One of the biggest commercial transactions between furniture companies has recently taken place, see how, and who are the main characters involved. Spec Furniture has purchased Clarin Furniture, whose parent company is Hussey Seating, one of the biggest and best established furniture companies in the US.
Established in 1835, this is the oldest company on our list. They primarily do fixed seating for stadiums. ‘They bought out Clarin Chair, which makes the best folding chairs in the country. Hussey Seating is very well established in the furniture industry. Among the types of venues they have provided their services for, there are Amphitheater Arenas, Auditoriums, Cafetoriums, Convention Centers, Corporate Esports, Gymnasiums, Lecture Halls, Performing Arts, Places of Worship Stadiums, and many more.
They also specialize in offering a wide variety of design resources, including AIA Continuing Education, Build Your Chair, Case Studies, Design Assistance, Environmental Data, Literature, Owner's Manuals, Revit, Schedule Sales Consult, Specifications, & Surface Materials.
At Hussey Seating Company, we're used to being met with a reaction of disbelief when people find out we've been in business since 1835. It's not often that a company stays in the hands of one family for that long, let alone a company with a history of manufacturing everything from long-furrow plows to combat rocky New England soil in 1835 to fire escapes and ski lifts in the early 1900s, to spectator seating since 1960.
In 1835 William Hussy founded the Hussey Plow Company. William Hussey was a farmer from North Berwick in the state of Maine. In 1895 a crisis came over the Hussey Plow Company, as a giant fire devastated their buildings, but amid such turmoil, the brilliant spirit of the Hussey family and their company emerged once again; the grandson of William Hussey saw an opportunity behind the disaster to rebuild the company and redefine its concepts. As a result, some new techniques were adopted to restrengthen the structures of the factory.
1931 was a significant milestone for Hussey Seating, when Philip Hussey while completing a project for the Portland Boys Club, conceives a portable bleacher for outdoor use. He began selling outdoor bleachers throughout New England but later adapted the indoor design when the baby boom of the 1950s escalated the construction of new schools and gymnasiums. In 1952 Hussey developed the first "closed-deck" telescopic gym seating system. This unique design prevents spectators' feet and personal items from slipping beneath the seat riser and is still the most widely used system today. In 1961 Designed to adapt fold-down chairs, Hussey installed its first telescopic platform at the Pittsburgh Civic Center. This new concept gains quick popularity as civic centers and arenas can provide both seating and floor space for non-traditional events like trade shows, concerts, or even rodeos.
In 1964 Hussey introduced Pow-R-Trac, an electrically powered system for opening and closing telescopic gym seats and platforms. The easy-to-operate system allows long sections and more rows, maximizing seating capacity. 1971 Pow-R-Trac leads to the successful development and installation of the first 30-row telescopic gym seating system. Unable to find a company that could build a proper chair for its telescopic platforms, Hussey designs the fold-down Sentinel chair. Soon after, 3,500 new Sentinels are installed in Maine's Augusta Civic Center. Today, well over a million Sentinels are being used around the world. In 1977 Hussey purchased a local polymer molding company and began producing its polymer seating parts, a vital resource for making Sentinel chairs.
Hussey entered the upholstered auditorium chair market by purchasing Ideal Seating Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan (later moved to Maine in 1983). Hussey also manufactures and installs 5,000 Sentinel seats for a new hockey rink in Lake Placid, New York, the 1980 Winter Olympic Games site. In addition, the Hussey Comfort Curve is introduced. The all-polymer gymnasium seat provides improved comfort and can submit multiple colors into a school's gymnasium. Finally, Hussey unveiled its new Olympiad polymer stadium chair and immediately received a contract to provide 65,000 seats for the National Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The SkyDome in Toronto, Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, and Comiskey Park in Chicago soon follow.
In 2004 Hussey introduced Metro, a rail-based seating system that succeeds our phenomenally successful Sentinel chair. Sleek, slim, and easy to install, the Metro line is a giant leap towards getting the most out of your facility. The Metro allows perfect continuity throughout a facility, available in both telescopic and fixed versions. Metro is made of the most advanced composites and uses the latest molding technology. It also features whisper-quiet seat operation and fits an amazingly tiny 51⁄2" (140 mm) stored envelope. In 2020, After 185 years of operating as a family-owned business in the state of Maine, Hussey Seating Company had been recognized as a 2020 Best Places to Work.
WHO PURCHASED CLARIN FURNITURE?
Spec Furniture is a fully integrated manufacturer focusing on four key segments of the contract market: healthcare, education, business, and government. Founded in 1991 out of a desire to bring a unique client-focused approach to the contract market, we design durable and stylish furniture that excels at meeting all the basic requirements. Combined with a vast range of options, choices, prices, and scales, our clients can specify the best possible solution. We are recognized as market leaders in the quality, design, and engineering of contract furniture products, focusing on a wide range of markets and strategies. Thousands of installations of Spec products are in use throughout
WHAT IS CLARIN FURNITURE?
Clarin was founded in 1925 by Werner Clarin, the innovator of all of the principle designs that folding chair manufacturers presently offer. Of all his plans, Clarin selected the X-type, double tube, and channel design for superior strength and flexibility over the original tubular chair. In 1928 Clarin Corporation made the first all-steel folding chair manufactured in the United States. Werner Clarin obtained the backing of a small group of investors, and the company grew steadily. World War II material shortages helped the company's growth when it switched to wood folding chairs and government sub-contract work to stay operational. After World War II, the demand for portable seating increased significantly because of the rising enrollment in public schools, and Clarin grew steadily as the market did
Providing aesthetic and practical appeal, the comfort and durability of Clarin chairs are legendary. Known for providing years of dependable service, it is not uncommon for schools and venues to still be using Clarin chairs dating back to the 1960s and '70s. Winners have been sitting on Clarin portable chairs for years – from nearly all the NBA teams nationwide to high school athletes in your neighborhood. As a result, Clarin chairs continue to be one of the leaders in the market. They can be found in arenas, stadiums, convention centers, universities, schools, offices, and entertainment facilities throughout the country and around the world.