Connecting with our Community: Marc Szafran, President of Holly Hunt
Studio Designer’s Connecting with our Community webinar series welcomed numerous luminaries in the design and business community to partake in revealing discussions with Studio Designer CEO Keith Granet. From top designers to presidents of major brands, Keith interviewed these major players in the trade for enlightening opinions and advice for how design professionals can navigate the ever-shifting business landscape.
As the new president of Holly Hunt, Marc Szafran shared his thoughts on taking on an important new role in the industry and how to manage the choppy waters of the ongoing crisis. Marc is excited to grow with the company and draws on his previous experience managing Thom Felicia and leading the team at Michael S. Smith and Jasper. In his dialogue with Keith, Marc expressed that “the most significant driver for the future of the industry is technology and the pandemic is an accelerant and catalyst for things already set to change.” He emphasized that all companies of all scales need to embrace technology by integrating it into the business to adapt quickly to change and growth.
Marc believes that Studio Designer is at “the leading edge of embracing technology” due to its very early shift to cloud computing and is pleased to see that it is set to modernize and scale into the future. He also believes in the value of “best of class” service and the vitality of having a plan in a company supported by a vision. Marc is thrilled to work with Holly, who is still heavily involved with the creative direction of the company, and is particularly proud of the new wallcovering collection and the company’s acquisition of the Vladimir Kagan collection.
Marc highlighted how Holly Hunt has quickly adapted to virtual communications for products and sampling and how much the company continues to encourage custom work by designers. Marc strongly believes that the showroom continues to be a vital component of the trade and sees a bright future ahead for both virtual and physical Holly Hunt locations.
View the recording of the Marc Szafran interview here, check out the full collection of Connecting with our Community webinars, or read a blog post about the entire series.