The Challenge:
The offices of Mercy Network Support Services (a division of Mercy Health Partners) were strewn around Greater Cincinnati. The project of consolidating and moving its offices to a central location in Blue Ash faced three key challenges:

1. A limited budget
2. A significant amount of existing furniture from six different manufacturers that needed to be used and integrated in the new space
3. Accelerated move times

Beyond finding the right furniture solution to integrate the existing furniture from Kimball Office, National, Knoll, Hon, Trendway, and miscellaneous manufacturers, the project was significant in terms of move management commented Marcia, vice president of sales. The detailed logistics required a team effort and micro-management to be successful.

The Solution:
OstermanCron used Reasons from Kimball Office as a center spline to connect the different types of furniture systems. Even though the heights and fabrics of the existing furniture varied widely, the Reason's panels created continuity throughout the new space.

In addition, the cable capacity and integrated power/data access of the Reasons walls allowed Mercy to minimize downtime by pre-wiring the electric, phone and data prior to the move.

To manage the project, OstermanCron formed a project team that included members from Mercy and Wessels, the move company. The team met weekly and was in constant contact to ensure a smooth installation. During installation, someone from OstermanCron was on-site daily. "OstermanCron did a spectacular job in figuring out all of our pieces and parts from numerous buildings and how to put them back together to accommodate over 450 people," commented Patti Meszaros, regional manager, facility planning at Mercy Health Partners.

Bill Casler, principal at Casler Design, the Cincinnati-based firm responsible for layout and space planning, concurred. "OstermanCron combined the right furniture solution with their in-depth product knowledge and expertise in move management to ensure a successful project. By taking a team approach, we were able to complement our respective strengths and create the synergy to get the job done."