NNG’s first NeoCon Panel brought three heavy-hitters from companies that have their finger on the pulse of sustainability in manufacturing. Panelists include: Rebecca Best - VP of Sustainability for Material Bank, Malisa Maynard – Chief Sustainability Officer for Mohawk Group, and Victoria Engles – Director of Commercial Sales for Fireclay Tile. We get a few different perspectives on how these companies see sustainability and how they’re making proactive strides to affect lasting change.

What is the future of design? How will technologies like AI help, hider, or revolutionize the design industry and our world as we know it? Our second NeoCon Panel jumps head first into chatting through these huge topics and some of the benefits and concerns they have with AI as it continues to seep further into many areas of design. Panelists include: Farshid Taffazoli – Cofounder and CBO for Material Bank, Cynthia Sarria – Senior Interior Designer for HOK, Kendra Shea – Owner of KS Shea Designs, and Susan Suhar, Principal at HDR Architecture.

As we look at innovation and future of design – we can’t look any further than the next generation of designers and architects entering the industry. We get hind-sight perspectives from our panelists and advice they have for the those they’re passing the torch to. Panelists include: Kelly Weertz - Executive Director A&D Initiatives for Material Bank, Keri Caune – EVP of Business Dev for Summer Classics & Gabby, Rae Cook – Design Specialist for IHG, Kayla Felice – Interior Designer for Gresham Smith, and Alyssa Alvarez – Interior Designer for IA.

Summer Classics & Gabby provided the gorgeous furniture in the NNG Social Hub at NeoCon. We sat down with Keri Caune, EVP of Business Dev for Summer Classics & Gabby, to chat through a few of the NeoCon crowd favorites and a little background on the family behind the brand.

Website:

https://summerclassics.com/

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/summerclassics/

https://www.instagram.com/summerclassicscontract/

https://www.instagram.com/summerclassicshome/

https://www.instagram.com/gabbydecor/

Maria VanDeman, co-author of ‘Design Your World’, chatted with us about the process of writing a children’s book and why it’s important. The book focuses on the value of design and the impact it can have on your daily life. OFS created the book to inspire children of all backgrounds and foster a more diverse and equitable world through design that works for everyone.

Purchase ‘Design Your World’:

https://ofs.com/design-your-world?search=Design%20Your%20World

https://shorturl.at/cfhtI

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/ofs/

Hightower Group has been a family-owned furniture manufacturer for 20 years, and Natalie Hartkopf, Owner and CEO, sat down with us to walk us through how the business has evolved and changed over the years. Hightower, now a certified B-Corp, is innovating and changing perspectives on furniture and not just stressing how the furniture feels but how it makes you feel.

Website:

https://hightoweraccess.com/

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/hightowergroup/

Mohawk Group is partnering with ArtLifting to champion artists who are impacted by housing insecurity or disabilities. ArtLifting provides a platform and creates opportunities for underrepresented artists to amplify their voices and participate in the contemporary art market. Mark Page and Christina Bailey sat down with us to give us a peek behind the curtain on how the partnership got started and the carpet collections they’ve collaborated on.

Websites:

https://www.artlifting.com/

https://www.mohawkgroup.com/

Painted Perspectives Collaboration:

https://www.mohawkgroup.com/products/soft-surface/collections/custom-collections/painted-perspectives?sort=all

Social Canvas Collaboration:

https://www.mohawkgroup.com/products/soft-surface/collections/running-line-collections/social-canvas?sort=all

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/artlifting/

https://www.instagram.com/mohawkgroup/

Michael Ditullo, Creative Director for Kirei by Carnegie, and Giulio Masotti, Founder and CEO of Wood-Skin for Carnegie, sat down to chat acoustics with us. We get into how product design at the intersection of sustainability and acoustics is changing the industry.

Wood-Skin for Carnegie:

https://carnegiefabrics.com/wood-skin

Kirei by Carnegie:

https://carnegiefabrics.com/kirei

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/carnegiefabrics/

https://www.instagram.com/wood.skin/

https://www.instagram.com/kirei.design.materials/

Our first Live Podcast of NeoCon 2023 was with Mike Blessinger, VP of Sales & Marketing for Indiana Furniture. He gave us a little background on the origins of their company as ‘Indiana Desk’ and how they’ve continued to adapt and ride the waves of change for 118 years in furniture manufacturing.

Catalyst collection:

https://indianafurniture.com/products/catalyst

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/indianafurniture/?ref=badge

We got the chance to sit down with Nicole Lashae Ben and discuss the origins of her company 'Thrive In Design' - consulting that offers human-centered strategies that revamp a designer's experience with brands.

Find Thrive in Design on social:

Website

https://www.thriveindesign.co

IG

https://www.instagram.com/thriveindesign/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/thriveindesign

Linkedin

https://www.linkedin.com/company/thriveindesign/