AFFILIATES

Going it alone sounds boring, and a bad practice all the way around. So we affiliate (verb) with affiliates (plural noun).

It's a way of combining forces and helping perpetuate Good Business within the design community.

There are two aspects to this. The first is to share with you, here and now, a once-over-lightly look at our Joint Sales and Marketing Plan; after that, we'll provide you with a list of links that identify organizations with whom we are actively involved, or perhaps simply of whom we have a high opinion.

Our Joint Sales and Marketing Plan includes:

  • Nationwide coverage with over 90 sales professionals throught the WSG Global Network.
  • Participation in IIDA, NEWH, ASID, BOMA, PDCA, AIA and CSI (see below for links and, if you're not familiar, decoding of the previously listed alphabet-overload)
  • National ASID sponsorship
  • National tradeshow exhibits at HD, HD Boutique, NeoCon, NeoCon East, Global Shop
  • Brochures, direct mail and presentation materials, and national sales training, seminars and events at our marketing center in Indianapolis, and D.L. Couch showrooms in Chicago and Minneapolis.

Further information on a few of our affiliates:

AIA (American Institute of Architects)
Based in Washington, D.C., the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has been the leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners since 1857. Through education, legislative and regulatory development, professional education, and research, the AIA and its more than 83,500 members express their commitment to excellence in design and livability in America's buildings and communities.

ASID (American Society of Interior Designers)
The American Society of Interior Designers is the leading organization for interior design professionals. From corporate boardrooms to home offices, hotel suites to health care facilities, ASID designers create the places where people live, work, play, heal and worship.

BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Building Owners and Managers Association International is a primary source of information for: office building development, leasing, building operating costs, energy consumption patterns, local and national building codes, legislation, occupancy statistics and technological developments.

GEI (The Greenguard™ Environmental Institute)
The Greenguard Environmental Institute is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the Greenguard™ Certification Program. As an ANSI Authorized Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments, and buildings.

IIDA (International Interior Design Association)
The International Interior Design Association is a professional networking and educational association of more than 12,000 members in nine Specialty Forums in thirty chapters around the world. IIDA is committed to enhancing the quality of life through excellence in interior design and advancing interior design through knowledge.

USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council)
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings accessible to everyone, and has developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED rating system: a framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals.

NEWH (Network of Executive Women in Hospitality)
The Network of Executive Women in Hospitality is an international, non-profit, organization which brings together professionals from all facets of the hospitality industry. It's the premier networking resource for the hospitality industry, providing scholarships, education, leadership development, recognition of excellence, and business development opportunities.

PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America)
Painting and Decorating Contractors of America develops industry standards and industry-specific publications and programs: business management publications, training and reference videos, health and safety manuals.

The Retail Design Institute
Promoting the advancement and collaborative practice of creating selling environments, the Retail Design Institute works with colleges and universities to develop retail design programs, and promotes continuing education to improve the skill sets of working professionals. Reaching out to the Retail Community at large through workshops and seminars, the Retail Design Institute highlights noteworthy trends and accomplishments in retailing and retail store design.

WA (Wallcovering Association)
Formed to help members who manufacture, distribute and sell wallcoverings, their goal is to provide a vehicle for communication and promotion. Their stated vision is to have residential and commercial consumers think of wallcoverings as the interior product of choice. We heartily approve.

The Vinyl Institute
The Vinyl Institute, founded in 1982, is a U.S. trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer, vinyl additives and modifiers, and vinyl packaging materials. The Vinyl Institute's mission is to advocate the responsible: manufacture of vinyl resins, life cycle management of vinyl products, and promotion of the value of vinyl to society.

NGPP (National Guild of Professional Paperhangers)
Founded in 1973, this association of independent wallpaper hangers and vinyl contractors has been instrumental in maintaining high standards in the hanging of historic wallpapers, scenic murals, silk papers, bamboo, grasscloth, English pulp papers, and traditional fabric-backed and paper-backed vinyl materials.