"What Happens When You Hire Someone That Had Been at Knoll? They Multiply!"
08/20/25 Edition Stephen Says Column

Dear Stephen,  

I work for a major manufacturer. One of the big companies without a fancy product. Several years ago, after the MillerKnoll acquisition, the leadership of my company was very clever to notice that many of the original Knoll employees were unhappy with the merger and wanted out. Our CEO made a concerted effort to reach out to these people, get their attention, along with our HR team, and ended up recruiting a few of them from both leadership and regular sales. Eventually, we landed some big fish that didn’t want any part of the MillerKnoll acquisition, which brings me to why I’m writing you, to mention an observation I’ve made.

To be clear, he recruited the original Knoll people, not the MillerKnoll people. What I’ve since seen happen here, and at other companies as well – is that Knoll people tend to attract other Knoll people to come work with them! They literally multiply. Take for example, we hired someone who used to be a Regional VP at Knoll and promoted them to become our VP of Sales, and since then this person has recruited a bunch of former Knoll people in the short amount of time that they’ve been here. It's been great for us.

I’ve seen this at other companies, too. Every time someone from Knoll lands a role anywhere else; whether that be Allsteel, OFS, Humanscale, Global, you name it -- more Knoll people quickly follow! Some of my colleagues and I have jokingly referred to it as the Knoll diaspora.

It’s interesting because I do not think of these brands that the former Knoll people end up at have the sex appeal that the original Knoll brand did, or the exclusive dealer network. Many of these other manufacturers are mostly open lines. Regardless, Knoll people tend to follow one another. My question to you is, what is it that Knoll people have with one another that I don’t see at many other companies?

Signed,
The Observer

---

Dear Observer,

Your observation is very astute. The original Knoll people, not to be confused with the MillerKnoll people, are a unique blend of professionals who loved the legacy of the original Knoll brand. They were trained to be tenacious and vigorous salespeople and they have maintained many close friendships with each other. So maybe that's the answer -- friendship.

The MillerKnoll people are now all settled in and seem happy whereas some of the Knoll people were just never happy after the merger. It happens. When Herman Miller acquired Knoll, it was the perfect storm for many of the original Knollies (as they call themselves). They were unhappy with the new comp plan and the product line complexity, looking for a way out. Many became bitter and it was time for them to go.

As you pointed out – most of them have gone to brands not quite as famous for manufacturing iconic design staples the way Knoll was. This is interesting because they’re typically the most elitist salespeople, design-wise. Still, they follow the recommendation of their former colleagues, their friends, and practicality wins out in the end– they have concluded that they work to make a good living, not to advance the reputation of Mies van der Rohe. After all - it's just furniture.

You are right in that many of them have gone on to sign up for new lives in office furniture or aligned or allied products. It’s not unique to Knoll people, however. For instance, I have observed that when people leave Steelcase, particularly when they go to a Steelcase dealer, other Steelcase people go to that same dealer with them. They follow the money. But I haven’t seen it to the extent that I see Knoll people who've left in the past, ending up at these open-line manufacturers, to be followed by other Knoll people. (This is all past tense, because I see very little turnover today at MillerKnoll).

The advantage of companies hiring former Knoll people is that these companies are now being introduced to designers that they might not have been able to reach before. This is because the Knoll salespeople are famous for having strong A&D relationships and your CEO was indeed quite clever to go after unsatisfied Knoll people post-merger because it has opened your product up to a whole new customer base. Here are some examples:

If a former Knoll person goes to work at Global, Humanscale or Allermuir and has a strong relationship with someone at a design firm that might not ordinarily be interested in that product, as a courtesy to the long relationship they had with that Knoll salesperson they are bound to give an appointment, resulting in a new sales possibility the brand would have never had if it wasn’t for the Knoll salesperson coming on board. It may not lead to an order or a specification, but it’s an opportunity that would never have happened otherwise.

The second win-win is that Knoll sales reps tend to be very loyal to their dealers and most former Knoll people went to work for companies that are now open lines, like Boss, Senator or Arper. Which means the dealer will now get a presentation about a new brand that they might not have considered before, which is a good back up for a mainline product is too expensive, or not right for what they’re looking for. Maybe the former Knoll salesperson who is now selling Humanscale or OFS will take an order from a dealer that would have otherwise gone to Knoll, and the best part, no one can complain because it’s an open line!

Long story short, yes, Knoll people multiply, and they bring their relationships with them. I’m still curious long-term if this is really resulting in more sales and profits for manufacturers, because one thing for certain is that companies who hire these former Knoll salespeople and executives have paid a premium for them. So, they bring the relationship with them but whether that pays off and turns into new orders will have to be another column.

Signed,
Stephen

Stephen Viscusi is the founder of www.viscusigroup.com, an executive search firm that specializes in the interior furnishings industry. Hires made through The Viscusi Group are guaranteed a one-year free replacement. Please share your story or comment on this article and send your workplace questions to stephen@viscusigroup.com. Or give us a call at (212) 979-5700 ext. 101 .

© Stephen Viscusi 2025

#HNI #Allsteel #Knoll #HermanMiller #MillerKnoll #Employee #ContractFurniture