Pirozzolo Company Public Relations

"Boston Voyager" Profiles Pirozzolo Company Client Jeffrey Ornstein, CEO of J/Brice Design International

A sure sign of Boston's cultural evolution is the debut of Voyager Media here.

 

After exceeding a million views with its flagship magazine VoyageLA - the trendy lifestyle media company came East to publish Boston Voyager.

 

Boston Voyager identifies local businesses, entrepreneurs, independent artists, institutions that matter and those who contribute to making our city a world-class destination. Part of their objective is to showcase the leaders in Boston's independent creative community, so we were honored when the editors chose J/Brice Design International as one of its Most Inspiring Stories. 

 

I hope you enjoy the Boston Voyager article about J/Brice Design —beginning, its influence as a hospitality design innovator, and its outlook.

 

 

Boston Voyager wants to introduce you to Jeff Brice Ornstein. So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don't you give us some details about you and your story. I have been a hotel designer all my professional life. I started with the Saunders Family which owned three of the historic properties in Boston, and worked for several other firms before starting JBrice Design. Founded in 1989, we are a global design firm, having directed projects in excess of $5 Billion USD.  Our most recent signature engagements include the fabled HMS Queen Mary, the iconic urban landmark The Helmsley Hotel in New York, The Royal Tulip Alexandria, and the Jeddah Crown Plaza, scheduled to open 2017. J/Brice Design has been a Certified Interior Design Giant since 1993, and Architectural Giant since 1995. We consistently ranked among the leading interior design firms worldwide, specializing in interiors for the hospitality industry. Recently named Top Interior Design Firm of The Year by NEWH, the nation's largest professional hospitality organization, JBrice has also twice been identified as one of the Top Ten Fastest Growing Design Firms nationwide by Interior Design Magazine. We have over 220 hotel and restaurant projects to its credit, as well as a diverse portfolio of corporate and residential interiors. JBrice has also been recognized for its work with distinctions such as Best Upscale Hotel Design of the Year, Hotel of The Year, and Intercontinental Hotel Group Renovation of the Year, Best Luxury Suite, Most Ambient Hotel Lobby, and Best Guestroom. J/Brice is a preferred design group for Hilton Hotels, Marriott International/Starwood Hotels, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Wyndham Worldwide Properties. International credentials include work for TAJ Hotels, Kempinski, Royal Tulip, and boutique properties in Dubai, UAE, Qatar, and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.I grew up in New York and graduated from Brandeis University with continued studies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. I am a guest lecturer throughout the Middle East, Europe and North America, and was the first American named keynote speaker of the Kingdom Hotel Expansion and Investment World Summit in Riyadh, KSA. I have twice been a featured speaker at Concepts Middle East in Doha, Qatar, as well as in Interior Design & Construction India, and many times at Heimtextil, the world's largest international textile trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany.  Other speaking engagements include lectures at HD Expo, HD Boutique, HOTEC USA, Asia and Europe, and Hospitality Match USA, and Europe.  I'm a contributing editor to Hotel Executive Magazine, and am featured in Boutique Design Magazine, Hospitality Design, Lodging and Hospitality, Gulf Interiors, Byouteit Magazine, Hotel Business, The Commercial Observer, Young Hotelier, The Improper Bostonian, and Scene Magazine, who named me one of Boston's 12 Most Influential People.  Academic associations include being on the Board of Advisers at the Prestigious New York School of Interior Design, a Visiting Critic at The Boston Architectural Center and The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). I was called upon by my colleagues to be a Judge for the annual Hotel World Platinum Circle Awards in Las Vegas, and for The Boutique Design Global Hotel Design Awards. We're always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc - but we've spoken with enough people to know that it's not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? Ouch... 30 years not all smooth! Three recessions in that time taught me a lot about business, people, my abilities (strengths and weaknesses) and priorities in life both personal and professional.  We'd love to hear more about your business. Much of this was included in your earlier questions, but I'm most proud of the character of JBrice. We are known to be exceptionally creative, responsible, and honorable. The average tenure of an employee at JBrice is well over 10 years.., with several over 20! WE take our responsibilities very seriously, and yet we never lose sight of the fact that work should be fun. (We're known to be a little irreverent as well). I am particularly proud of the many creative individuals whom I have played in part in their professional development, advancing the careers of so many who have go one to great things. When we were awarded top interior design firm of the year, dozens came out to celebrate. Many, if not most, expressed sincere thanks for my part in mentoring their careers, it was a magical evening. What were you like growing up? Brash. Funny. Confident. Loyal. Creative. Stubborn. Appealing. Troublemaker. Theatrical. Energetic. I loved having and cultivating new friendships, and adventure, and still do

Squatty Potty, Scrub Daddy, Amazon Launchpad, Stanley Black & Decker, Other US Innovators Back Invent-a-thon TV Series "Make48" to Spark American Ingenuity.

Some of the America's most innovative  brands like Amazon Launchpad, Squatty Potty, Scrub Daddy, Indiegogo and QVC, plus lead underwriter Stanley Black & Decker are backing Make48, a new invention competition series on Public Television aimed at sparking American ingenuity.

The eight-episode Make48 debuted this fall, has already begun production on Season Two, and is taking applicants for the Season Three competition.  The producers say they hope the show encourages entrepreneurship inspires more Made-in-America products.

In Make48, seventeen diverse teams are given 48 hours to come up with a new consumer product—going from idea to prototype in a televised invent-a-thon. Three winners, picked by judges from QVC, Indigogo, Pivot International and Handy Camel, will get to pitch their products to major retailers. The series is distributed nationwide by American Public Television, Boston, and underwritten by Stanley Black & Decker. Check local listings.

The teams are supported by tool technicians and industry mentors including some of America’s most successful product inventors. Once the top three winners are picked, professionals create prototypes, and produce marketing videos. The competition culminates in a crowdfunding campaign where the products are put before the public.

“Equipped with high-tech 3D printers, digital routers, hand tools, the internet, passion, inspiration, and lots of coffee, the inventor’s products coming out of Make48 might just make it into your home one day,” said Curt McMillan, co-founder of Make48, adding, “This is reality TV that works.”

 “Make48, dubbed, “reality TV that works”, fosters imagination, creativity, problem solving and the inventive spirit,” says Make48 CEO, Tom Gray adding, “Make48's educational product innovation series is more like swimming with a pod of dolphins rather than being thrown into a tank of sharks.”

Stanley Black & Decker is the Make48 exclusive production underwriter. “Both Stanley Black & Decker and Make48 know that the doers, the makers, and the inventors are our future,” says Tim Perra, Vice President, Public Affairs for Stanley Black & Decker, “This show is a reminder that everyone has great ideas. We hope Make48 inspires other individuals to see their ideas through to fruition.”

More than 207 public television stations are airing the show to reach over 90 million households including those in the three top US markets: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The series is produced by Outpost Worldwide, Kansas City and presented by KTWU Washburn University, Topeka, KS.

"We're confident that the Make48 series celebrating innovation and problem solving will resonate with a public television audience," said Christopher Funkhouser Vice President, American Public Television Exchange Programming and Multicast Services.

Supporters include Stanley Black & Decker, Amazon Launchpad, Squatty Potty, QVC, Duck Tape. Indiegogo, GoDaddy, ScrubDaddy, The Grommet, the Handy Camel, Wet & Forget, Ace Hardware, QVC, Pivot International. Complete list of sponsors at: Make48.com

Contact: Make48 LLC, Dick Pirozzolo, 617-959-4613, dick@pirozzolo.com