Our Merchandise Mart trip will be on
Friday, April 12th! We are encouraging everyone to take the train
together! A train will be leaving Bloomington-Normal at 7:31 am and arrives at
the Chicago Union station at 10:00am. To get home you can take a train that
leaves the Union Station at 5:15pm and arrives in Bloomington-Normal at 7:29pm.
For those who might want to stay in Chicago a little later, there is a train
that leaves the Union Station at 7:00pm and arrives in Bloomington-Normal at
9:14pm. You can buy your tickets online at http://www.amtrak.com/home.
***If you buy your tickets in person at the uptown Normal train station you can
get a student discount with your ID.
Once we are at the Union Station, you
can get to the Merchandise Mart in two different ways. You can take a cab
directly to the mart. You can also walk a couple of blocks from Union Station
to the Quincy/Wells train stop and take the train to the Merchandise Mart stop
that is directly in front of the mart. The second option would be the cheapest
and easiest!
The map shows the walking distance
from union station to the train station.
Once we are at the Merchandise Mart,
we will be getting a tour of the IIDA Headquarters at 10:30am. The Headquarters
is a LEED Gold office and is really interesting. Many of us have not been able
to see a LEED Gold building or office, so this is a good chance to actually see
what goes in to getting that Gold recognition. I was there recently and found
the Headquarters to be really interesting and a place I think that others
should go and take a tour of!
At 11:30am we will be getting a tour
of the Izzy+ showroom. Izzy+
is a different kind of Furniture Company. Everything the company was founded on
back in 2001 and everything they do today is all about people. They love individuals,
with their unique perspectives, styles, and ideas, but what they love even more
is bringing people together to see what level of amazingness will transpire.
“The
reason Izzy+ exists is because we feel strongly about connecting people so we
can all be better together.”
– Company Founder and CEO Chuck Saylor
can all be better together.”
– Company Founder and CEO Chuck Saylor
The
Izzy+ family—Fixtures Furniture, HÅG, Harter, Izzy and ABCO—models
something they deeply believe in: collaboration. We are Better Together—able to
be more creative and meet more needs and opportunities than we can alone. A
subsidiary of JSJ Corporation, Izzy+ is based in Spring Lake, Michigan, where their
facilities bring together great design, advanced engineering and lean
manufacturing capabilities.
After
the Izzy+ showroom tour, we will be having a half hour lunch in the food court.
At
1:00, we will be taking a Kravet showroom tour. Kravet Inc., established in 1918, is the industry leader
in the to the trade home furnishings industry. This fourth generation family
business distributes fabrics, furniture, wall coverings, trimmings, carpets and
accessories. The family’s commitment to innovation has helped the company
transform from a small fabric house to a global leader, representing brands and
designers from all over the world. Kravet Inc. owns Kravet Fabrics, Lee Jofa,
Groundworks and GP & J Baker, all high end fabric houses that specialize in
style, luxury and exceptional design. In 2011, Kravet Inc. acquired Brunschwig
& Fils, a prestigious decorative house founded in 1900 that shares Kravet
and Lee Jofa’s legacy of international design, commitment to quality, attention
to detail and superb craftsmanship. With locations in North America and
worldwide, Kravet Inc. offers the highest level of customer service, quality
products and web technology for today’s design professional.
We
are still in the process of contacting other showrooms to get to take more
tours that day. As things are finalized we will update you! Make sure to wear
comfortable shoes because we will be walking a lot! I also suggest to dress to
impress. You don’t need to wear business attire, but don’t show up in your
sweats!
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