Trope Group has been voted Best Office Services in the 2011 NorthBay biz readers poll.
You spend a lot of time at work. We all do. So why not make our workplaces as inviting and comfortable as possible? Santa Rosa-based Trope Group is dedicated to that very idea.
Serving Napa, Marin, Sonoma, Solano, Lake and Mendocino counties, Trope Group is the only representative of the well-respected Herman Miller line of office products in the North Bay. Trope also represents “a few hundred other brands to round things out,” says co-owner Charlie Nicholls, “including some from the Bay Area. There’s Workrite from Petaluma, DFM and Creative Wood from the East Bay and West Coast Industries from San Francisco.
“A-grade office furnishings manufacturer” Herman Miller is known for innovative, ergonomic and environmentally friendly designs. Trope is part of the Herman Miller certified dealer network; President Christina Pratt explains, “there are more than 300 Herman Miller representative companies across North America, but only about 50 of those are part of the certified network. We’re audited yearly for our business practices, and we strive for continual improvement.”
Though ostensibly a furniture and office systems dealer, Trope also provides AutoCAD interior planning and design (and redesign), installation, reconfiguration, relocation and repair services. For example, it was involved in Medtronic’s recent consolidation from four large buildings down to three. “We helped with the logistics of moving and installing the workstations,” says Pratt. “It was a reuse project, so we helped with space planning to fit the business groups within a smaller footprint.” The planning and execution took about a year.
The company also had a hand in repurposing the Edgehill Mansion at Dominican University in San Rafael into the newly named Heritage and Alumni House (See “This Old House,” Sept. 2010). Other recent projects include State Compensation Insurance Fund, Williams Selyem winery, Blood Bank of the Redwoods and the County of Sonoma.
“We’ve been particularly successful in working with local financial institutions. We’ve been privileged to have relationships with Exchange Bank, Redwood Credit Union, Summit State Bank and First Community Bank, among others” says Nicholls.
“We make sure we understand a business’ goals before we start designing,” Pratt continues. “We create a space to meet their needs. And if their needs change, we work to recreate and reconfigure until it’s right for them again.”
Trope can work with a multitude of business types and office functions, including health care facilities (administrative offices and patient care rooms), higher education (classrooms, offices, libraries, student unions and technology needs), governments and municipalities (including Travis Air Force Base), wineries, corporate, tech and biotech. It also can help companies that want to green their environment.
“The Herman Miller company has been a proud environmental steward for more than 50 years,” says Pratt. “Company founder Herman Miller was part of establishing the Green Building Council, which developed LEED standards.
Trope Group offers ergonomic consulting as well, either individually or company-wide. “Many times, an individual isn’t aware of what he or she can do to ease a painful or uncomfortable situation,” says Pratt. “We can really make a difference.”
It’s likely just this type of service that earned Trope Group the Best Of nod this year. Nicholls agrees: “We partner with our clients,” he says. “We strive to create and maintain lasting relationships—it’s what the company relies on, so we offer long-term service.”
