about zero1

Gardner Klaasen
Owner

zero1, a global furniture design and development firm based in West Michigan, was founded in 2001 by American designer Gardner Klaasen and his partner. Gardner and his team bring over 50 years of combined experience to Zero1 in all phases of industrial design, product development, product management, manufacturing, engineering, and sales. Prior to forming Zero1, Gardner had his own successful industrial design firm.

With the recent relocation of production facilities to Greenville, Zero1 is now able to fill a void in the marketplace by designing, developing and producing seating products with attractive, clean design aesthetics of uncompromised quality at competitive prices here in the USA.

The Zero1 team’s methodology embraces working cohesively from sketch phase, model-making, validation, and engineering to tooling, quality control, testing and supply chain management. Gardner and his team work in a hands-on capacity during every phase of product development to ensure that the company’s high quality design and product standards are achieved. Zero1 is currently focused in the office seating and military markets. However the company has additional, specialized expertise in furniture, automotive, marine and medical product development.

Zero1 has a proven track record of working with a diverse, international client base ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to privately-owned companies. Prior to forming Zero1, Gardner was a lead designer on the Steelcase Leap Chair and lead various studio projects for JCI Corporation.

Since the formation of Zero1, Gardner and his team have introduced the following global seating products, while working through all phases of product development from sketch to market: Kimball’s new ergonomic "Wish" chair in 2005; a Steelcase Asia Pacific (SCAP) product designed for the Japanese market named “Apt”, and a chair named “Gamma” for the European market; the Bernhardt "Pilot" chair; Turnstone "Jack" and "Burton" chairs; and, the "Edge" chair which is a highly adjustable ergonomic work chair for a Taiwan manufacturer.

Zero1 has also designed and developed a new range of seating and marine accessories for boating manufacturer Tempress Products and Fish On. The company has selectively designed and developed seating products for superstores OfficeMax, Staples and Office Depot. Zero1 is currently developing an extreme performance Military Seat to mitigate the effects of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) on a range of military vehicles.

"The basic value of a sustainable society, the ecological equivalent of the Golden Rule, is simple: each generation should meet its needs without jeopardizing the prospects for future generations to meet their own needs." – World Commission on Environment and Development.

At zero1, we believe good design accomplishes more with less. Less packaging, less storage space, less transportation, and less of the unnecessary stuff.

To this end, zero1 is committed to the following:

• Design and manufacture in the United States.
• Cradle to cradle design practices.
• Knock-Down (KD) Packaging which minimizes storage space and the need for extraneous packaging material.
• Use fewer parts and minimize manufacturing processes.
• Develop products designed to weigh less and require less raw material.
• Make an effort to eliminate waste, not just reduce it.
• Work with suppliers to find creative ways to reuse waste materials.
• Selectively use suppliers who are committed to sustainable manufacturing processes.
• Work with suppliers who are committed to using recycled or renewable materials wherever possible.
• Produce products that are designed to last.
• Working toward LEED certification.

As cradle to cradle designers, our commitment to the environment begins long before we produce a new product. From the moment a new product is conceived, we consider how it will be recycled or reused at the end of the product life cycle.