Marco, a family-owned American-made manufacturer of high-quality education furniture, announced Oct. 27 a new consulting collaboration with Lennie Scott-Webber, Ph.D., an internationally recognized pioneer in environment-behavior research for educational practices and places. The strategic collaboration seeks to strengthen Marco’s journey as a company dedicated to leveraging expert research to become a powerful provider of education furniture solutions designed to make a more positive impact for students and teachers. Through the collaboration, Marco also aims to become a resource of credible education-based knowledge to help dealers, teachers, school administrators, architects and designers make more informed product and educational space decisions.
“Marco has always had a mission to manufacture the best quality products for the students and the teachers who use them,” said Marco President Richard Davidson. “We’re now taking our mission to a higher level. Dr. Lennie’s unmatched expertise will enable us to think critically about the products and services we create, and how Marco – along with all of our partners and stakeholders – can play a more intentional role in generating positive outcomes for learning environments. We are honored to be working alongside Dr. Lennie and are excited about the future.”
“We know that the proven application of research leads to better products and improved space design, which under the right conditions, can lead to positive student outcomes,” said Dr. Scott-Webber. “I applaud Marco for taking this important step to connect research to advance educational spaces for students and teachers. I’m looking forward to sharing in this journey with them, with my continued focus on universal, neuro-design solutions.”
Marco and Dr. Scott-Webber will engage on a wide set of initiatives that cross product development, marketing and sales. An initial activity will include adding storytelling and evidence-based research to Marco’s newly defined brand ethos with the tagline, “Where Learning Takes Shape,” a concept highlighting the importance of shape psychology to educational space design and learning. Additional activities will include a quarterly “Ask Dr. Lennie” question-and-answer blog that will allow Dr. Scott-Webber’s insights to be shared widely across Marco’s web, email and social media platforms. Future activities could include a new CEU course, new product design, sales training, customer workshops, industry webinars and in-the-field research with teachers and students.
An award-winning researcher and team member for multiple product design awards, Dr. Scott-Webber is the owner and principal of INSYNC: Education Research + Design and the current director of the EDmarket Certified Learning Place Specialist (ECLPS) program. A former chair of two design schools and the founding director of Education Environments for Steelcase Learning, she is an author and highly published in peer-reviewed research journals. A sought-after speaker, research consultant and designer for architectural firms and manufacturers of educational affordances, Dr. Scott-Webber received the David McCurrach’s Distinguished Service Award from EDmarket in 2023 for her pro bono work to support and uplift the education industry as a whole.
More information is available at www.madebymarco.net
ABOUT MARCO
Based in Neosho, Mo., and founded in 1998, Marco is a family-owned American-made manufacturer of high-quality education furniture. Marco creates durable, adaptable, modern learning environments that enhance the classroom experience and empower both teachers and students. With state-of-the-art equipment, technology and in-house production capabilities, Marco stands behind every product it makes. From desks, chairs and tables to industry-leading solutions from Bandstor™, Marco is committed to delivering exceptional craftsmanship and outstanding customer service. More information is available at www.madebymarco.net.