It is with profound sadness that we announce the unexpected death of Brad Powell on Tuesday, July 10, 2018.
Brad was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Addie Reid Powell, their son Adam Reid Powell, his wife Renee, and three grandchildren Kaden, Silas and Willow. Brad and Addie also shared their love with their beautiful Newfoundland dogs, Chef, Oso and Mr. Blue (who recently passed away).
Brad was born in 1941 and grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. He studied at the University of Wisconsin where he also played the trumpet in the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. He met his beautiful wife Addie while there, and they married in September 1966.
Following graduation, he spent three years as a Lieutenant in the Army before enrolling in the Law School of Boston College where he received his law degree in 1972. Admired for his writing skills, he was made Editor of the Law Review. Upon graduation, he and Addie moved to New York, and Brad became a transactional lawyer at the New York office of White & Case. He later chose to open his own law practice, but admitted to friends that he was not happy practicing law.
In 1989, Brad decided to leave the law profession behind and join George Kordaris, a friend from the commercial furniture world, as a partner in a start-up publishing enterprise – and thus was born officeinsight. While George focused on business development and building relationships with designers and manufacturers, Brad used his exceptional writing skills to write the stories, edit and produce the weekly faxed newsletter that focused on workplace design and furniture manufacturing.
The energy and courage it took to make the leap to a new enterprise was further challenged when George decided, in 1995, to return to his prior life in the furniture manufacturing industry, allowing Brad to take over as the sole owner of officeinsight, but without much industry knowledge or connections of his own. Addie became the office manager, keeping the business side of operation running smoothly.
Never afraid to take risks, Brad used his charmingly irascible personality, unique sense of humor and well-honed writing skills to build and maintain a wide network of relationships throughout both the design and manufacturing sides of the industry, “giving voice to those who create workplace design and furnishings.”
Over the next several decades as technology permitted, Brad grew and evolved officeinsight from a weekly fax newsletter to a digital magazine and website.
In 2014, Brad decided to retire, and sold officeinsight but continued to serve as Publisher Emeritus and often contributed feature articles on topics to which he was devoted. He took a scholarly approach to workplace strategy and was fascinated with the research being done by leading design firms and furniture manufacturers. Because of his unwavering, if sometimes critical, support of the role interior design plays in the lives of all who work in offices, Brad was made an honorary Fellow of ASID. He was always proud of that honor.
Brad never lost his love of music. The Powell home was never without a trumpet, harpsichord, recorder or other instrument on a table or chair with sheet music of the complex, classical kind nearby. His home theater (audiophile room really) boasts the best audio equipment, including two mammoth speakers the size of a small Fiat – not for volume, he said, but for quality. He had a huge collection of LP’s and he enjoyed losing himself to the music – everything from classical to jazz – seated between the speakers in his Womb Chair. He believed that, “Vinyl is the best way to experience music. It sounds better, but it also feels better.”
Through every phase of life, Brad never tired of learning something new. Indeed, his curiosity about the impact of design in our lives and many of his articles in officeinsight provide an excellent example of this. Many of us, his friends and colleagues, were used to getting an excited call from Brad with some new fact or research or idea, thus being treated to learning something new. And he wasn’t above teaching himself new skills, going so far as learning to play the shofar with the help of You Tube videos. He worked at translating Dante from Italian to English and while rehabbing from back surgery practiced ping-pong, which became his latest hobby.
Brad, we will always remember you for your wit, your wisdom and your dedication. Rest in peace, dear friend. You are and will be missed!
In lieu of flowers if you are so inclined, please make a donation In Memory of Bradford J. Powell to:
Silver Hill Hospital
208 Valley Road
New Canaan, CT 06840
Attention: Lynn Traverse
