Sustainable Office Solutions grows into larger space

SALINA  —  Sustainable Office Solutions, LLC has moved under a bigger roof. A bigger, bright-green roof.

In October, the furniture company moved its headquarters to suite 30 at 900 Old Liverpool Road in the town of Salina. The new location gives it 1,400 square feet of office space along with 16,000 square feet of warehouse space. 

And, company owner and President Andrew Picco saw to it that the new location has an exterior that stands out.

“I invested the money to paint the roof green and pay for the cedar shanks so that you can see it from the moon,” Picco says. “You can’t see it from [Old Liverpool Road], but you can see it from the moon.”

Sustainable Office Solutions’ new home isn’t visible from the street because it is tucked toward the back of a complex at 900 Old Liverpool Road. Still, the location met a need the company had for more space as it expanded, according to Picco.

The office-furniture firm, which specializes in selling pre-owned and repurposed furniture, had been located at 1815 Lemoyne Ave. in Salina since shortly after Picco founded it in 2009. Sustainable Office Solutions leased about 5,000 square feet of combined warehouse and office space there.

Beginning in the middle of 2010, the company also started leasing about 4,000 square feet of warehouse space at 900 Old Liverpool Road from Water Street Associates LLC. Sustainable Office Solutions’ stock of pre-owned and repurposed furniture was growing, and its Lemoyne Avenue location didn’t have enough space for it all.

The furniture company slowly increased the amount of space it leased at Old Liverpool Road until May 2011, when it had 8,000 square feet there. Then Picco decided he needed to consolidate to one location.

“It was driving me crazy when I was meeting customers,” he says. “What location are we meeting at? Well, I’ll show you something here, but then we’ve got to go over there. Logistically it was a nightmare.”

Picco invested about $15,000 in renovations to the warehouse and office at Old Liverpool Road before finally moving all company operations there in October. He self-financed the renovations, along with credit from Solvay Bank, he says.

Improvements included leveling the floor in the company’s office and installing new carpeting, new windows, new warehouse lighting, and the green roof. Company employees performed the renovations, Picco says.

Sustainable Office Solutions needed the new space because it grew rapidly in 2011, with revenue increasing 288 percent that year, according to Picco. The pre-owned furniture specialist saw major growth from  two lines of new furniture.

“If I didn’t have that new furniture, and I only sold pre-owned, we wouldn’t have seen the growth,” Picco says. “It’s because we’re multifaceted.”

The new furniture lines are from Trendway Corp. and Affordable Interior Systems, LLC (AIS). Both Trendway and AIS are certified “carbon neutral” by the CarbonNeutral Co., meaning they pay for projects to offset the carbon emissions caused by their manufacturing.

Binghamton–area businesses were another driving factor behind Sustainable Office Solutions’ growth. Flooding from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee left many Southern Tier companies in need of new furniture, Picco says.

Growth at Sustainable Office Solutions won’t be receding with the Broome County floodwaters, if Picco’s predictions are accurate. The company projects 30 percent revenue growth to $700,000 in 2012, up from about $538,000 in 2011. But, Picco believes revenue will actually top $1 million.

“Mark my words, we will absolutely blow away 30 percent growth,” he says.

Picco plans to expand rapidly by building connections outside of Central New York. He wants to supply pre-owned furniture to dealers in other areas of the state like Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany. 

Many dealers in those areas would like to offer pre-owned furniture for their customers but do not have supply chains, Picco says.

He is also exploring the prospect of exporting pre-owned furniture to companies overseas.

“Send it to India and Brazil and everywhere else,” he says. “They’re just dying for this product. And it’s sustainable because [the furniture] isn’t going to the dump.”

Sustainable Office Solutions is currently in the process of hiring one full-time sales representative, Picco says. That’s after it added a full-time employee last year. The company currently employs four full-time workers and three part-time employees.

If the company grows as fast as Picco hopes, it will be doing more hiring, he says.

“If that happens, we have to hire more people,” he says. “I would need a full-time warehouse person alone.”

Picco is making sure he maintains a focus on sustainable business as his furniture company grows, he says. 

Selling repurposed furniture keeps that furniture from ending up in landfills, he says. And, Picco isn’t afraid to tell customers
about the value of repurposed furniture, he adds.

“I’ll challenge them and say, ‘Listen, I know you want to buy all new,’ ” he says. “‘But in the backroom and the cafeteria where nobody’s going to see, do we really have to buy all new? These chairs we’re sitting on are used. They sell for $480 new. I sell them repurposed for $195. Do you want to save some money, or do you have too much money?’ ”

SALINA  —  Sustainable Office Solutions, LLC has moved under a bigger roof. A bigger, bright-green roof.

