GBJ File Photo
By Rachel Phillips
Businesses with cluttered offices or cramped reception areas might think that their poorly designed spaces are just a minor inconvenience, but one local business believes otherwise.
According to Dorothy Rogers-Bullis, owner of drb Business Interiors in Saratoga Springs, an office with properly utilized space has more benefits than being aesthetically pleasing.
“We make people very successful in their space,” said Rogers-Bullis.
Similarly, while a business can’t function without hardworking employees, there’s no denying the role equipment can play in deter. Whether it’s break room supplies, printer ink and toner, computer hardware, everyday office supplies, or cleaning supplies, Seeley Office Systems, which serves businesses in Saratoga, Washington and Warren counties, has a broad catalogue of wares available for business owners.
The business is an elite dealer of Konica Minolta copiers, which are available for sale or lease, and can be purchased new, or used. Megan Seeley, marketing director for Seeley Office Systems said, “We have noticed a huge uptick in demand for pre-owned copiers and refurbished toner. Businesses are realizing that this is both environmentally conscious and cost-effective- since you are no longer sacrificing quality with many used or refurbished devices and products. The Konica Minolta brand is really strong, and we are market leaders in the area with used machines.”
They’re also a vendor of Universal Office Products, which is a competitive line of office supplies offering paper, coffee, furniture and more. In particular, the Seeley Office Systems has a notable inventory of printers and copiers, including specialty printing machines, such as those that allow for wide format or production print.
drb Business Interiors is a full-service commercial furniture company, and caters to a variety of businesses in and around Upstate New York. The business has redesigned spaces for colleges, hospitals, libraries, private and home offices, office buildings, and even stadiums, churches and restaurants. Though they don’t do kitchen design, they provide a wide range of services, from a single chair, to entire work spaces.
Not only does the company redesign and furnish office spaces, they also take particular care in making sure that the work they do will help improve the productivity of their clients’ businesses.
When they receive a call from a potential client, drb Business Interiors starts by visiting the space and speaking with the people there to see how they work—or, more importantly, what doesn’t work. From there, they measure the area, confirm designs with the clients and then install the new furniture.
Knowing the impact furniture can have on productivity, they also offer 200 furniture lines, some of which are designed by doctors and engineers, to make sure it’s ergonomically correct. Some of the furniture has even taken decades to design.
“One of our chairs is a task chair, made out of the same material as ski boots,” explained Rogers-Bullis. “If you’re in a desk for a long time, your mind becomes stagnant. This chair allows you to move around, to encourage creativity.”
Though they’ve been offering ergonomic furniture since the start, the company is also savvy to the latest office trends. In particular, it appears that phone booths are coming back in style. However, unlike in decades past, the booths being added to offices now don’t have phones in them, Rogers-Bullis said. Instead, they’re simply sound-proof booths that allow workers to make private phone calls on their cells without disturbing the rest of the office.
Rogers-Bullis noted that, while open seating offices were all the rage for a while, most offices are realizing that workers need privacy—at least part of the time.
“The clients of ours that are the most successful are the ones who give their employees options,” Rogers-Bullis said. “You have to have a variety of ways to work. You need a balance, with open seating, and private work spaces.”
drb Business Interiors has a showroom, where people can explore their options, try different types of furniture and set up an appointment for their space to be refreshed.
“We want to make people productive, which turns into successful, in their workspace,” said Rogers-Bullis. “People tell me time and time again they can’t believe how different and how better they’re working with the changes in the work space we have provided for them.”
Not only does Seeley Office Systems sell and lease printers, they are also partnered with M&M Digital Printing, which is located under their roof, to offer printing services. Their printing division, which has been growing over the last two years, is headed by Matt Foster, who uses his skill to create business cards, catalogues, posters and more.
Another unique service the company provides is digital document scanning, in order to cater to the growing number of businesses who are digitizing their record-keeping.
Seeley Office Systems intends to continue expanding their printing services. They’re also currently working on digitalizing and creating more efficient methods of shopping, ordering, and requesting technical assistance through their website, in order to make the process of managing their office needs as easy for their clients as possible.