“We’re the most qualified and the most experienced, and just the best at what we do. We manage our projects really well and give our customers a good experience.”—Christina Pratt, co-owner
For the eighth consecutive year, Trope Group has been voted Best Office Equipment Company in the North Bay Area. What makes them special? According to Christina Pratt, co-owner with Charlie Nichols since 2002, their goal is simple. “Our goal is to offer the best options for our customers in the North Bay,” says Pratt. In a market crowded with options, being the best simply means giving the best to your clients. “We’re the most qualified and the most experienced, and just the best at what we do,” she says. “We manage our projects really well and give our customers a good experience.”
While times have changed since Bettie Trope founded the business in 1980, their mission hasn’t. The range of services offered at Trope Group includes: space planning, design, ergonomic consulting, interior design and installation. They also work with local architects and designers. “We repair office furniture and chairs if something’s broken. “What’s been consistent is partnering with our clients and keeping their business objectives when we approach a project, and maintaining those as the priority,” says Pratt.
One notable change in the business climate is that consumers now have easy availability of product information. Trope Group serves the informed client to mutual advantage. “The digital presence means our clients may know a lot more about what’s available earlier in the buying process,” says Pratt. “They know what they want, but they may not understand how to put the whole picture together. That’s where the value of our design expertise comes in.”
Workplace needs and design, too, have changed over the years. “It used to be cubicles with 70” high walls wrapped around people,” she says. “We’re now looking at high adjustable work surfaces and great ergonomics.” Ergonomics is not new, but it’s gone from being a rare situation, where an employee who has an injury or back problem gets a special chair, to being a standard expectation across the board.
Always responsive, Trope Group listens to a client’s needs and creates a solution that integrates considerations of health, efficiency and aesthetics. “A lot of factors go into furnishing a space,” says Pratt. “You have to understand how the different groups within an organization work together, how different individuals work together and what they’re trying to accomplish, so you can create an environment that helps them and supports what they’re trying to do.”
Trope Group is community minded and in times of trouble, they respond. During the fires last year, a lot of their staff was affected. Their offices were unharmed, but the company reached out to the community to see how they could use their fleet of delivery trucks to help. “We used our trucks to pick up supplies from the distribution centers and take them to evacuation centers,” she says. “The company made trips to Lake County, Napa and beyond.” Since then, they’ve been working on projects with clients who were impacted by the fire to help get them back up and running in temporary quarters and upgrading their facilities when they move back in. Whatever the situation, they are there to help companies get back to work.
