what we're about
At Business Furniture + Co, we believe the environments where we spend most of our time
and the people we share it with make us who we are.
We create spaces that help people do their best work.
Business Furniture + Co is deeply rooted in family - and always has been. The company was founded in 1922 by Indiana native Cy Ober who employed the people he trusted the most - his family. They helped to lead the business until 1987 when it was sold to former Steelcase executive, Dick Oakes.
Family continued to be at the center under the Oakes ownership. Less than ten years after buying the company, Dick met his wife, Mary Beth at Business Furniture and they married in 1999. Together, an engaging blend of charisma, entrepreneurial spirit and community involvement was born. Dick and Mary Beth shared a passion for building great relationships with their customers and employees.
In 2008, Mary Beth saw the workplace revolution as an exciting challenge. Work was not limited to cubicles but a hub for innovation and company culture - so Choreo was created - and change management services were added to the business.
As part of the next chapter, Dick retired from owning the business and as of late 2020, the company is 100% woman-owned and a certified Woman Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) recognized by the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana.
At BF+C, family is more than blood- it’s the people you collaborate with and share space with every day. Our employee family strives to be consistently synonymous with our core values: relationships, innovation, and doing the right thing.
our story
WE SEE THE WHOLE OF THE MOON
choreo
Workplace Specialists
Design
Operations
as a new chapter
business Development
Our Leadership Team
Terry Richard
chief Revenue officer
Terry, "TR" or "T" is always buttoned up and ready to go to work for the BF+C team. Terry started 25 years ago as an installer and he's been in just about every role at Business Furniture + Choreo from sales, to installation, to making the big decisions on the executive leadership team. He's passionate about supporting the work at St. Mary's Children Center and Philanthropic committee at BOMA.
Terry, his wife, April, three sons and two dogs like to get down with a lively family game night.
chief Revenue officer
President+ Owner
Suzanne is passionate about people and understanding the science behind getting the right people on the bus and in the right seats. She's constantly challenging our team to be better leaders, push for self-improvement and learn to speak up for what's right.
She has a serious travel bug and can't sit still until she has her next adventure on the calendar. Suzanne hits the road with her husband, Barry, and the two are always happy to get back home to their pug, Tulip.
SUZANNE BENTLEY
President + Owner
Suzanne Bentley
"MB" is at the heart of everything that happens at Business Furniture + Choreo. Whether she's meeting with clients or hosting our company 'Wine Down Wednesday' she's passionate about making culture the center of every company. She's spent the last 28 years doing furniture and change management, starting at the front desk on floor sales and helping walk-in clients around the showroom. There's a level of grit and positivity in everything she does, including her commitment to philanthropy and serving on boards that focus on female leadership and empowerment.
When MB isn't scoping out the latest workplace trends, she's rescuing Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and floating on a pontoon boat on Lake Kesslerwood with her husband Dick.
MARY BETH OAKES
CEO + OWner
mary beth oakEs
ceo + owner
Terry Richard
Mary Meredith
vp of client satisfaction
Mary has been an integral part of Business Furniture for 27+ years and understands all of the aspects of what goes into creating and delivering a beautiful space. Mary collaborates with teams across the company to ensure every project is seamless and clients are thrilled with their results.
Mary loves sipping coffee on the patio with her husband, Buzz, and rescue pup, Wolfee. She looks forward to celebrating Christmas all year long with her kids Monica and Logan and giant collection of nutcrackers and angels.
exec VP of operations
TJ SCHooley
TJ knows the ins and outs of everything operations at Business Furniture + Choreo, he started here 25 years ago working as an installer and follows every project from the moment the order is placed all the way to delivery day. The team loves when TJ gets the run of the showroom playlist because we know we're going to rock out to 80s ballads.
TJ is baseball obsessed and loves travelling with his wife Hannah to see their son, Brock, play baseball at Purdue Northwest.
TJ schooley
executive vice president of operations
Mary Meredith
vice president of Client satisfaction
amanda clark
Vice President of marketing
Amanda loves the art of storytelling. As a former news reporter, she understands people may not remember the details but will always remember how you made them feel. She's obsessed with getting in those 'feels' and helping people understand how important your space is for your mental and physical well-being.
Amanda also runs a non-profit dedicated to caring for caregivers , Cocktails & Chemo. When she's not posting on Instagram or trying to save the world, she's at soccer practice with her daughter, Mira Joey, and attempting to train a wild Goldendoodle puppy.
vp of marketing
CRYSTAL polson
CLIENT SERVICES team lead
amanda clark
vice president of marketing
SCOTT BRITTON
distribution manager
Scott is the lead conductor of the warehouse, delicately coordinating the ins and outs of what makes Business Furniture + Choreo a standout on the stage. His expertise and nearly a decade in the business allows for projects to be perfectly aligned with each client’s timeline.
