Believe In Your Office

Boomerang Office Furniture
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

Believe In Your Office is a podcast dedicated to exploring the evolving world of office culture, teamwork, and leadership. Whether you’re leading a team, navigating workplace challenges, or trying to create a culture where people thrive, this show is your go-to resource. Each episode features candid conversations with industry leaders, business professionals, and experts who share their experiences and advice on building productive, collaborative, and inspiring workplaces.

  1. Aug 3

    The Secret to Workplace Culture Isn’t What You Think

    Believe in Your Office | The Secret to Workplace Culture Isn’t What You Think  HOST  Johnathan Grzybowski — Co-Founder at Penji  GUEST Ryan Gordon — Sales Leader & Commercial Furniture Specialist    WHAT WE COVER  • From team captain to commercial sales — how early leadership experiences shaped Ryan’s human-centric approach to sales  • The evolution of cold outreach — why traditional cold calling is shifting toward building authentic, in-person B2B relationships  • Furniture as a culture catalyst — how physical workspace aesthetics and office design set the tone for employee experience  • Helping vs. selling — why B2B sales is less about pushing products and more about helping clients fulfill their vision  • Staying relevant without being pushy — navigating long sales cycles while maintaining meaningful, value-first client touchpoints  • Retail vs. B2B dynamics — why one-off transactional selling fails in commercial furniture and complex account management    KEY QUOTES  "Sales isn't about pushing a product; it's about coming alongside a client to help them bring their vision to life." — Ryan Gordon  "Your office design isn't just about chairs and desks—it's the physical footprint of your company culture." — Johnathan Grzybowski    PRODUCTS & REFERENCES MENTIONED  Modern B2B Cold Outreach Frameworks — strategies for shifting from transactional pitches to relationship-based selling  Commercial Furniture & Spatial Design Solutions — creating high-impact physical workspaces that reflect brand identity    SPONSORED BY  Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com  Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com

  2. Jul 27

    Beyond the Desk: Designing Spaces People Actually Want to Use (Part 2)

    Believe in Your Office | Reclaiming the Workplace (Part 2: Tech Overload & the Lost Art of Connection)  HOSTS  Josh Smargiassi — Host, Boomerang Office Furniture / Common Sense Office Furniture  John Sorrell — Co-Host & Office Furniture Industry Veteran    WHAT WE COVER  Sports stadiums & full houses — why post-COVID crowds are flocking back to Braves and Phillies games just to feel a sense of community The "doomscroll" trap — how phone addiction, screen fatigue, and dopamine drips are pulling us away from the real world  AI-written emails — why "Top of the Morning" robotic outreach feels insulting and how to spot synthetic messaging in your inbox Outlook's new 'Like' button — are quick digital reactions replacing actual workplace conversation?  The "Show Me, Don't Tell Me" phenomenon — why we talk ourselves into thinking we've accomplished something just by watching YouTube or Reels  Nostalgia on the landline — remembering the awkwardness of asking a girl's father out on a date and $900 flip-phone texting bills  Anxiety and human interaction — why taking real-world social risks builds essential communication skills    KEY QUOTES  "You can believe you're doing something by talking about the thing that you're going to do. If I talk about something long enough, you can convince yourself that you've done it... I'm convinced people watch cooking videos who don't cook. They watch the video, get the satisfaction, and then order DoorDash." — John Sorrell  "When someone sends you an AI email, you're like, 'Wait a minute, bro... you never spoke like that before!' It's kind of insulting because you couldn't take the time to really think about it." — Josh Smargiassi    PRODUCTS & REFERENCES MENTIONED  The Modern Outlook "Like" Button — digital reaction features changing workplace communication  High-Density Texting & Landline Nostalgic Relics — 10-cent text messages and wall-mounted landlines    SPONSORED BY  Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com  Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com    📲 Missed Part 1? Go back and check out Part 1, where we break down modern office design, natural light, and whether breakout spaces are actually getting used!

