“What am I holding?” asks Dick Haworth, “I'm holding the clock that we present to Haworth members when they retire from their service to the company. It is one way that we say thank you.”
In his hands is the custom designed and manufactured retirement clock produced by Lou Scarpino, co-owner of Green Giftz. Since 2008, Lou and the Green Giftz team have hand assembled, engraved, and delivered retirement clocks to members of the Haworth team.
“We started by looking for something that would remind people of their experience at the company and something that would bring quality to it,” says Dick. “I think wood has warmth to it and a timelessness to it and it certainly has age to it. It takes time to mature wood that is beautiful. I asked our wood team “Help me figure out how to make this different.” We ended up with walnut and going to a supplier to make the wood elements that were much higher quality, so the finish got much better, and the wood was much better.”
Haworth searched for a supplier who could check all the boxes – source sustainable wood, clock movements, assemble and engrave. Green Giftz, a certified woman-owned company and long standing supplier partner to Haworth, was a natural fit. With a long standing history in the commercial furniture and design industry, Green Giftz understood the need to create a retirement gift that was not only on-brand for Haworth but that also reflected the companies nod to designing with elements inspired by nature.
"Every member contribution is unique and it’s the blending of those, putting things together, that brings true value through to our customers while also creating value for our members, our community and our organization,” said Dick.
“I take a lot of pride in knowing these are going to employees who have put their heart and soul into Haworth. To know that a company the size of Haworth has individuals who have been there for 40, 50 years…it is just a testament to the company,” said Lou.
“It seems at times to me to be anticlimactic, the end of a part of a person’s life and they put a lot of energy in it,” said Dick. “We want to find a respectful way to say thank you and we want you to know going forward that you will have an exciting new phase in your life, and we want you to know that you have a lot of friends here. And we want you to come back and say hi to us every once in a while.”
Interested in designing a signature retirement gift for your employees? The Green Giftz team is here to help! Contact us today to schedule a time to discuss your project needs.