Custom furniture manufacturer Pacific Hospitality Design Inc. (PHDesign) of Commerce, California, is emphasizing its philosophy and business value—to encourage moral integrity and aid in being the change they want to see in the world—by servicing those in need. In June, PHDesign sent its designer and R&D specialist, Naomi Stroh, to Haiti to assist those living in the aftermath of the earthquake. For 30 days, Stroh and her fellow volunteers worked construction, passed out food, and entertained a few hundred kids and teenagers as part of an after-school program. "Despite their surroundings, Haitians are full of love and respect for one another," she notes. "Whether they have a mother or father or sister or brother, they all take care of each other."

Meanwhile, back at the shop in the United States, PHDesign vice president Ana Maria Martinez-Stumpo and her father, Gilbert Martinez, were building and installing beautiful, durable furniture for a new environment at the Los Angeles Skid Row homeless shelter (pictured above). The pair worked with a local designer and other staff on the project to transform this shelter into stylized and "tough enough" environment to encourage stability and optimism in the hopes of providing guests with an opportunity to navigate their lives in a new direction.  

In addition, PHDesign has taken a page from its Rag Bag—which is a handmade bag constructed of countless yards of remnant designer fabrics—for a new venture called Orphan Stock. The e-commerce, to-the-trade-only program uses leftover prototypes, furniture exchanged for new models and numerous raw frames lining the loft space of the shop. The ready-to-be-made furniture pieces are affordable and of high quality. Designers may also inquire about revamping or refurbishing dated furniture into a refreshed, retro-fitted, reconstructed piece.