When national and international retailers purchase products for their companys’ stores, they should take comfort in knowing that they can count on their strategic partners to provide high-quality furnishing, fixture and lighting products without hassle or concern. Jess Masonheimer has been a player in the American retail industry for years, and he’s responsible for finding, vetting and procuring quality fixtures and lighting products for his company. We interviewed Jess to share how he works with vendors like Ideoli to help his company craft the perfect shopping experience for its customers. Check out the video on our Vimeo channel! Jess works with hundreds of vendors to help bring his retail design team’s vision to fruition, and he does this through a detailed approach. He is responsible for finding the highest-quality products needed to keep his company’s stores operating—from the floor, to the ceiling, and everything in between. His expertise has helped his company expand and enter new markets that service millions of consumers. Jess travels to his vendors’ factories to oversee the production. His hands-on approach helps guarantee that the products used to furnish his stores are of the highest quality. Given his experience, Jess has worked with many different domestic and foreign companies and has seen a wide range of product qualities, from very low to very high. Ideoli works hard to support Jess and his entire team to provide them with high-quality furniture, fixtures and lighting products. We help them through the customization of products, delivering prototypes for review, and rolling into full production to support their hundreds of locations. Ideoli is there to support our retail industry partners with high-quality products that help them reach their ultimate design goals.
Ideoli not only designs and manufactures world-class custom furniture and fixtures, but we literally go the extra mile by going on site to oversee complex product installations, especially when it’s the first installation for one of our clients. One of our most original, complex and rewarding projects involved conceptualizing, designing and fabricating a unique decorative light fixture for a nationally-recognized retailer. The fixture closely resembles a real diamond and serves as a showcase fixture for our client. The client envisioned something on a piece of paper and left the rest to us. After months of renderings, prototypes and adjustments, the team agreed on the final design and we rolled into the production process. From there, ideoli founders George Stroumboulis and Chris Hartswick went on site to our client’s store in Orlando, Florida, to oversee the installation of this original fixture. This dedication to making sure the client’s vision is realized is the top priority for ideoli and is the foundation of our business.For this installation, having our fixture be the focal point of an 8,000 square foot retail space and seeing it come to life is truly exciting and humbling. With a custom design, imported quality materials and an advanced LED color-changing system, this diamond will help drive more attention to the store, generate interest from potential customers and help increase overall store revenue. Ideoli is committed to helping clients realize their vision from concept to installation, and we’re proud to have been a part of this unique project in Orlando.
So many people are passionate about sports, but not just because they are fun to play and watch. From providing a healthy emotional outlet to bringing communities together, sports have many positive effects beyond what happens in the game. In particular, we think youth sports are important because they can help kids learn important qualities like teamwork, leadership and responsibility. Our Co-Founder and CEO, George Stroumboulis, has a nephew that plays youth hockey in Ontario, Canada. The team needed sponsorship for new jerseys, so Ideoli stepped up to sponsor their jerseys for all of their tournaments across Canada. Ideoli has had the good fortune to work with amazing clients and find success, and we think it’s important to give back to the communities. Our team shows its support for others in a variety of ways, and here we decided to literally show it for another team. We’re honored to be able to sponsor jerseys for this youth hockey team, not only because the jerseys look great, but because hockey supports kids’ development and helps build their character. Reaching our goals allows us to support theirs, and we look forward to continue giving back in ways such as this. Ideoli takes pride in invigorating youth hockey and local communities.
A day on the golf course is nice, but it’s even better when teeing off for a good cause. That’s why we’re so thrilled to have been a sponsor at Tillydega Nights, a golf tournament raising money for an amazing youth-focused cause, Tilly’s Life Center. We teamed up with our client Tilly’s to sponsor their ninth annual charity golf tournament, which took place on May 2, 2016, at Dove Canyon Golf Club in Orange County, California. Check out their website to learn more about Tilly’s Life Center! Not only do we do all we can to make our clients’ business goals a reality, but we also love to show our support outside of our direct work-related relationships. Recently, our client Tilly’s hosted a charity golf tournament, auction and party, and we jumped at the chance to be a sponsor. It didn’t hurt that we had a ton of fun hitting the links with our friends, but most importantly, we pitched (or putted) in for a great cause. All proceeds went directly to Tilly’s Life Center, which is a non-profit empowering teens to gain a more positive mindset and helping them get a better handle when facing crisis, adversity and tough decisions. Their mission is “to inspire today’s youth to reach their full potential as productive, kind, happy, and responsible individuals.” We love working with our clients, and it’s truly special when we can extend that relationship to give back to others
Professional videos may look smooth, but behind the scenes it can get a little messy. Whether it’s forgetting a line, a siren in the background or anything else that ruins the scene, there were plenty of times when we needed to reshoot our scenes. Aside from our polished videos on our Vimeo channel, we wanted to share some of the outtakes from 2016 in a short two-part series called: WE’RE NOT PERFECT! Check out Part One and Part Two on our Vimeo channel! We were on the road a lot this year…we mean, a lot. While traveling, we like to capture our travels, experiences and interactions along the way, wherever the road (and plane) may take us. Along the way, we have screwed up in trying to capture these moments. We’re not perfect, and that’s ok. To justify this, we tell ourselves it’s better to mess up a video than a client’s order. So have some fun at our expense checking out our outtakes videos. Ideoli is not perfect, but that doesn’t stop us from reaching for the highest quality!
