Shopping for quality furniture for your office.(Brief Article)

Needs, ergonomics and employee input should be consideration factors

Buying office furniture is a lot like buying a car, according to a furniture industry trade group. Customers need to shop for models that meet their needs and fit the image they want to project. Dealers are likely to be involved. And it's almost impossible to judge the quality of a desk or a car just by looking.

"There's a tremendous variety of product types, styles and qualities," said Tom Reardon, executive director of the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIEMA). "There's nothing you can look at to say, 'Oh, that's high quality.'"

BIFMA, which is headquartered in Grand Rapids, …