  3. Jul 20

    Beyond the Desk: Designing Spaces People Actually Want to Use (Part 1)

    HOSTS Josh Smargiassi — Host, Boomerang Office Furniture / Common Sense Office Furniture John Sorrell — Co-Host & Office Furniture Industry Veteran   WHAT WE COVER Florida heat vs. Pennsylvania weather — why oppressive summers and freezing winters drive everyone inside (and what tomato harvests have to do with it) Designing for 3:00 PM — how to build an office space that makes employees actually want to stay past mid-afternoon Touches of home — why casual, comfortable touches are essential for bringing people back into the office post-COVID Natural light as a productivity driver — how daylight impacts energy levels, mood, and office positive vibes Breakout areas vs. private offices — are collaborative lounge spaces actually getting used, or are they just a trend? The post-COVID square footage shift — why hybrid schedules mean you need fewer fixed desks and more flexible shared zones Extinct office relics — looking back at high-density rolling file rooms on floor tracks and structural engineering nightmares   KEY QUOTES "I think you have to make sure the space is somewhere where you want to go... design it so there are touches of home, so at 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon, people actually want to be there." — Josh Smargiassi "Collaborative areas get the wrong rap. You think it's just whiteboards and bean bag chairs... but it's really about giving people a reason to work together again after being so isolated." — Josh Smargiassi   PRODUCTS & REFERENCES MENTIONED Breakout Lounge Seating — flexible, casual seating designed for informal team brainstorming and Zoom calls High-Density Mobile Shelving — classic mechanical-assist rolling file systems on floor tracks   SPONSORED BY Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com   📲 Stay Tuned: Catch Part 2 next week, where we tackle phone addiction, spot-checking AI emails, and the lost art of real-life conversations!   CONNECT WITH US Youtube: @BelieveInYourOffice Spotify: Believe In Your Office

  4. Jun 29

    The Office Is Changing — And It's More Interesting Than You Think (Round 2)

    HOSTS Josh Smargiassi — Host, Boomerang Office Furniture / Common Sense Office Furniture John Sorrell — Co-Host & Office Furniture Industry Veteran WHAT WE COVER DoorDash, a machete, and a very confused delivery driver — the intro that has nothing to do with furniture and everything to do with how we live now The case for paying cash and living below your means — a surprisingly real conversation about financial discipline Extinct office rooms: the file room on rolling tracks, the 40-person boardroom, the CRT corner insert workstation Why less square footage doesn't mean fewer people — it means smarter use of space The open office plan isn't new — Frank Lloyd Wright was doing it. And it keeps coming back around Why private spaces are coming back: when everything's open, you can't have a candid conversation without the whole floor hearing it Lighting evolution: from humming fluorescent tubes to app-controlled zone lighting that adjusts by section The felt cubicle ceiling — what it is, how it works acoustically, and why it's better than it sounds The tax and permitting advantages of building with furniture instead of walls — most business owners have no idea Sprinkler codes, HVAC, lighting clearance — why office furniture can replace construction in many applications Phone fatigue: why a whole patio of people sat outside at a bar with live music and nobody looked at their phone Hacky sacks are back — and Boomerang should put their logo on one KEY QUOTES "You don't need a 40-person boardroom. We did them — they were incredible — but now half the room zooms in anyway." "The reason people do cubicles instead of walls: full write-off in year one vs. 1/39th depreciation for forty years. Most people never knew that." "We can build out an entire office without doing any construction. That's the thing people never knew about Boomerang and Common Sense." "Everything that was old is new again. The kids are hacky sacking now and nobody's on their phones. There's something happening." PRODUCTS & REFERENCES MENTIONED Artifex — acoustic felt cubicle ceiling panels (creates privacy without full enclosure) Boomerang's showroom, South Jersey — features app-controlled zone lighting and a live example of the felt cubicle ceiling installation The furniture-as-construction argument: full Section 179 write-off vs. 39-year straight-line depreciation for construction SPONSORED BY Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com

  5. Jun 22

    The Office Is Changing — And It's More Interesting Than You Think (Part 1)

