When you love to solve problems as much as Jean-Paul Wong, providing optimal workplace solutions for clients throughout multiple industries among several locations is just another day at the office. As president and CEO of PURE Workplace Solutions, Wong is a mastermind of industry knowledge, anticipating the market curve, acquiring, rebranding, and repositioning for maximum growth.
“PURE provides thoughtful solutions related to workplace and learning environments. Individuals, businesses, or learning institutions often need professional expertise on space planning, interior design, or product selection. We represent furniture and architectural products from hundreds of manufacturers worldwide and provide solutions that match a client’s needs, purposes, and budget,” Wong says.
Those who know Wong describe him as one of the good guys who is fastidious about pleasing his customers, so the name PURE is a mirror on how he conducts business. Wong chose the name as a rebrand in 2017 to create a commercial furniture business model that offers a streamlined process representing simple, clean, and unadulterated designs at approachable prices.
With degrees in Finance, Economics, and a JD/MBA, Wong was making his mark in the financial sector before a business connection led him into the used furniture market 20 years ago. After decades of helping build an award-winning corporate identity, Wong anticipated a shift.
“New overseas imported products were being offered at extremely low prices and used furniture demand was dropping,” Wong explains. “It became a race to the bottom.”
Wong hit the reset button and regrouped, retaining many trusted clients and gaining new ones. Last August, PURE purchased BA Designs in Topeka, an established office furniture dealership and interior design firm. It was a smooth integration met with enthusiasm and new energy. The company opened two more offices and several showrooms across the state. Today, Wong has a dedicated team in four locations: Wichita, Topeka, Manhattan, and Kansas City.
PURE Workplace Solutions’ professional staff supports architects, designers and owners by providing solutions that best meet the owner’s needs, assisting in space planning, workplace strategy, creating 3D renderings and proposing finish palettes.
“We provide holistic solutions, considering every detail, and provide an efficient, aesthetically pleasing concept with products designed to meet the needs of the modern workplace. Our goal is always to exceed the client’s expectations and to complete the job on time, every time.”
Products delivered include workstations, private offices, seating, receptions/lobby spaces, filing/storage, tables, lighting, windows and architectural walls with personal collaboration and attention to ergonomics.
“Commercial furniture always has new trends,” Wong says. “The open plan concept is still influencing furniture design, but people debate its impact on productivity in the workplace. Regardless, workplace design is driven by attracting and retaining the best workforce. Today’s workforce is highly mobile, and technology allows us to work almost anywhere at any time. Workplaces and furniture are facilitating a more diverse mix of dedicated spaces, casual meeting or collaborative spaces.”
In addition to growing a thriving business, Wong is dedicated to his family and multiple philanthropies, serving on several boards over the years, including the Kansas City Ballet, Francis Family Foundation, Charlotte Street Foundation, Wonderscope Children’s Museum, ArtsKC, and Metropolitan Community College Foundation.
“Kansas City has been a great place for me,” Wong says. “My children are surrounded by people with strong Midwestern values, and it has an affordable cost of living. It’s also well documented that KC has a strong philanthropic community, which I’m passionate about. It’s a great place to own a business because the people here love to support its entrepreneurs.”
PURE Workplace Solutions
3525 Roanoke Road, #101
Kansas City, MO 64111
PUREWorkplace.com