The Forum DC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of operations at a ratings and reviews platform for B2B services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Forum DC?

We’re a growing business and have various commercial furniture needs. With the Forum DC, we wanted to add additional furniture to our workspace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Forum DC provides furnishings for our office. First, they provided a series of custom tables for our new workspace. Over time, our team has grown from 15 to 75. To accommodate our needs, they’ve helped to furnish our workspace with individual work desks and another custom table.

What is the team composition?

Tad (Principal) is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with The Forum DC?

We first met Tad while he was working at a different furniture company, and continued to work with him when he started the Forum DC. We also work with a project manager and some accounting personnel.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $50,000. Some of those costs include the actual furnishings, as well as the delivery fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2016, and our relationship is still very much ongoing. We reach out to Tad whenever we have additional furniture needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The commercial furnishing business can be tough at times since there are a lot of different pieces in the supply chain. That being said, Tad is always focused on getting things done right for us.

How did The Forum DC perform from a project management standpoint?

Our team goes through growth spurts every 6–9 months, so we’ve engaged them at that cadence over the last four years. Tad always showed up on-site to take a look at what we’re trying to do, and confirm the pieces we’re ordering.

At the forefront of the project, Tad has always done a really nice job. He’s very responsive to my emails and always calls to confirm on the day of delivery to confirm that things are going as planned.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tad is a straight-shooter, so he’s been able to make sure that things are done the right way. Sometimes if there are issues with installation or the wrong pieces were received, he always focused on getting things right.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the furniture business, you can’t often control timelines. If there was a way Tad could control our delivery dates and timelines from the suppliers, it would be great, but I know he doesn’t have direct power over that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with anyone in business, be specific with which pieces, styles, and furnishings you’re ordering. It’s particularly important because there are so many moving pieces to the supply chain and delivery process.