Aeron Chair Herman Miller

The continued popularity of Aeron Chair Herman Miller is prompting the Zeeland company to invest $2.5 million into expanding production capacity at its Holland plant. The company has asked the city of Holland for a 50 percent tax break on the improvements, which include building upgrades, new machinery and other equipment.

The project of Aeron Chair Herman Miller is expected to create 65 new jobs in production at the plant, located at 1400 S. Pine. Aeron is one of several office chairs produced at the Holland plant located just north of Tulip City Airport. The facility employs 514 workers.

"It is, by far, the single most commercially successful seating product in the company's history," said Mark Schurman, company spokesman. "The (Aeron) chair has averaged a 50 percent compound growth rate every year since its introduction."

Over the years, the company has had to increase production capacity to keep up with the demand for the Aeron chair. Earlier this year, the company received a tax abatement on a $900,000 investment made for new machinery and equipment at its Holland plant. That improvement was expected to create 20 new jobs.

The chair debuted as an instant classic in 1994. Even before the product was commercially unveiled, the Museum of Modern Art added one to its permanent design collection, Schurman said. The chair often is part of the scenery in films, television and magazine layouts.

More than good looks make the Aeron a bestseller. The chair also is ergonomically correct. Made of a material patented by Herman Miller, the Aeron conforms to the spine of the user.

Last week, the office furniture maker reported overall sales, net income and earnings that were the best in the company's 77-year history. The company reported a profit of $42.3 million for the second quarter, an increase of more than 28 percent from the year before.

Carney came to Denver to work in solar construction and design in 1973, fresh out of Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in architecture and design. A voracious reader of books on human physiology and health maintenance, Carney made his first ergonomic chair out of oak in early 1983, and founded his design company that summer. That first chair, made in Carney's home workshop, became the prototype for eight patented models of home and office chairs.

Carney built the chair with only two boards across the back for support. With a specially designed cushion, the open design allows the sitter's back to remain flexible -- a must for a healthy back, said Carney, who tests out his chairs on chiropractors, doctors and their patients.

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