KI

KI began in 1941 as Krueger Metal Products, founded by Al Krueger with the 100 Series folding chair as its flagship product, and moved from Aurora, Illinois, to Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1945. The company later took the name Krueger International and became KI, a contract furniture manufacturer for education, office and healthcare interiors.

Its history includes the Vertebra chair by Emilio Ambasz and Giancarlo Piretti in 1977, an early example of passive ergonomics, the Com system in 1983 and Genius walls by Eberhard von Huene in 2002. KI has been 100 per cent employee-owned since 2018, when Dick Resch sold the majority shares from the ESOP to employees; Brian Krenke became chief executive in 2019, and manufacturing remains in Green Bay.