We know it can be a challenge to get your day going sometimes. We are all human and sometimes need a little motivation. In this edition of our MONDAY DANCE MOVES series, we are featuring a very famous dance move from a global hit! George (CEO & Co-Founder, Ideoli) – Chris, you ready to perform Gangnam Style by Psy? Chris (COO & Co-Founder, Ideoli) – G, you know it.Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam styleOppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam styleOppa is Gangnam styleEh – Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam styleEh – Sexy Lady oh oh oh ohNailed it, boys. Absolutely nailed it!
At Ideoli, we are passionate about the brand we are building and what it stands for. “We’re on site at the factory right now. It’s pretty remarkable what’s going on behind me,” says George Stroumboulis, Ideoli CEO and Co-Founder. The products we make can take several months from concept to market, and the packaging we place them in often takes just as long to develop. “We’re producing over 20,000 units of our new LED lighting fixture. Here’s the packaging. Absolutely top notch,” says George Stroumboulis, Ideoli CEO and Co-Founder. Marketing is not a gimmick, it’s what we use to express who we are and the products we make so well. We are extremely proud of what we are bringing to market and the packaging that will represent the product. Stay tuned for more developments.
Have you ever visited Japan? If so, then you know what the craze is with their Cherry Blossom season. If you have never been, then let us try to paint a beautiful picture for you. It’s when the entire country is littered with the most stunning trees and colors. In Japan, the appearance of cherry blossoms, known as sakura signals the beginning of spring. The arrival of these flowers is an annual event so significant, that there are forecasts pinpointing exactly when and where the flowers are expected to bloom. Ideoli experienced this firsthand and we can tell you, it is a must see.
Numbers. It’s all about the numbers. Whether we are designing, manufacturing or selling – it all comes down to the numbers. On a recent order for an international client, we had a massive production run of a custom LED light fixture that required thousands of feet of electrical cord. How much cord exactly you ask? 800,000 feet of electrical cord, to be exact. 800,000 FEET!!! Do you even realize how much cord that really is? Well, to put it in perspective… that’s roughly… enough cord to stretch from New York to Philadelphia, and back! Enough cord to wrap around a New York City bus 32,000 times. Enough cord to have 134,000 kids play a game of skipping simultaneously! Enough cord to stretch all the way to the Earth’s stratosphere and back, two times! Holy shit, that is a lot of electrical cord for just a single order, right?
Ideoli has established a strong manufacturing footprint in key markets around the world. Our typical cross-the-world trip includes overseeing 20+ production runs in just about four days. “Just got off a 14 hour flight and we are in the city of Shanghai. We have in town meetings at our office here and then with a client. Then off to our factory to oversee production that we have going on,” says George Stroumboulis, Ideoli CEO and Co-Founder. Today we are on site at our factory to give you a glimpse into our manufacturing capabilities of custom light fixtures and furniture.These custom light fixtures and furniture are for international retail, restaurant and commercial clients. “Shanghai is a second home to me and Ideoli. We do a lot of our business here and we’ve established our Asian footprint here, primarily in the Shanghai area,” says George. At Ideoli, we are involved with every step of the process. “We have full production lines going on non-stop, 6 days a week, producing several thousand units a day. So were excited with what’s going on. We have full-time coverage over here with our local team and US presence,” says George. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in a few days! At Ideoli, we strive to connect globally. We’re off to our next location!
We are such a connected company with partners located in all parts of the world. To make sure we win business and service our partners, we are on an airplane, daily… traveling to the wildest destinations possible. We thought it might be useful to share some flight advice with our community… so next time you hit the skies, use our tips! “When I go to a new market and it’s international and I’m only there for 48 hours or 36 hours and then I’m back on a plane; I stay away from coffee even though I need it. Your biological clock doesn’t know and coffee is not a good mix so I try to stay away from coffee when I’m travelling.” “Probably the biggest thing I found is make sure you bring your own food and drink on the plane. Last thing you want to be doing is, when you only got two days in Southeast Asia, you don’t want to spend that time on the toilet. Very important to bring your own food and drink.” “Do us all a favor and pack your hygiene kit in your carry on. That would mean including your toothbrush, change of underwear, change of clothing if you need it. Whatever it is that makes you feel comfortable so when you land you’re fresh.” “One of my travel tips is to avoid sitting in the middle of a plane so you don’t have to fight two guys for an armrest.” “When I travel I always try to travel light, not carry excess stuff. I always have my MP3 music with me and always have a book or something to read.” There you have it… and you’re welcome! Up up and away!
The USA is a large country, but is it large enough to visit 10 cities in just 5 days? Not at all! We trekked across this glorious country to film Ideoli’s products in action! The trip started in New York and ended in Los Angeles – with several stops along the way. Including Baltimore, Maryland, Orlando, Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia. From our LED lighting products, to our custom decorative light fixtures, to our quality furnishings, we sent our uber-talented Production Magician, Kosta, across the country with a camera and coffee in hand. Then we headed west to Denver, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Nevada to bring you a glimpse of our custom end-to-end chandelier and LED lighting fixtures. Next up, a not so sunny Los Angeles and San Diego, California featuring our round glass LED fixtures, custom furnishings and LED backlit mirrors. Then back East to Stamford, Connecticut to experience our dome-shaped lighting pendants. We are so focused on global expansion; it is great to experience what we are doing right here in our backyard. At Ideoli, we bring ideas to reality and aim to connect both on a national and global level. We traveled almost 10,000 miles in just five days! Where will we go next? Stay connected with #ideoli online at ideoli.com and on all our social media platforms.
