75 YEARS OF BUILDING BETTER RESOURCES, INVESTING IN PEOPLE AND ENRICHING OUR COMMUNITIES.
What began as an idea to launch a manufacturing enterprise to employ America’s veterans returning from World War II, the Home-O-Nize Co. was founded and later became HON Industries and today the company is known as HNI Corporation.
Since the beginning, our company has followed a steady course, guided by the values that our founders placed on treating every employee - known as “members” - with fairness and respect. Combined with our shared belief of having relentless focus on our customers, for the past 75 years, HNI has become a premier supplier of office furniture and the global leader in fireplaces and heating stoves.
"I have never seen an organization with a more distinctive set of beliefs and values than HNI Corporation. I feel so privileged to have been a member and to have had the opportunity to lead and guide this organization into the future."
STAN A. ASKREN
Former CEO of HNI
"My belief is that business, at its core, is just about people. When I joined HNI in 1990, I was most excited about joining a family. My goal as a CEO was to listen to the people and ensure that HNI was a good place to work."
JACK MICHAELS
Former CEO of HNI
"We feel confident about the future because of our people, our products, our markets, and our loyal customers."
STANLEY M. HOWE
Former President of Home-O-Nize Co.
"Why not use the word 'member' to designate everyone in the Home-O-Nize organization - whether in office, in shop, or an officer."
CLEM HANSON
Co-Founder of Home-O-Nize Co.
"Using the term 'member' projects a greater sense of belonging and participation. The [1947] member handbook set out policies that embodied our opinions and beliefs on how a company should be run."
MAX STANLEY
Co-Founder of Home-O-Nize Co.
THE HISTORY OF HNI CORPORATION
Milestones of the past 75 years
The story of HNI Corporation began with a Sunday conversation back in June of 1943 between two friends, C. Maxwell Stanley and Clement T. Hanson. The two shared the same worry, that employment would be a major problem when at war's end, the country converted to a peacetime economy. With the shared belief that there was a need in our country for more enlightened approaches to employer-employee relations, the two along with H. Wood Miller, created Home-O-Nize which would later be known as HNI Corporation.