Corporate Environments Celebrates 30 Years of Business
How it All Began
In February of 1991, Steve R. Hovey and his business partner Peter Behrle officially opened Corporate Environments in a small suite on West Broad Street in Bethlehem, PA. At the time it was just Hovey, an answering machine, and a fax machine. Starting a business is hard enough but opening one during a great recession presented even more challenges. Through hard work and dedication Corporate Environments was able to persevere. In 1996 Corporate Environments became an Authorized Herman Miller Dealer, and had 18 full time employees by 1997. More employees and becoming an authorized dealer meant it was time to relocate to a larger space. After a few months of searching, and some convincing from the design and sales teams, the clear winner was 605 East Broad Street. What used to be the former Sure Fit building became the new home of Corporate Environments. The building was far from move in ready, but through design and planning the transformation came together in just 8 weeks. The team had taken a factory and transformed it into a 6,000 sq foot office and warehouse space.
The Second Decade
As Corporate Environments entered the early 2000’s growth continued. In 2002 CE was designated as a Herman Miller for Healthcare dealer, and then received the Herman Miller Certified Dealer Status by 2005. In 2008 the team received the Excellence in Business Award from GLVCC, and then merged with One Point in 2010. Although mergers can be somewhat nerve wracking, this one was not as both companies had similar management styles and values. Two teams became one, and the expansion into the Scranton market began. The merger allowed Corporate Environments to become one of the largest and most prominent furniture dealerships in Eastern Pennsylvania. Corporate Environments was honored to be named the Best Office Furniture/Supply Company by Lehigh Valley Business for 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The 30th Year
Corporate Environments currently represents over 200 quality contract furniture manufacturers in the industry. Many of the team members that joined Hovey’s team in the early 90’s, still currently work for CE, and there are now over 30 individuals on the team. The company currently operates out of both Bethlehem and Scranton, allowing the team to service Eastern Pennsylvania and portions of New York and New Jersey. The team extends a thank you to our clients and contacts who have supported and continue to support us. As the team continues to grow and as the world of furniture continues to evolve, CE looks forward to continuing to create interior solutions for many years to come!
