were intrigued with the principles of permaculture and how they closely parallel principles that guide healthy organizations. They recruited volunteers from the Design Yard, turning grass into a cardboard-compost-woodchip-layered source of nutrients for plants.

The team thought the garden could provide other benefits, too, such as encouraging self-sufficiency, reinforcing what it means to be a corporate citizen, engaging employees in new ways of planting, and learning more about our relationship with the planet. Plus, a community garden is consistent with Herman Miller’s corporate values and the philosophy of nurturing and growing inherently expressed by the Design Yard facility.

Many employees have been able to take home the harvest. When the yield is high, vegetables are set out in baskets for people to take home for free, which also encourages people to eat local and organic fare. Herman Miller’s customers benefit, too, since our corporate catering service often picks fresh flowers to fill vases where we welcome guests.

By Marcia Davis