Knak Group

11/02/2025

Thank you everyone for an amazing Be Original Americas event! Knak Group was tasked with organizing an inspiring gathering of design innovators from across North America in support of Be Original Americas, a movement dedicated to championing authentic design and protecting creative integrity. Knak, together with Heller Furniture, MillerKnoll, and KBM Hogue, demonstrated the power of collaboration in bringing this important initiative to life.
Mike Skaar, founder of Knak Group and a long-standing contributor to California’s architecture and design community, underscored the shared values that brought the group together:
“We’ve built our business around supporting a very special community of creatives and promoting original design,” said Skaar. “Be Original Americas is deeply committed to protecting design and preventing knockoffs wherever possible.”
The evening featured a lively panel discussion moderated by Kyle Kusich, illuminating Be Original Americas’ mission and the broader importance of authenticity in the design industry.
The panel (pictured from left to right) included:
- Moderator: Kyle Kusich, Knak Group
- Annie Kantor, Founder & Design Director – Modern Metal Designs
- Brian Graham, Founder & Creative Director, Graham Design
- David Charne Founder & CEO, Fyrn
- John Edelman, CEO & President, Heller + Current President, Be Original Americas
- Laura Guido-Clark Guido Clark, Founder of Love Good Color & Project Color Corps
- Primo Orpilla, Founder & Principal, Studio O +A
For more information about Be Original Americas, and its ongoing efforts to promote design authenticity, please visit https://www.beoriginalamericas.com/
For additional event information, contact [email protected]

10/16/2025

Knak is honored to be sponsoring a program with Be Original Americas, along with Heller Furniture, Miller Knoll, and KBM Hogue. We've always pursued authentic design, so we're excited to see BOA in action, and we hope you'll join us at 5:30 on Tuesday, October 28th, at 235 Montgomery Street in San Francisco.

07/01/2025

We were proud to walk alongside members of our IIDA Northern California chapter this past weekend at the 2025 San Francisco Pride Parade. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make this incredible event possible!

06/24/2025

Knak Group is proud to join in celebrating the 55th annual Pride Celebration this coming Sunday, June 29th. This past week, we were honored to participate in Gensler’s AIDS Walk Auction & Pride Party, where our partners at Heller generously donated a stunning Limbo chair in support. The chair was a crowd favorite, attracting enthusiastic bidders throughout the evening. A heartfelt thank you to the Gensler team for hosting such a fantastic event, and to John Edelman and Heller for your continued support. We’re looking forward to many more celebrations in the week ahead!

06/10/2025

At Neocon, there are tons of awards for unique product introductions, but all of the judges must agree on one, singular design that represents the very “Best of Competition”. Once again, Halcon was honored with the award. Than you Neocon judges!

05/17/2025

We are pleased to announce Kyle Kusich has joined Knak Group as the Director of A&D and Business Development for the San Francisco Bay Area. With extensive experience gained from working with multiple dealerships representing Miller-Knoll and Haworth, Kyle brings a wealth of expertise to the team. He is eager to contribute to Knak Group’s continued success and support the impressive growth the company has seen in Northern California.

Kyle is a dedicated athlete and passionate runner, constantly on the lookout for his next half marathon challenge. After earning his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon, he began his career in broadcast media, working with prominent collegiate athletes and universities to share their stories.

Kyle, a Bay Area native, grew up surrounded by family and friends deeply involved in the commercial interiors industry. As he embarks on his next professional chapter, he's looking forward to connecting with colleagues and industry leaders at both ICFF and NeoCon in the coming weeks.”

Kyle can be reached at:
Kyle Kusich
Business Development + A&D
(650) 793 – 4599
[email protected]

09/13/2024

It’s IIDA Leaders Breakfast 2024!

06/14/2024

As we settle into the "new normal", hard research is clearly documenting the benefits of hybrid work. Stanford Professor Nick Bloom details key takeaways:

1) Hybrid WFH 2-days a week has no impact on employee or firm performance. No effect on employee grading, promotions, innovation, development, leadership, lines of code or other business metrics.

2) Hybrid WFH reduced quit rates by one third. Given each quit cost the firm about $20,000, this saved millions a year, making hybrid *very profitable*.

3) Quit rate reductions were largest for female employees, non-managers and those with the longest commutes. In industries struggling with gender diversity - like finance and tech - this is another benefit.

4) Managers pre-experiment estimated hybrid would reduce productivity by -2.6%. After the 6-month experiment they updated this to estimating it *increased* productivity by +1%. Managers discovered hybrid works well :-)

These results explain why hybrid is profitably used by about 80% of US and European companies (Flex Index). Hopefully, the WFH debate will focus on data and science, rather than outdated lockdown WFH anecdotes.

What changes need to be made to accommodate this new reality? Ask your Architect and Interior Designer. They are leading the necessary redesign of workplaces.

Some employers are backing away from hybrid working, but research suggests that they need not be concerned.