Get it Built by SHIFT

By Devan Mighton

How do you expect to get work done if your workspace doesn’t inspire your headspace? Do you need a collaborative work environment, or maybe a quiet one built for introspection? Will your workspace meet the needs of your company’s future?

Steven Pressacco along with his wife and business partner, Wendy Furtado-Pressacco, want you to maximize your business’s potential with their contract-furniture and architectural interiors dealership— SHIFT Interiors.

“Office design is more than just desks and chairs,” explains Wendy. “We’re able to provide tailored solutions to each client to fit their needs and goals now—but we’re also thinking about the future. How are our recommendations today going to work if a client needs to reconfigure their space, or hire more people or move offices in the future?”

Growing up in Windsor, Steven long held a passion for the hospitality industry, working in some of the city’s most beloved establishments. Steven attended St. Clair College for mechanical engineering, completing his degree at Saginaw Valley State University. He then took a job at Chrysler, before jumping to a technical sales job in Michigan selling valves, controls, and regulators. After moving to New York City, he discovered the world of contract-furniture and was inspired by the need to create functional spaces in the ever-changing work environment. Steven met Wendy, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, in New York, where she had just left her online marketing position at LVMH to pursue a career in special education.

Steven was going places. He was promoted to sales and upper management for a Canadian-based contract-furniture and architectural interiors manufacturer called Teknion. As he rose through the company, Steven and Wendy travelled the world, including spending prolonged periods in Malaysia, Singapore, and Northern California.

“What’s different about Teknion is that they make 90 per cent of their products,” states Steven. “Not a lot of manufacturers can actually say that. A lot of manufacturers just assemble their products, but Teknion manufactures it themselves.”

In 2020, the couple moved from California to Windsor, bringing Steven home for the first time in 13 years.

“Why wouldn’t you want to live in Windsor?” asks Steven. “The peo- ple are nice, the weather is mild, there are always events going on. We have a major city, Detroit, right next door— there’s a lot of opportunity here. No matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always been proud to call Windsor my home.”

A year later, Steven and Wendy launched SHIFT Interiors—a Windsor-based contract-furniture dealer that distributes Teknion solutions, as well as products from dozens of other contract-furniture lines. Since launching, they have installed glass and demountable walls as well as furniture in offices, schools, and hospitals across Windsor-Essex and Southwestern Ontario, and have partnered on several large-scale projects in the United States. By collaborating closely with their clients, they have been able to achieve their goal of creating beautiful, functional, and dynamic spaces.

Having outfitted hundreds of offices around the globe and recognizing the potential of the Windsor-Essex market, it was only fitting that Steven found himself back in the contract-furniture world, this time, in the form of owning and operating a Teknion dealership with Wendy.

“I truly believe that Windsor is one of the best places to start a business,” states Steven. “We have such a supportive community and the response to our entry to the local market has been overwhelming. Amazing things are happening in Windsor: the new bridge, the new battery plant, the new hospital. As a border city, more international companies are recognizing the benefit of doing business in Windsor.”

Wendy, who, during her downtime, volunteers with the Windsor Public Library and is on the board of Art Windsor-Essex, says that every project they encounter is different. “We’re coming in at different points along the process, so we meet clients where we need to,” she says.

Wendy says its important to meet with the client in their space, to fully understand their needs. “Every client is different, every project is different, and everybody using the space has different needs and goals,” she explains. “We want to understand what a clients business outcome desires are and help them to achieve that with their space. Steven and I compile all the information that we’ve gathered from those conversations and meetings and work through the space planning and designing with our technical designers. A lot of times, there’s some back-and-forth with our clients to make sure we’re tailoring the perfect solution. It’s important that our clients have a space that functions for them.”

SHIFT Interiors comes along for the entire process, from design to installation, and plans for your workspace’s future.

“Companies are always shifting and changing,” says Steven. “So, when we are prescribing these solutions, the idea is that they can grow and shift and change with our clients. We’re there on Day 2 if a client wants to add a space or if walls and furniture have to be reconfigured to accommodate their changing business needs.” builtbyshift.ca @builtbyshift

Steven says SHIFT Interiors is here to help your company grow.

“Regardless of how many people are in the office at a time, business and corporations need a place to call home and employees need a place to come together to work and collaborate and build brand identity. It’s more important now than ever to create spaces where people want to gather,” states Steven. “Companies need to invest in spaces that can attract and retain talent. There’s an appeal to working for a company that invests in the ergonomics, aesthetics, and functionality of their offices. Ultimately, it’s an investment in the well-being of their employees.” W.E.