Ideoli—the invigorators of spaces—has a strong following of supporters and fans around the world, not only for its incredible lighting, fixtures and furnishing products, but also for its corporate swag, like this winter pom-pom beanie. People often ask where they can score one of these cool hats, and now everyone has a chance to win one! We’re spreading our style to many lucky winners, who will receive an Ideoli-branded beanie. Check out the rules and how to win one in this video that we made, or read below to learn how to participate. To win your very own Ideoli-branded beanie, follow these three easy steps: 1. Follow us on any—or all—of our social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn 2.Take a photo of something that inspires you, and then tag ideoli’s account along with the hashtag #ideolibeanie in that picture. The photo can be of anything from a product to a person to a concept. Get creative! 3. After you follow us and tag us in your photo, send us an email at invigorate(at)ideoli.com with your name and full mailing address. If you are selected as a winner, we will ship you your free Ideoli beanie and you can feel like a champ wearing it. We will then ask you to send us a recorded message while rocking the Ideoli beanie to be a part of our international social video showing all our supporters around the world. Details of the video recording will be shared with those lucky winners. Get started today by following those three easy steps above.
We love to have fun with our clients, and it’s even better when we can help those in need at the same time. That’s why we’re honored to have been a co-sponsor for Tilly’s 10th annual golf tournament benefitting Tilly’s Life Center, which focuses on youth empowerment. We hit the range again, teaming up with our client Tilly’s to sponsor their annual charity golf tournament, which had a circus theme this year. The event took place on May 1st, 2017, at Mission Viejo Country Club in California. Visit their site to learn more about Tilly’s Life Center! In addition to helping our clients invigorate their spaces, we also like to help support their goals outside of business. That’s why we once again sponsored our client Tilly’s charity golf tournament and party. Aside from great golf, food and drinks, the event had everything from clowns to contortionists, which was a fun twist. The event sold out in record time, and best of all, the entire proceeds went directly to Tilly’s Life Center. This non-profit empowers teens to develop a more positive mindset and helps them gain a better handle on how to face crises, adversity and tough decisions. Its mission is “to inspire today’s youth to reach their full potential as productive, kind, happy, and responsible individuals.” We love to form strong bonds with our clients and extend that relationship outside of work to support philanthropic efforts.
To produce world-class products in terms of both efficiency and quality, Ideoli searches the planet far and wide for the best partners that can help us best serve client. As such, Ideoli’s team, led by Co-Founders George Stroumboulis and Chris Hartswick, travel all over the world to form key relationships and establish operations. These travels extend beyond what have traditionally been the dominant manufacturing markets such as China to include other countries like Indonesia that are increasingly becoming major players in the global manufacturing industry. With a population of over 260 million people, Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world. In addition to being a beautiful country, Indonesia has a growing manufacturing expertise, particularly in its capital of Jakarta. The city is centrally located within the large country, and it’s a major hub for commerce and finance in the region, and ideoli sees the area as key to our success. “Jakarta is known in the manufacturing world for having a skilled labor force, quality factories and a positive outlook. Having done extensive research into new markets, we are very excited to expand our discussions with new partners and suppliers here,” says Chris Hartswick, Ideoli’s Chief Product Officer. With significant new agreements in place, Ideoli is excited to work more with our partners in Indonesia to expand our world-class product offerings.
While low iron in the human body is something to be concerned about, low iron glass is often desired, because it provides more of a crystal-clear look than regular glass. Glass primarily comes from silica sand, which is heated into a liquid and then turns into glass when it cools. As a result of the iron in silica, glass can have a greenish tint to it, which is more noticeable on thicker pieces. While this tint is not always that obvious nor unwanted—iron could even be added to create a different look—some people want glass that is exceptionally clear, such as for a display case or a mirror. In order to achieve this clarity, some glass is made from silica that has been processed in a way that reduces iron levels. Thus, low iron glass comes from low iron silica, and the absence of iron creates greater clarity. Ideoli manufactures both low-iron glass and regular-iron glass products, so our clients can choose what works best for their specific design and budget parameters. Understanding the difference between low iron and regular iron can help clients select the perfect product, and ideoli is there to procure and manufacture custom glass products to meet its clients’ needs. Facebook-f Linkedin-in Tumblr Envelope
What Malaysia, lacks in size, it makes up for in manufacturing prowess. So Ideoli’s founders, George Stroumboulis and Chris Hartswick, took their first trip—personally and professionally—to Malaysia in order to further expand the company’s manufacturing footprint in Southeast Asia. Ideoli crafted a video highlighting our founders’ trip to Malaysia in order to spread its reach across Southeast Asia and to oversee the production of new orders for international clients. Ideoli is thrilled to expand to Malaysia by establishing promising partnerships for manufacturing. Despite only being the 42nd most populous country in the world, Malaysia is a top-eight market for furniture exporting and aims to be within the top five within five years, so it is a strategic market for Ideoli. “After spending time there 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,” says Chris Hartswick, CPO and Co-Founder. Ideoli is now working with local manufacturers in Malaysia to supply its clients with world-class furniture. One of those partners, Yong, an expert in the furniture manufacturing trade in Malaysia for the past four decades, notes that Malaysia’s strong supply chain, infrastructure and laws that support a good standard of living for local manufacturing workers make Malaysia a great market for this industry. Already, Ideoli has seen first-hand the quality of production in the country. “We have successfully executed large-scale production runs with partner factories in Kuala Lumpur and are extremely pleased with the results,” says George Stroumboulis, CEO and Co-Founder. The future looks bright for Malaysia, and Ideoli is excited to be a part of it. Ideoli looks all across the globe for new markets to best serve its clients, and expanding to Malaysia exemplifies this dedication.
Many people get confused about the difference between ETL and UL certification for electrical products like lighting fixtures, but from the customers’ point of view, there is no difference because both meet the necessary standards for safety compliance. Commercial building codes require lighting to pass all national safety standards by UL. As a manufacturer, you are required to have your products tested to these standards. The two most common labels for this are Intertek and UL which results in the UL and ETL mark. It’s important to note both labs test to the same standards and are equally accepted. That’s because in order to ensure the safety of certain electrical products, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires certification from a designated Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), and both Intertek and UL are NRTLs. Any product ETL or UL certified passes required safety standards. So really the only difference is on the manufacturer’s side in terms of which laboratory it wants to use. Ideoli chooses to work with both NRTLs, because they are interchangeable without one having superior standards. In some cases though, clients are more familiar with one certification over the other and request a specific one, and we listen as we strive to make the client happy. In most cases, however, after we explain that they both serve and meet the same purpose, clients are okay with either UL or ETL as the label of choice. Clients can rest assured that Ideoli’s lighting products can be either ETL or UL certified, and they do not have to worry about obtaining both certifications since they meet the same required safety standards. Facebook-f Linkedin-in Tumblr Envelope
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!