COVID-19 Readiness

March 25, 2020 (UPDATE)

Dear clients and partners,

Recently we’ve seen several states take varying levels of executive action in order to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. In just the last few days Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan have all issued their own versions of executive orders mandating that residents “shelter-in-place” for the next few weeks to help protect the population from the effects of this virus. As a result, however, businesses within those states, as well as across the country, are being impacted significantly and are working as hard as they can to function within the parameters of these new executive orders, trying to service their customers to the fullest extent possible.

Unfortunately, Steelcase is also being impacted significantly by these recent mandates. On Sunday, Steelcase received notification from the state of Michigan stating it would enact a “shelter-in-place” mandate as of 12:01 a.m. on March 24th. As with other similar mandates around the country, all “non-essential” businesses have been ordered to close, except for the manufacturing of orders for clients that are deemed “essential”. This new mandate affects all Michigan operations, however, plants outside of Michigan are still operational at this time.

Given these new conditions, Steelcase has implemented a hold on all orders that are scheduled to be produced in the next 30 days. Any new orders placed as of Tuesday, March 24th will be registered and placed on hold so that they will remain in the production queue to ensure they can be started as soon as possible once production resumes.

Forward Space will continue to take orders, working with our clients and Steelcase to identify businesses classified as “essential”, according to regulations. If identified as “essential”, we will work together to move those orders into production and confirm when they’ll be scheduled. Any existing orders placed on hold as a result of the recent mandates will be released if and when the business can provide documentation indicating that it meets the criteria for an “essential” business. Please continue to work with your salesperson to provide any necessary information/conditions and appropriate documentation to ensure “essential” orders will be processed in a timely fashion.

While this level of operational disruption is unprecedented for Steelcase, they are working 24/7 to honor as many client commitments as possible. The COVID-19 situation is rapidly changing, but we will continue to communicate updates as they happen.

In addition to what Steelcase is doing, many of our other vendors are dealing with different operating constraints, depending on their geographic location. We will be monitoring your orders closely and notify you of any issues communicated to us pertaining to new vendor or governmental requirements/restrictions. If you have any questions regarding recent or upcoming orders, please do not hesitate to reach out to us to discuss them.

We stand with you during this tragic human health crisis and we’ll do everything we can to continue to move your projects forward, when possible.

Sincerely,

Jenny Niemann
President and CEO

March 24, 2020 (UPDATE 2)

With the recent executive orders put forth by the states of Illinois and Wisconsin, until further notice, we will be closing our warehouses in Illinois and Wisconsin for all operations restricted under those orders. We understand compliance with these new mandates is critical to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As always the health of our customers, partners and employees is important to us and we will do whatever we can to keep them safe during this time, but please keep in mind that our teams are still working remotely and would be happy to assist you in any way that we can in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations.

Status by Location

The Mart, Chicago, IL – showroom (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)
Oakbrook, IL – showroom (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)
Lake Forest, IL – warehouse (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)
Milwaukee, WI – warehouse (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)
Milwaukee, WI – showroom (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)

We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate new developments as they happen. Please continue to check this page frequently for the most up-to-date information.

March 24, 2020 (UPDATE 1)

While the current health crisis continues to grip the nation, even its largest manufacturers are being impacted in unprecedented ways. Unfortunately, Steelcase is no exception. Yesterday Steelcase received notification from the state of Michigan that, in following the recent trend around the country, Michigan has announced a “shelter in place” mandate as of 12:01 a.m. on March 24th. As with other mandates around the country, all “non-essential” businesses have been ordered to close except for the manufacture of orders for clients that are deemed “essential”. This new mandate effects all Michigan operations, however plants outside of Michigan are still operational at this time.

Given these conditions, Steelcase has implemented a hold on all orders that are scheduled to be produced in the next 30 days. Any new orders placed as of Tuesday, March 24th will be registered and placed on hold so that they will remain in the production queue to ensure they can be started as soon as possible once production resumes.

Forward Space will continue to take new orders and will work with Steelcase to identify businesses classified as “essential”, meaning they provide healthcare, other life-sustaining services, or are critical to resolving the COVID-19 pandemic, so that together we can move those orders into manufacturing, as regulations allow. Please work with your salesperson to provide any necessary documentation or other information/conditions to ensure essential orders will progress in a timely fashion.

While this level of operational disruption Steelcase is currently facing is unprecedented, they are working 24/7 to honor as many client commitments as possible. The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly, but we will continue to communicate updates as they happen. If you have any questions regarding recent or upcoming orders, please do not hesitate to reach out to us to discuss them.

We stand with you during this tragic human health crisis and we’ll do everything we can to continue to move your projects forward, when possible.