In October, the furniture company moved its headquarters to suite 30 at 900 Old Liverpool Road in the town of Salina. The new location gives it 1,400 square feet of office space along with 16,000 square feet of warehouse space. 

And, company owner and President Andrew Picco saw to it that the new location has an exterior that stands out.

“I invested the money to paint the roof green and pay for the cedar shanks so that you can see it from the moon,” Picco says. “You can’t see it from [Old Liverpool Road], but you can see it from the moon.”

Sustainable Office Solutions’ new home isn’t visible from the street because it is tucked toward the back of a complex at 900 Old Liverpool Road. Still, the location met a need the company had for more space as it expanded, according to Picco.

The office-furniture firm, which specializes in selling pre-owned and repurposed furniture, had been located at 1815 Lemoyne Ave. in Salina since shortly after Picco founded it in 2009. Sustainable Office Solutions leased about 5,000 square feet of combined warehouse and office space there.

Beginning in the middle of 2010, the company also started leasing about 4,000 square feet of warehouse space at 900 Old Liverpool Road from Water Street Associates LLC. Sustainable Office Solutions’ stock of pre-owned and repurposed furniture was growing, and its Lemoyne Avenue location didn’t have enough space for it all.

The furniture company slowly increased the amount of space it leased at Old Liverpool Road until May 2011, when it had 8,000 square feet there. Then Picco decided he needed to consolidate to one location.

“It was driving me crazy when I was meeting customers,” he says. “What location are we meeting at? Well, I’ll show you something here, but then we’ve got to go over there. Logistically it was a nightmare.”

Picco invested about $15,000 in renovations to the warehouse and office at Old Liverpool Road before finally moving all company operations there in October. He self-financed the renovations, along with credit from Solvay Bank, he says.

Improvements included leveling the floor in the company’s office and installing new carpeting, new windows, new warehouse lighting, and the green roof. Company employees performed the renovations, Picco says.

Sustainable Office Solutions needed the new space because it grew rapidly in 2011, with revenue increasing 288 percent that year, according to Picco. The pre-owned furniture specialist saw major growth from  two lines of new furniture.

“If I didn’t have that new furniture, and I only sold pre-owned, we wouldn’t have seen the growth,” Picco says. “It’s because we’re multifaceted.”

The new furniture lines are from Trendway Corp. and Affordable Interior Systems, LLC (AIS). Both Trendway and AIS are certified “carbon neutral” by the CarbonNeutral Co., meaning they pay for projects to offset the carbon emissions caused by their manufacturing.

Binghamton–area businesses were another driving factor behind Sustainable Office Solutions’ growth. Flooding from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee left many Southern Tier companies in need of new furniture, Picco says.

Growth at Sustainable Office Solutions won’t be receding with the Broome County floodwaters, if Picco’s predictions are accurate. The company projects 30 percent revenue growth to $700,000 in 2012, up from about $538,000 in 2011. But, Picco believes revenue will actually top $1 million.

“Mark my words, we will absolutely blow away 30 percent growth,” he says.

Picco plans to expand rapidly by building connections outside of Central New York. He wants to supply pre-owned furniture to dealers in other areas of the state like Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany. 

Many dealers in those areas would like to offer pre-owned furniture for their customers but do not have supply chains, Picco says.

He is also exploring the prospect of exporting pre-owned furniture to companies overseas.

“Send it to India and Brazil and everywhere else,” he says. “They’re just dying for this product. And it’s sustainable because [the furniture] isn’t going to the dump.”

Sustainable Office Solutions is currently in the process of hiring one full-time sales representative, Picco says. That’s after it added a full-time employee last year. The company currently employs four full-time workers and three part-time employees.

If the company grows as fast as Picco hopes, it will be doing more hiring, he says.

“If that happens, we have to hire more people,” he says. “I would need a full-time warehouse person alone.”

Picco is making sure he maintains a focus on sustainable business as his furniture company grows, he says. 

Selling repurposed furniture keeps that furniture from ending up in landfills, he says. And, Picco isn’t afraid to tell customers
about the value of repurposed furniture, he adds.

“I’ll challenge them and say, ‘Listen, I know you want to buy all new,’ ” he says. “‘But in the backroom and the cafeteria where nobody’s going to see, do we really have to buy all new? These chairs we’re sitting on are used. They sell for $480 new. I sell them repurposed for $195. Do you want to save some money, or do you have too much money?’ ”