NEWH - Winter 2015 - 52

Cover Story

Take a Seat
Shafer Commercial Seating's
enduring tradition
By Alia Akkam

I

t was 1936 when Randy Shafer's handy grandfather started
reupholstering furniture out of his shop (located in his mother-inlaw's basement) in Denver. "Then my father, Byron, got involved
in the business," he says. "They were working on a lot of booths
for restaurants and had the thought that instead of fi xing them, maybe
they should make them from scratch." That is exactly what father
and son did, and by the late 1960s, Shafer Commercial Seating was a
thriving manufacturer courting hospitality clients.
Shafer chose to spend his childhood summers sweeping the
factory's containers instead of at summer camp-intrigued by the
tasks that held his father and grandfather's attention-taking breaks to
sit in on management and supplier meetings. These early experiences
with grit and enterprise inspired him, and in 1987, after graduating
from University of Colorado Boulder's business school, Shafer started
working for the family business full time as an imports manager.
During college, Shafer's father had tried to steer him away from a
career in furniture, reminding him of the tough and unpredictable
road ahead. But at that point, Shafer was hooked on the promise of
a simple chair. "The possibility to make products that would be seen

52 www.newh.org

Photo by Greg Christman

From top: Shafer
president Randy Shafer
with his father, vice
president Byron Shafer, at
the company's factory in
Denver; a wood-framed
barstool in an ebony
fi nish



http://www.newh.org

NEWH - Winter 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - Winter 2015

NEWH - Winter 2015
Contents
News
Who’s Who
Scholarships
Sustainability
Q&A: William Stuart
Q&A: Hope Quintanar-Case
Q&A: Michelle Finn
Have You Seen
On the Scene
Shafer Commercial Seating’s enduring tradition
Project: Territory Kitchen & Bar
Save the Date
New Members
Chapter Highlights
Partner Profiles
Ad Index
NEWH - Winter 2015 - NEWH - Winter 2015
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Cover2
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Contents
NEWH - Winter 2015 - News
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 5
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 6
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 7
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Who’s Who
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 9
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 10
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 11
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 12
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 13
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Scholarships
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 15
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 16
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 17
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 18
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 19
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Sustainability
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 21
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 22
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 23
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Q&A: William Stuart
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 25
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Q&A: Hope Quintanar-Case
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 27
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Q&A: Michelle Finn
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 29
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Have You Seen
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 31
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 32
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 33
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 34
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 35
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 36
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 37
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 38
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 39
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 40
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 41
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 42
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 43
NEWH - Winter 2015 - On the Scene
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 45
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 46
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 47
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 48
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 49
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 50
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 51
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Shafer Commercial Seating’s enduring tradition
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 53
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 54
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 55
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Project: Territory Kitchen & Bar
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 57
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 58
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 59
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 60
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 61
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Save the Date
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 63
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 64
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 65
NEWH - Winter 2015 - New Members
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 67
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 68
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 69
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 70
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 71
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 72
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 73
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Chapter Highlights
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 75
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 76
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 77
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 78
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 79
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Partner Profiles
NEWH - Winter 2015 - 81
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Ad Index
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Cover3
NEWH - Winter 2015 - Cover4
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