by Rebecca J. Simmons
Photos courtesy EthoSource
– taken by Mattlin Photographics & Furniture Soup
If you desire more attractive and efficient office space,there are solutions right here in Berks County. Inaddition to improving your company’s image andeffectiveness, you can also help the environment nowand in the future.
In 2001, John Gallen founded EthoSource with a laptop and an idea, working from his home office in Sinking Spring. Today, EthoSource makes its home in Morgantown with 35 employees and a warehouse that measures more than 100,000 square feet.EthoSource offers eco-friendly office furniture within a budget. This business has helped to redefine expectations about pre-owned office furniture. The result is high-quality office furniture that combines sustainability, affodability, style and efficiency.
The company specializes in recycling Herman Miller Ethospace, a high-end office furniture that is a known leader in the industry. The furniture system provies a functional yet aesthetically pleasing office environment. It’s known for its innovative desing as well as for flexibility and structural integrity, as it can be installed, broken down and installed again.
The customization of Ethospace furniture can also be “green,” as the clients can switch out fabrics or alter the look of their furniture by selecting recycled options to replace the original look.”Usually going green is more expensive,” says Gallen. “But with our eco-friendly office furniture, you can save money and be green.” To further promote the environmentally-friendly ideals of the company, EthoSource has aligned with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The U.S. Green Buidling Council administers the LEED program. The Council rates new buildings based on criteria including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. EthoSource works directly with clients to help them earn points toward LEED certification.
“Recycled furniture contributes to LEED points,” Gallen explains. EthoSource also offers turnkey services including professional design and space planning, customization and project management, and liquidation services for businesses that are relocating or closing. “We bring in product from all over the country,” says Gallen. “I had nine tractor trailers full of furniture this week. That’s 300 to 400 tons of material that would have gone to a landfill. We strip it down, take everything apart, organize it, inventory it by parts and pieces, then we have it in a computerized inventory database. When a customer calls looking for furniture, we can customize and build it for them.”
EthoSource has enjoyed tremendous growth and success in the industry since it opened seven years ago. “What we’ve created is a national name for our company, because people know to look to us for Ethospace furniture,” says Gallen. “We customize what they are looking for, and they can be good to the environment and recycle office furniture.”
Gallen chose to keep his national business in Berks. “We are a local company, with local employees,” he says. “We like being in Reading. We are two hours to New York, Baltimore, close to Boston and Charlotte. I was born and raised here, and I’ve been around the world. I’m blooming where I was planted. Staying close to home is ideal because this location has great access to the mid-Atlantic market.” EthoSource has helped create stylish and efficient business space for many local companies, including Bill’s Khakis, Emotion Kayaks, Stratix Systems, Herbein & Co., Kozloff Stoudt and the Caron Foundation.