Scott makes our building and people look good with his personal attention to each freight that arrives and ensure each truck leaves with a purpose to do their best work.
Scott treats his team like family and when he’s not wearing his BF+C baseball cap, he’s wearing his “dad” hat with pride, fishing and camping with his son and wife.
distribution manager
Hannah creates beautiful spaces, she scours the market for industry trends and has an insane photographic memory on all products. Hannah is the heart of our Fishers location, MINDSET, creating dynamic and engaging experiences for our clients.
She's not all work-Hannah knows how to throw a party and shows off her skills for the IIDA signature events and BF+C parties.
On the weekends, you can find her tackling a DIY home project or exploring a new state park camping with her husband Greg and sweet baby Hazel.
vP OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
HANNAH FREIHERR
vice President OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
SCOTT BRITTON
Kyle garvey
warehouse manager - DAYTON
SCOTT BRITTON
John is our “can do” guy with a detail-oriented and highly organized mind we can all admire. His experience allows him to engage with partners at Eli Lilly and our team of designers to ensure each space is functional and purposeful.
John’s energy is the heart of that team and he needs it as he stays busy with four kiddos and coaching their sports.
John Montgomery
Lilly Operations Manager
DIRECTOR of Design +
WORKPLACE STRATEGY
Danielle knows when you get the right ingredients together something magical happens, and we aren’t just talking about her guacamole skills. As the Director of Design, she’s the head chef, stirring and supporting the designers, so they have the freedom and creative flavor they need to deliver for their clients.
Danielle also is a skilled Choreo workplace strategist and loves getting the inside scoop on how organizations work best and can make small changes to work even better.
Outside of work, she’s the MOMAGER managing a husband, two boy’s busy sports schedules and two cute and cuddly pups.
Danielle DAvis
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN +
WORKPLACE STRATEGY CONSULTANT
eli lilly design team lead
dana dworak
john montgomery
Eli Lilly operations manager
Danielle davis
nancy mcmichael
vice president of finance
Joe peters
DIRECTOR OF SAFETY & qUALITY
josh payton
operations manager - dayton
"I bought Business Furniture from John Ober in 1987, after working at Steelcase as a sales executive for nearly 20 years. I've always believed if you aren't the lead dog, then the scenery never changes.
Over the years, I've watched the way we work change in ways we'd never dreamed but with the drive to be the best and create atmospheres for results- there's a reason Business Furniture will be celebrating 100 years in 2022 and I'm darn proud to be part of it."
Rebecca Dean
VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
dainen tolman
DIRECTOR OF K-12 EDUCATION
MARY BETH OAKES
CEO & OWNER
Our business development Team
SCOTT WARNER
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
mike zuidema
business development
Dayton
samantha rosen
business development
business development
Amanda Clark
Vice president of marketing
Hannah Freiherr
vice president of audience development
margo dehner
CLIENT EXPERIENCE CURATOR
cory rocca
Client experience curator
Our choreo Team
Heidi Dellekamp
workplace specialist
jana goehring
learning environment specialist
rodney hopkins
workplace specialist-
dayton
kevin maxwell
workplace specialist-
dayton
casey mcpherson
workplace specialist
jenni mendoza
workplace specialist
brittany murphy
workplace specialist
chris polson
Project Audit + Planning Specialist
Carol Payne
workplace specialist
charlotte baker
workplace specialist
workplace specialist
julie homan
Workplace Specialist
kim graf
terry richard
chief operations operator
Jeff Schwind
designer
TABITHA VACHON
senior designer
mikaela pacuch
designer
eric van dyke
designer- Learning
spaces
danielle davis
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN +
WORKPLACE STRATEGY CONSULTANT
Cathy Ley
designer - Dayton
andrea cox
bookkeeper
suzy brown
inventory administrator
laura long
accounts payable
scott bastin
director of i.t
shana legge
accounts receivable specialist
Nancy mcmichael
vp of finance
Our client services Team
suzanne bentley
president of hr
heather marshall
hr generalist
Our HUMAN RESCOURCES TEAM
Scott Britton
Distribution manager
jamil armstrong
lead INSTALLATION
Rodger Bolton
Project MAnager
Matt Lambert
project manager
larry kearley
installation
Joseph Donahue
operations
Landon Lynn
INSTALLATION
installation
Jesus Martinez Cruz
Jay McIntire
INSTALLATION
Lilly Operations MAnager
John Montgomery
joshua Payton
operations manager- DAYTON
Joe peters
DIRECTOR OF SAFETY & qUALITY
tj schooley
executive VP of Operations
david polson
INSTALLATION
donnie richard
project manager
christopher shull
installation
tim skinner jr.
installation
jesse steen
PROJECT MANAGER
Don Temple
INSTALLATION & SERVICE
richie webb
INSTALLATION - DAYTOn
