2023 W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award: Grooms Office Environments

Service
In business for nearly a half-century, Grooms Office Environments is committed to walking alongside its clients, from fully designing their interior spaces to final installation of furniture and servicing it for decades. Regardless of the project, Grooms officials say they pride themselves on doing what is right by the customer – even when doing so isn’t the most beneficial to the company’s bottom line.

Involvement
The company gives back on a corporate and management level. Grooms has sponsored the annual Warrior’s Journey Golf Tournament for the past three years and was leading sponsor in 2021 and 2022 of Rotaract Double Dare, which benefits Great Circle. It also is a corporate member of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Springfield Design Association.

46
Longevity of leadership has been a hallmark at Grooms, which has only changed ownership once in its 46 years. Olin Grooms started the company in 1977 and sold it in 2015 to husband and wife Jonathan and Audrey Garard. Before obtaining the company, Audrey Garard worked at the business for 10 years, advancing from a sales representative to her current role as chief operating officer.

200%-300%
Global supply chain delays led Grooms to experience its height of challenges last year, as officials said all its stateside manufacturers struggled to obtain raw materials. That, in turn, hit the industry hard in terms of prices for materials and labor. In the commercial construction and design realm, Grooms experienced a 200%-300% increase in all lead times of products from manufacturers. Pricing increases to the consumer averaged 20% over a span of six months last year, officials say.