Many people like to take time off from work to travel internationally, but some jobs actually involve business trips to far-flung destinations. Our founders, George Stroumboulis and Chris Hartswick, like to take advantage of these trips and have a little fun along the way, so we set out to capture their global adventures. It’s a great feeling to be passionate about what you do, and to do it while traveling the world. We are a global company with no borders. We like to capture our experiences using a GoPro to capture our founder’s, George Stroumboulis and Chris Hartswick, travels as we visit international destinations including: Sweden, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia… and several in between-en route to developing and delivering the best experiences and products for our clients and their spaces. Wherever we go, we film along the way so that our clients, partners and social media followers can come along for the ride. We want everyone to be a part of what we see and experience, so using a GoPro (and really awesome editors) is the perfect tool to provide our perspective. We also interview our international clients and partners to share their views on the industry, their experiences and their opinions on Ideoli. So check out the trips we’ve taken and stay tuned to our Vimeo channel for more updates on our international expeditions. Come along for the ride as Ideoli makes its mark around the world. Ideoli created several videos using a GoPro, some accessories and a willingness to document our founders’ trips across the globe to visit clients, partners and our international offices. Check them out on our Vimeo channel!
Sometimes the office just doesn’t cut it when you’re trying to get to know clients better or participate in team-building exercises. By trying something a little unorthodox and adventurous outside the four walls of an office, you can build bonds while having fun. We took our clients out to the Mojave Desert around Las Vegas to ride some ATVs and do some team building. Starting off the new year in January, our Co-Founders, George Stroumboulis and Chris Hartswick, wanted to try something a little different to bond with our clients and strengthen our team. Even though Ideoli takes its relationships with clients very seriously in terms of designing and manufacturing quality fixtures, furnishings and lighting products, we also think it’s important to have fun. So after a night of enjoying drinks in Las Vegas, about a dozen of us headed into the Mojave Desert the next day to ride ATVs. Amid amazing scenery, we let it all out and had a blast. We’re passionate about everything we do with clients– including having fun with them!
Connectivity has made the world a smaller place— as you can now do once unimaginable things such as ordering products from the other side of the world with the click of a button. Yet, for this to work, there must be reliability on the other side of that transaction. Even though it is easier and quicker than ever to interact with potential suppliers in international markets, there are some risks that should not be overlooked. Some companies think they can get by when they find cheap suppliers online that will sell directly to them, but too often this leads to getting burned on quality, lead times and warranties. “In reality, you need the right partner, using the right people, doing the right engineering, the right processing, using the right material to make the right product,” says Mark, who works in Ideoli’s Asia office. Because Ideoli has on-the-ground operations and partners in China, we can confidently deliver what our clients are looking for, without worrying about the unknowns that come with trying to conduct business purely online. “The diverse portfolio of resources we have access to in China allows us to better serve our client’s furnishing and decorative lighting fixture demands, quickly and on time,” adds George Stroumboulis, CEO and Co-Founder. Ideoli’s complete control over the international manufacturing process allows for complete product perfection.
