Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kimball International Launches ‘Creating Places to Belong’ Initiative

  • By Matt Jones
  • 02/23/23

Furniture manufacturer Kimball International recently announced the launch of its “Creating Places to Belong” initiative with the goal of making employees feel valued and connected to their workplace, according to a news release. The company launched a microsite and an interactive playbook developed through research and conversations with customers that contains tools, stories, insights, inspiration, and conversation about what it means to create a welcoming environment.

“As employers, we know that we are providing something much more than a workspace,” said Kimball International Chief Operating Officer Kourtney Smith. “We are really providing places for people to belong.”

Alongside its workplace campaign, Kimball has also launched Education and Health versions of “Creating Places to Belong.” The data-driven insights, personal video interviews, and solution suggestions all lead to the message that “the right spaces create connections,” according to the news release. A mix of environments can support a variety of tasks, whether collaborative or solo projects. Factors like hybrid environments, prioritizing flexibility, focusing on inclusion and belonging, and supporting mental health and overall well-being all lead to employees feeling at home in their space, the news release reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).