March 23, 2020 (UPDATE)

With the actions taken by the Illinois government this past weekend, resulting in a statewide “shelter in place” order, we have temporarily halted delivery/installation to all businesses not deemed “Essential” in accordance with Executive Order 2020-10. For any businesses considered to be “Essential” and exempt from the aforementioned order, we ask that you provide documentation indicating your exemption in order for us to continue to service your projects while this order is in place.

While this new directive from the state does impact our delivery and installation abilities (unless your business is classified as “Essential” by the state), we want you to know that our teams are still working and ready to assist you. Our sales and design teams are still available to discuss and plan upcoming projects, and our order management teams are here to help you place orders and manage projects. Additionally, our customer service and accounting teams are ready to answer questions and assist with billing issues so please don’t hesitate to contact us for anything you need help with.

As always we are constantly monitoring sources at the federal, state and local levels to understand any new governmental directives so we can react accordingly. We will keep you informed as this situation evolves so please continue to check this page for updates.

March 19, 2020 (UPDATE)

As the current health crisis across the country continues to escalate, we want to be sure we’re doing everything possible to protect your health and that of our employees. While we have already taken several actions in support of that goal, we all need to do our part by promoting social distancing to help contain the spread of this virus. For that reason, we’ve made the decision to temporarily close our offices and showrooms in Wisconsin and Illinois after 5 p.m. today. They will remain closed until further notice, however, our warehouses will continue to operate at this time. It is our goal to resume showroom operations in those locations by March 30th, but we will be monitoring the situation closely and will revise plans as necessary.

Status by Location

The Mart, Chicago, IL – showroom (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)
Oakbrook, IL – showroom (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)
Lake Forest, IL – warehouse (OPEN)
Milwaukee, WI – warehouse (OPEN)
Milwaukee, WI – showroom (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)

We’ve been monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely for the past few weeks and have developed a detailed business continuation plan to prepare for this possibility. Rest assured, regardless of where our team is working, we are fully committed to serving you. Our employees have the full capability to work remotely while still maintaining access to all project information and files. They will continue to leverage the many technology tools we have put in place to collaborate and communicate with you, our clients, partners, vendors and the rest of the Forward Space team.

As we move FORWARD during this unprecedented time, we understand communication is vital. We will continue to communicate any updated plans with you as soon as possible. We also request that you share any changes on your end that could result in delays to schedules or operations, allowing us to work with you and plan accordingly. While we continue to do everything we can to see this crisis come to an end as quickly and as safely as possible for everyone, please know that our commitment to you and our partnership has not wavered. We remain here for you, ready to assist you and your teams as needed.

Thank you for placing your trust in Forward Space.

Jenny Niemann
President and CEO

March 18, 2020

With the coronavirus (COVID-19) being a dominant topic in the news and in the workplace, we want you to know that Forward Space is closely monitoring the situation and taking the necessary steps to maintain the health and safety of our clients, partners and employees. We are working closely with our vendors, partners, and internal staff to monitor new developments, mitigate health risks, and provide the highest level of service possible.

Related to keeping your pending projects moving forward, we are currently:

  • Leveraging various technology solutions to maintain communication and access to project files and information
  • Extending our work-at-home policy to all office employees to help keep your project on track
  • Maintaining our ability to host small groups for showroom visits (by appointment)
  • Able to provide virtual tours or product/application overviews electronically, if preferred

In regard to currently scheduled or upcoming installations, we are committed to:

  • Working closely with all of our clients/building management to ensure the safest environment for all parties and inquiring about any unique protocols that need to be followed on site
  • Staying in close contact with our installation partners to understand any additional protocols they are implementing
  • Maintaining our current schedule, unless otherwise noted (Should any changes be necessary, we will communicate them as soon as possible)
  • Supporting your needs should you experience closures or need to change delivery/installation dates (Please inform us as soon as possible)

Additionally our management and leadership teams are meeting daily to ensure that our policies and procedures are up-to-date, taking into account federal, state, and local government recommendations. We will adjust things as needed, but, as of now, to maintain health and safety for everyone, we are taking the following actions:

  • Based on the recommendations of health officials we are actively communicating and encouraging behaviors to help prevent the spread of the disease (increased cleaning, social distancing, staying home if ill, etc.)
  • We are prepared to respond quickly to any new developments made available by the CDC as they impact our business
  • We are closely monitoring the ongoing public response to take into account how our employees, clients, and partners may be affected

As a large dealer, our size, financial strength, geographic diversity, and comprehensive technology infrastructure allows us to respond quickly to changing conditions in support of your needs.

Next to the health and safety of our clients and employees, delivering successful projects is our top priority. Whether working from home or from our offices, our team will partner with you in a variety of ways (through video conferences, phone calls, screen sharing, virtual product demos, various design tools, etc.) to ensure your projects continue to move FORWARD.

You are very important to us and we want you to know, that during this time, Forward Space remains ready to assist you with the same efficiency and commitment to service you have come to expect from us.

Sincerely,

Jenny Niemann
President and CEO