Ideoli’s co-founders George Stroumboulis, CEO, and Chris Hartswick, CPO, have a big day. On a weekly basis, we are getting in front of new and existing clients. Some big brands… and others even bigger. Preparing for the meetings takes several weeks at a time, so it goes without saying that we are very passionate about these opportunities. We’re meeting with a client to go over several prototypes that we developed from a design standpoint to outfit their retail and office spaces. “We want to take you on this journey with our team from start to finish. Today is basically our version of the Super Bowl,” says George. For us to get in front of the client, it’s the type of day we look forward to on every scale. It’s exciting to be walking the streets of New York with our custom decorative lighting samples in hand. When we go to different renderings, when we’re making our spec sheets, when we’re showing the client throughout the process our entire design and intent, it works out great. Presentation is so important: Kathleen Keane, our Marketing Manager, says, “I’m a stickler for details and making sure that everything looks great. We always say that the packaging holding the products needs to be as exciting as the product itself.” We work with razor sharp focus on our appearance and volume in our presentations. It pays off when we see our clients excited about our products and working with Ideoli. How did the meeting go today, Chris? “Any time we can actually get in front of the customer and show them our product, show them what we can deliver, the quality and the timing, everything. It’s so much better just having everybody in that room.” says Chris. Join us on our next client presentation adventure.
We are thrilled to be on this side of the world in Malaysia for the first time – personally and professionally. Being here has allowed us to further expand our manufacturing footprint in Southeast Asia. Chris and George are spending time in Malaysia to oversee the production of new orders for their international clients. Their partnerships established here are very promising. After spending time here and setting up Ideoli’s assembly lines, we are very confident in the long-term potential. When it comes to specific product categories in the interiors space, Malaysia is a leader. We have successfully executed large-scale production runs with partner factories in Kuala Lumpur and are extremely pleased with the results. Ideoli is working with Yong – a veteran in the furniture manufacturing game in Malaysia for the last 4 decades. Malaysia is a major exporter of furniture throughout the word. It is a relatively a small country of some 20 odd million people but it stands at top 5 exporters in the world of furniture. We have a very good supply chain, the infrastructure is good, we have a good set of laws that brings the standard of living for all people involved in this industry. Malaysia has proven to be a strategic manufacturing market for Ideoli and its expanding operations. The future looks bright for Ideoli’s Malaysian operations. Ideoli is always looking for new markets and being in Malaysia is an example of its dedication to doing so.
Ideoli is on the other side of the world. George and Chris are working in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – looking for the strongest partners to work with and the latest products to consider for their clients. Thomas is a Danish-native, working in the Vietnamese manufacturing industry and helping Ideoli better integrate into the local business climate. “We see Vietnam is in a strong position now with the TPP – Trans Pacific Partnership. Including the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia – and about 40% of the world economy. Vietnam is the production base for these countries. For it’s 90 million people, that means a labor force of 1 – 2 million young adults ready to get into the job market every year.” After inspecting several factories in Vietnam, Ideoli appreciates the attention to detail and advanced manufacturing capabilities these companies have. The quality of the products coming out of Vietnam continues to increase and, over the last 20 years, there has been a strong development in the wood furniture business in Vietnam. Vietnam has, with the help of foreign investments, developed strongly in new designs and innovation for the furniture industry. Ideoli will benefit by being in Vietnam, as this dynamic growth environment has been expanding for more than 20 years. Ideoli is always looking for new markets – and being in Vietnam is an example of our dedication to doing so.
Today we had a successful meeting with a very important client and we impressed the BLEEP out of them. We displayed over 7 different prototypes for this New York-based client, and the feedback is fantastic. All the planning and building up to this 45 minute meeting was well worth it. Chris Hartswick, Ideoli’s Co-Founder and CPO, elaborates, “I think it was great. You know a lot of times we spend so much effort on – obviously the product – but the details of: how are we going to package it, what are we going to show them, what is the room going to be like, there’s is a lot of guessing we have to do. But when it all comes together and we’re able to have such a successful meeting like that, it feels good. It’s exciting.” Being able to get in front of the client and discuss the details with them in person gives us a chance to understand them better, and vice versa. We understand their needs, their construction needs, their schedules and what their plans will be for the next 6-12 months. This puts it all into perspective, it shows us what we’re all trying to do. So, what are the next steps? George Stroumboulis, Co-Founder and CEO, explains, “Next steps are essentially rolling into full production on several of these projects which is always the goal. So from start to finish, we’re looking at 65-days when we were first engaged on this portfolio of products. This just shows our capabilities and how quickly we can turn things around from concept to installation.” Chris also notes just getting the meeting together is as important as anything else. Being able to get everyone on the same page, from us to the design team to the client, everything is now straightforward. He says, “…we all know what’s to be done and what’s coming up. There is a weight off everyone’s shoulders. That is important.” Following these meetings, the customer is now extremely confident in our capabilities, the quality of our product, and the timing of our production. This is how Ideoli continues to impress and make it’s mark on the industry. Gotta love a successful meeting, and just like that, we’re off to our next!
Singapore is such a vibrant city state with so much to see and do. It is home to some of the most iconic buildings and monuments. On a recent trip, we couldn’t help but take it all in. There are over 8,500 high-rises, most of them located in the downtown core. The Tanjong Pagar Center is the tallest building in Singapore at 290 meters tall. Put Singapore on your must-visit list and tell them Ideoli sent you!