The Greater New York Chapter of IFMA, International Facility Management Association
Sponsors
Sponsor Spotlight
Meet Carl Milianta, President and Co-Founder, Arenson Office Furnishings
IFMA/GNY Platinum Sponsor
We had the pleasure of meeting with Carl Milianta recently, one of the co-founders of Arenson, the largest Knoll dealer in the United States and one of the Platinum Sponsors of the Greater New York Chapter of IFMA.
Tell us about you – what is your role with Arenson?
CM: I am actually one of two owners of Arenson, which I am happy to say is currently the largest Knoll Dealer in the US. My partner Larry Tuck and I are fortunate to have an infrastructure behind us that lets us stay focused on client needs and expectations. So I guess my main role is really to assess what people need and figure out how to deliver it to them.
How long have you been with Arenson?
CM: Larry and I founded the company 25 years ago.
Tell us a little bit about Arenson.
CM: In 1983, we started with 12 employees in one location with a tiny warehouse, selling and renting furniture. Today, we have 250 employees with resources and services designed to make us a true turn-key resource for our clients. We have locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to service clients locally and from where we service clients with a national presence. We also have a Props Center in New York, which complements our furniture rental business, and a 135,000 square foot warehouse in Queens. Our warehouse is especially beneficial to clients because the space, staff, and our fleet of delivery trucks allow us to control our clients’ product until it arrives at the project site where our in-house installers take over.
Our warehouse also allows us to offer clients storage, which, when integrated with our web-based inventory system, gives them the ability to actually view their stored furniture and initiate a “hold” or request for product. We employ mechanics and refinishers so we can immediately respond to client emergencies for things like broken keys, defective file suspensions, etc. And we can have refinishers on-hand during installations to make minor repairs and touch-ups. This group is also responsible for performing the work for clients with maintenance contracts.
We’ve invested in other web-based technology to help clients manage their facilities, furniture and more. As for product, Knoll and Kimball are our two major product lines but we represent more than 300 in total. We also have a division dedicated to architectural products such as walls and doors. You could say we’re a complete office facility resource.
Where are your headquarters?
CM: Our operations are headquartered in New York City, at 1115 Broadway.
In addition to the above, is there anything else that makes Arenson Office Furnishings unique?
CM: Well, I hope it’s pretty clear that we take a very holistic approach to our business. Our capacity is huge and we have a range of capabilities that are truly unique. We not only sell, rent and service new furniture, but we have a showroom in our warehouse where we can help sell clients’ used furniture. We like that our company can promote reuse rather than sending furniture to a landfill. And it helps small companies with small budgets buy what they need at a low price. We also have “green” systems in place in our warehouse to recycle unusable furniture and packing materials. It’s our way of reducing our ecological footprint.
Also, with all the assets we have at hand, Arenson can make a huge difference when problems arise on a project site. I’ll give you an example. We had a client that sold its existing furniture to another firm. That firm failed to show up for the furniture like it was supposed to the day before new product was to arrive. If it hadn’t been removed, delivery and installation would have been delayed, which would have created a logistical nightmare and added costs. We had a Project Manager on-site who was able to pool our resources, get our trucks and staff on-site to remove the existing furniture, and put it in our warehouse. The next day we delivered the new furniture as expected. I am very proud that we maintain the resources that let us put all those disciplines in place that quickly.
What recent company achievement or development would you like to share with readers of this interview?
CM: Recently we’ve gone through a company rebranding. It’s been an opportunity for us to really think about our company, its role in the industry, how we work within it and how we present ourselves. We’ve chosen to print our materials on recycled paper. This lets us further extend our environmental philosophy. We have committed more employees to participate in LEED education and sustainability practices, which will let us educate more clients. And our ‘green’ efforts have been pulled into our new logo and corporate identity.
How did you get involved with IFMA?
CM: After attending several IFMA functions years ago, Brian Ostrowe convinced me to get more involved. We started by forming a committee to bring awareness to Pratt Institute’s Facilities Management program to IFMA GNY members and we’ve gone from there.
How long have you been involved with IFMA?
CM: We have been involved for many years in the IFMA organization. This year we are a Platinum Sponsor and were a Gold Sponsor in prior years.
How has IFMA impacted Arenson?
CM: IFMA is a wonderful organization, headed by talented and dedicated people. I can say that it’s through conversations and interactions with many of the IFMA members that we have been able to identify needs that have allowed us to build our business into the diversified service provider it is today.