Eldon Purdy
General Manager, Surroundings

Eldon Purdy came to Oakview in 2002 to serve as General Manager of Surroundings, the newly acquired office furniture division. Surroundings had been founded by Lincoln businessman Tom Keogh some 25 years earlier. Purdy welcomed the opportunity to head the new division. He remembers being impressed by the longevity of Oakview employees, many of whom had been with the company for 20 years or more.

Purdy explained that Surroundings represents more than 200 contract furniture dealers, but the company focuses on more than furniture. “We pay attention to the total office environment, including ergonomics, lighting and sound masking systems,” Purdy noted. “One of our favorite tag lines is ‘It’s not the furniture - it’s what surrounds you.’ We help clients make decisions that will allow them to get maximum productivity from their people.”

Purdy mentioned that Surroundings has a working showroom. He said that seeing various types of furniture being used in a real office setting can help clients determine how they want their offices to look and function.

As a division within Oakview Construction, Surroundings has the advantage of being able to assist clients at an early stage, Purdy noted. “We can help them with space planning, and we can help ensure that the furniture they select will fit into the available space.”

One of the top furniture lines carried by Surroundings is Knoll, and more than 80% of the furniture chosen by clients comes from that supplier. Purdy mentioned that Surroundings also offers solid modular walls manufactured by a Canadian company called DIRTT (Do It Right This Time).

Many companies are switching from cubicles to collaborative space, Purdy pointed out, and modular walls fit perfectly into this type of environment. Installation of modular walls is environmentally friendly, producing far less waste than traditional drywall installation. Modular walls also make it much easier for clients to modify their office floor plans to meet changing needs.

Prior to working for Oakview, Purdy acquired a broad range of experience in agricultural and business pursuits. He was a farmer in central Nebraska until the mid-1980s, selling liquid fertilizer as a sideline. When farming was no longer financially feasible, he started his own business to assist other farmers with financial restructuring and debt analysis. For seven years, Purdy sold large-format digital copiers to architectural and engineering firms.