The internet is often the best place to start your search when it comes to finding and procuring new interiors for your commercial spaces, as it helps give you design inspiration, conduct price checking and become more knowledgeable on product specifics to help narrow down your options. But when you need to buy large quantities of fixtures, furniture and lighting products from international sources, you need a partner that can help you navigate this tricky process. When a reputable manufacturer presents their products and technology, procurement professionals often say they can buy the same things cheaper online, or that they already have a direct email relationship with a foreign manufacturer, or they even claim the manufacturer is simply buying from the same supplier and adding a markup. At Ideoli, when we are confronted with these comments, we always advise them to proceed with caution and wish them the best of luck. While these procurement professionals may think they’re avoiding excess costs, in reality they could wind up stuck in very expensive situations down the road, due to the following unknowns: 1) Quality Concerns: Is the product made with the safest and best materials possible? 2) Sight Unseen: Are you really getting the exact products you think you found online? 3) Shipping Unknowns: Will they ship with a major, reputable carrier or a freight forwarder that may damage your goods and have no liability? 4) Source Confusion: Is the company you are speaking with the actual manufacturer or simply a disguised reseller? 5) Warranty Challenges: Will product failures be covered by the manufacturer, and will they cover all shipping expenses to replace defective products? 6) Factory Review: Is the factory violating any international labor and pollution laws? 7) False Certifications: Is the product certified with a fake product’s number from another supplier? 8) Product Review Before Shipping: Who is looking into your products for quality assurance and accuracy before sending them? Our clients understand the risks involved with international procurement of fixtures, furniture and lighting, and they entrust us to do what we do best— design and produce high quality products for their vibrant environments. At Ideoli, we own the entire process from design to packaging, which minimizes risk and results in client reaching their desired outcomes within their budgets.
As our company grows, we need to find more partners across the globe that can helps us bring our clients’ visions to life. So we recently took a trip to Mexico to work on that goal. With its close proximity to the United States, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and a design flair second to none, Mexico is the epitome of a strategic location for ideoli’s business. We only work with best-in-class partners and have a powerful network of subcontractors in Mexico. Based in Guadalajara, Mexico, Alvaro is a specialist in manufacturing components for ideoli’s quality products. “Mexico is a country that can compete worldwide. Our quality is excellent,” says Alvaro. “Ideoli is a competitive company, a visionary company. They have the capabilities to achieve any contract.” Ideoli manufactures everything from furniture for large restaurant chains to fixtures for hotels to decorative lighting for large international retail brands. As our clients continue to grow in North and South America, we have found Mexico to be invaluable in supporting their expansion goals. Ideoli has helped make the world a smaller place for its clients by understanding key international markets and establishing a business presence that matters, such as in Mexico.
In order to efficiently create world-class custom products for clients, ideoli has established a strong, strategic manufacturing footprint in key markets around the globe, including China. Ideoli has offices and an assembly factory in Shanghai with a strong network of local subcontractors, and our co-founders are closely involved with ideoli’s activities in China. “China is strategic to Ideoli’s business model because China is the manufacturing center to the world,” says George Stroumboulis, Ideoli’s CEO and Co-Founder. “China’s manufacturing prowess helps ensure Ideoli can move from product concept to product samples to full production in a matter of weeks, all while maintaining a high level of quality.“ “Ideoli has an experienced team here in Shanghai. This allows us full control over everything from incoming component inspection to final quality control,” says Chris Hartswick, Ideoli’s Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder. Chris has been embedded in Asian manufacturing for nearly a decade, establishing strong relationships with key people, setting up dozens of factories and overseeing the efficient production for hundreds of thousands of products. Ideoli’s key relationships and footprint in China facilitate our revolutionary approach to custom manufacturing, where we’ve decreased the overall production turnaround time from start to finish. We look forward to producing more world-class products with our partners in China.
We don’t just make amazingly creative products for retail, restaurant and hospitality environments. We are also marketing mavens who are extremely passionate about our company, our services and our clients. To reflect this passion, we needed the right company name to embody the mission, culture and invigorating spirit of our business. We knew we wanted a simple and clear name, but we also needed it to represent us as people, as a company and what we do for our clients. On top of that, we needed our logo to be truly unique and vibrant. After months of brainstorming over many coffees and beers in New York City, we came up with the name Ideoli. We instantly became passionate about this new name, in part because it is derived from the root of the Greek word for obsession; so this new name represents our obsession for what we do. We also fell in love with the name because it achieved our original goals of clarity and simplicity. Not only does our name have significant meaning in terms of a word, it also includes deep symbolism, as we integrated Ideoli’s logo into the text. By merging the “e” and the “o” within the text, we formed the powerful infinity icon, which reflects what we offer as a company to our clients: infinite possibilities and product offerings to bring their spaces to life. With our name and logo in place, Ideoli is quickly becoming a recognized brand internationally, and we thank our colleagues, partners and clients for making this possible. We created an animated video that delves into the root of the word Ideoli and the significant meaning of our company name.