American Seating history

Grand Rapids School Furniture soon ventured beyond the classroom; in 1889 it provided the seats for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.

1899: Formed when Grand Rapids School furniture Company was merged with eighteen other school, church, and seating manufacturers from across the country.

For the school market, the company in 1901 introduced the Model101, a tubular steel standard desk.

Alois Lang, who learned woodcarving in his hometown of Oberammergau, Bavaria, began in the American School Furniture Company carving studios in 1902.

1906: Name changed to American Seating Company; offices move from New York to Chicago.

All of these elements were incorporated into the 1921 “Universal,” which was scientifically designed to promote good posture, and stayed in production for decades.

Joseph F. Wolters, who began as an apprentice carver in Germany, came to American Seating’s Church Division in 1923.

The Church Division, which was consolidated from other plants to Grand Rapids in 1927, provided a wide range of architectural and furniture designs, pews, altars, and special carvings for church interiors.

In 1930, the company began to literally brand or wood-burn a “lamp of knowledge” to wooden desks.

1931: Offices move from Chicago to Grand Rapids.

Streamlined designs culminated in the 1938 “Bodiform” chair, which required two years of research and testing.

According to a Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly article, "Since 1939 its sales have increased 30% faster than the Gross National Product.

In 1951 it acquired the bus seat division of S. Karpen Co.

By 1954 the company's annual revenues topped $35 million, of which 60 percent were school related.

In 1960 it bought the Pacific Northwest School Supply Company to expand its school supplies operation.

In 1963, in another effort to diversify, American Seating paid $3.5 million for E.H. Shelton Company, maker of laboratory furniture used mostly in high schools and colleges.

By 1965 laboratory sales contributed from 15 to 20 percent of American Seating's $53.8 million in revenues.

According to Barron's, "Amusement, transportation, church, and hospital furniture contribute the rest, roughly in that order." Sales jumped to $60.9 million in 1966, spurred in large measure to a surge in theater and architectural seating sales.

Grand Rapids city directories last list the Church Division in 1969.

While American Seating had long been making seating for public use, directories first list open office plan furniture among the company’s products in 1973.

An Ohio State University graduate, Clark had worked for Ford Motor Company before taking a position in 1976 with Haworth Inc., one of the top office furniture manufacturers in the United States.

As the era of new school construction came to a close, the company temporarily exited the classroom furniture business in 1982, selling off the equipment used to manufacture the line.

1983: Company is purchased by Georgia-based Fuqua, Inc.

1987: Management-led buy-out returns headquarters to Grand Rapids.

The company bolstered the former with the 2003 purchase of Georgia competitor Transportation Seating Inc., a small company, but one that rivals also wanted.

Domestic content makes up over 90% of our products, which far exceeds the Buy America requirements, which are currently 65% and will increase to 70% in 2020.