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HISTORY
First founded by three creative minds working out of a barn in rural Warren, Vt., in 1971, WallGoldfinger got its start as American Construction Co-op. Two years after its start, in 1973, the company changed its name to Union Woodworkers and moved to what was known as the Old Bobbin Mill in Warren. The new location was short-lived. The following year, in December of 1974, the mill and all of its inventory and equipment were completely destroyed by fire. Undaunted, the business reopened a month later in January of 1975 and within months had a design purchased for inclusion in a Smithsonian Institute exhibit. In 1976, the company found a more permanent home at the Nantanna Mill in Northfield, Vt.
For WallGoldfinger, 1976 marked the start of a period of growth and product evolution. That was the year John Wall, now owner and CEO, joined the company. A year later John bought the company with fellow employee Michael Goldfinger, who joined the business in 1972. In 1984, the company was incorporated as Wall/Goldfinger Inc., and began a planned move into the Boston and New York contract furniture markets. Corporate furniture orders, from companies like Price Waterhouse and JPMorgan, began coming in that very first year.
All along the way the company grew. By the 1990s, what had started as 4,000 square feet of factory and office space was now 30,000 square feet and the workforce had grown 10-fold. There was a now a veneer department, oil had long since been replaced with lacquer for finishing furniture and computer operated routing machines were being used. The 2000s brought greater innovation and change. In 2011, the Northfield factory flooded and in 2012 WallGoldfinger opened in a state-of-the-art, 62,000-square-foot factory in nearby Randolph, Vt.
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45 years, and counting
WallGoldfinger celebrates 45 years in business this year. For many of you, that is probably your whole lifetime or more. In that time, we have evolved as a company, starting with just a couple employees building kitchen cabinets and children's toys to a 62,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art factory exclusively building corporate furniture. As you can read in the History section of our website (excerpts to the right), I was just 23 when I was hired in 1976 as the company's third employee. A year later I bought the company with fellow employee Michael Goldfinger. In the years since, there has been significant change. We entered the contract furniture market, earned big jobs and great awards, we tragically lost Michael to leukemia at age 49, we flooded, we relocated, we grew and, other than some male pattern baldness, we stand strong. 45 years. It isn't quite 50 so we're not breaking out the champagne just yet. But it is a milestone for our employees, for me as an owner and for manufacturing. Quite frankly, it's a long time to be doing anything, but it's hard to imagine doing anything else. WallGoldfinger is at the top of its game, is building some of its best furniture and tackling increasingly exciting and challenging jobs. Here's to another 45 years. (Think I can lead the company from "the home"?)
Sincerely,
John Wall CEO
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About us
WallGoldfinger produces the world's finest corporate office furniture. From custom boardroom and conference tables, lecterns and credenzas to meticulously-crafted product lines, WallGoldfinger's furniture is designed with state-of-the-art, integrated technology solutions, responsibly sourced and made in America for discriminating designers, furniture dealers and corporate clients.
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