    HOSTS Josh Smargiassi — Host, Boomerang Office Furniture / Common Sense Office Furniture John Sorrell — Co-Host & Office Furniture Industry Veteran WHAT WE COVER DoorDash, a machete, and a very confused delivery driver — the intro that has nothing to do with furniture and everything to do with how we live now The case for paying cash and living below your means — a surprisingly real conversation about financial discipline Extinct office rooms: the file room on rolling tracks, the 40-person boardroom, the CRT corner insert workstation Why less square footage doesn't mean fewer people — it means smarter use of space The open office plan isn't new — Frank Lloyd Wright was doing it. And it keeps coming back around Why private spaces are coming back: when everything's open, you can't have a candid conversation without the whole floor hearing it Lighting evolution: from humming fluorescent tubes to app-controlled zone lighting that adjusts by section The felt cubicle ceiling — what it is, how it works acoustically, and why it's better than it sounds The tax and permitting advantages of building with furniture instead of walls — most business owners have no idea Sprinkler codes, HVAC, lighting clearance — why office furniture can replace construction in many applications Phone fatigue: why a whole patio of people sat outside at a bar with live music and nobody looked at their phone Hacky sacks are back — and Boomerang should put their logo on one KEY QUOTES "You don't need a 40-person boardroom. We did them — they were incredible — but now half the room zooms in anyway." "The reason people do cubicles instead of walls: full write-off in year one vs. 1/39th depreciation for forty years. Most people never knew that." "We can build out an entire office without doing any construction. That's the thing people never knew about Boomerang and Common Sense." "Everything that was old is new again. The kids are hacky sacking now and nobody's on their phones. There's something happening." PRODUCTS & REFERENCES MENTIONED Artifex — acoustic felt cubicle ceiling panels (creates privacy without full enclosure) Boomerang's showroom, South Jersey — features app-controlled zone lighting and a live example of the felt cubicle ceiling installation The furniture-as-construction argument: full Section 179 write-off vs. 39-year straight-line depreciation for construction SPONSORED BY Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com

  6. Jun 15

    25 Years, One Company, One Industry: What the Office Looked Like Then vs. Now with Adam Wayne

    GUEST Adam Wayne — 25-year veteran, Global Furniture Group, Northeast Region (PA, NJ, NY, DE) Website: globalfurnituregroup.com WHAT WE COVER Global Furniture Group's origin story: Saul Feldberg starting in his garage, now a billion-dollar manufacturer celebrating its 60th anniversary How Global maintained culture from a family garage to 3,500+ employees across North America Adam's 25 years at one company — what loyalty and culture actually look like from the inside The Grand Getaway: Global's legendary annual customer appreciation trip and what attention to detail looks like at the highest level (branded toothpicks, napkins, mirrors — all of it) What changed most in the office furniture industry from 2001 to 2026: filing cabinets, CRT corner inserts, height-adjustable desks, built-in power Why height-adjustable tables went from luxury to standard — and the Bluetooth app that tracks your standing habits NeoCon 2026 in Chicago: the trade show, the Merchandise Mart, and Global's exciting new Fulton Market showroom opening The 'live in it for a while' philosophy — why Boomerang and Global both tell clients not to rush into changes AI pop-ups during a podcast recording and what they say about where technology is headed The felt-topped cubicle ceiling: the acoustic solution that looks open but functions like a private office Tax advantages of furniture over construction — why building with furniture instead of walls is smarter than most people know KEY QUOTES "You almost have to get a height-adjustable table now to attract people. And it's so inexpensive not to." "From a toothpick with a Global symbol to the sticker on the toilet paper — that's what tells you what the main focus of a business is." "We can build out an entire office without doing any construction. Most people have no idea that's even possible." MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE NeoCon — the annual international contract furnishings trade show, held every June at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago Fulton Market, Chicago — where Global is opening its new showroom for 2026 Global's Free Fit height-adjustable table series — includes a Bluetooth app that tracks sit/stand patterns Artifex — acoustic felt cubicle ceiling panels referenced in the John & Josh segment CONNECT WITH GLOBAL FURNITURE GROUP globalfurnituregroup.com SPONSORED BY Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com

