By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Scott Sikkema, formerly of Sweetwater Products, recently launched Viable, a start-up product design firm co-owned by Via Design, a Grand Rapids-based architecture and design company.
Located at 44 Grandville Avenue, Viable will specialize in creating custom products that architects and designers want to use in their designs but can’t find because what they want isn’t on the market.
“Let’s say they want certain furniture or lighting, or maybe a surface material, but it’s just not out there, not being made by anyone. There are probably other architects and designers who want it, too,” Sikkema says. “We’ll research the products and the firms who want them, and develop a few products each year and sell them to the national market.”
Sikkema expects to rollout two products this year, beginning in the fall with an undisclosed product currently being researched and developed.
Valerie Schmieder, who is Sikkema’s sister, and Brian Barkwell own Via Design, the partner company, and have been looking to diversify. While it’s common for designers to create for other companies, few design firms tackle the complexities of design, manufacturing and distribution themselves.
“Instead of wishing [for a particular product],” Schmieder says, “we’ll create and market these products ourselves.”
“All of our products will contribute to LEED points and will be designed with the environment in mind,” says Sikkema.
Source: Scott Sikkema, Viable; Valerie Schmieder, Via Design
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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