  7. Jun 8

    How Branding Transforms the Workplace with Kim Chudoff

    GUEST Kim Chunoff — Co-Owner, Fast Signs of Maple Shade, NJ Website: Search "Fast Signs Maple Shade" or email/call directly WHAT WE COVER How Jeff Chunoff went from Tint Man to one of the most recognizable vehicle wrap businesses in New Jersey Kim's journey: leaving her family's construction company in 2019 and finding unexpected purpose in the signage world How Amazon changed the conversation around workplace environments — and kicked off a wave of interior branding investment How vinyl graphics, wall murals, and glass treatments transform office culture without a major renovation The synergy between signage/branding and office furniture — how Boomerang and Fast Signs work together on client projects Why brand consistency across office locations (like insurance companies and franchises) matters more than most businesses realize Kim's philosophy on her young team — empowering people, investing in their 401k, treating employees like family The COVID pivot: plexiglass screens, safety stickers, and building new products in a crisis Why running toward a problem is always better than running from it The Wayfair problem — why buying office furniture online sounds great until it isn't Why being a human being is the real competitive advantage in 2026 KEY QUOTES "We're not just a sign shop. If you read my Google reviews, you'll understand." "In 2026 and moving forward, our superpower is going to be our ability to be a human being — because everyone can go online and buy from Wayfair." "When you walk into a business and you don't see anything branded inside, you know exactly where you are on the buying level." CONNECT WITH FAST SIGNS OF MAPLE SHADE Google: Fast Signs Maple Shade They are a full-production shop — one of the few that produces entirely in-house rather than reselling SPONSORED BY Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com

  8. Jun 1

    From the Army to the Corner Office: Real Estate, AI, and Why the Office Still Wins with Tom Weitzel

    GUEST Tom Weitzel — Managing Director, Tenant Representation, JLL Contact: JLL.com — search Tom Weitzel for email and contact details WHAT WE COVER Tom's origin story: Cleveland, 2.1 GPA, joining the Army at 19 to see the world The military-to-real estate pipeline: how Army discipline and mentorship shaped his career Deploying to Iraq in 2005 and the decision to leave the military for civilian life Landing in Philadelphia with no network — and why it turned out to be the perfect city What tenant representation actually means — and why most people don't understand the commercial side of real estate The Staubach acquisition by JLL in 2008 and how it changed Tom's career trajectory JLL's billion-dollar investment in technology and AI tools — and what that actually looks like for clients The real return-to-office picture: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday are back — and Mondays are trending that way Why choosing which days to come in doesn't work — and what actually does AI: the washing machine analogy vs. the computer analogy — which is more accurate? The CEO who said: I can't just think of my employees' productivity — I have to think of their wellbeing as human beings Trade school vs. four-year college in an AI world — who's actually safer? Eric Church's commencement speech and the Ready Player One warning about living in virtual reality KEY QUOTES "It's not the washing machine — it's the computer. What do you mean you're not using AI? It's like telling your boss you don't need a computer." "My job is to think about the wellbeing of this human being. Show me one study that says isolation from colleagues is a positive thing for a person." — Tom's client, CEO of 800-person company "Relevance. That's the only question. Is what I'm doing right now relevant to the job — or just beneficial to me personally?" LINKS MENTIONED Eric Church Commencement Speech — search 'Eric Church commencement speech 2025' on YouTube [link in show notes] Ready Player One by Ernest Cline — the book Josh references on virtual reality and mandatory real-world time CONNECT WITH TOM JLL.com — Tom Weitzel, Managing Director, Philadelphia SPONSORED BY Boomerang Office Furniture — boomerangofficefurniture.com Common Sense Office Furniture — commonsenseoff.com

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Believe In Your Office is a podcast dedicated to exploring the evolving world of office culture, teamwork, and leadership. Whether you’re leading a team, navigating workplace challenges, or trying to create a culture where people thrive, this show is your go-to resource. Each episode features candid conversations with industry leaders, business professionals, and experts who share their experiences and advice on building productive, collaborative, and inspiring workplaces.

Information

  • Creator
    Boomerang Office Furniture
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Believe In Your Office