KI - Krueger International Inc.
05/19/2026 | Press release | Archived content
KI Opens New Inspiration Center and Debuts Cognetic Technology™ at Fulton Market Design Days
KI Opens New Inspiration Center and Debuts Cognetic Technology™ at Fulton Market Design Days
May 19, 2026
New Inspiration Center debut to feature first hands-on experience with Cognetic Technology ™ and a curated showcase from KI, KI Wall, and Pallas Textiles
GREEN BAY - Contract furniture manufacturer KI will debut Cognetic Technology™, a breakthrough innovation platform redefining workplace seating through a new category focused on human performance, at Fulton Market Design Days, June 8-10 in Chicago.
The technology will make its full public appearance inside the new KI Inspiration Center at 1045 W. Fulton Street, 8th floor, marking the company's first year participating in Design Days after five decades exhibiting at NeoCon at The Mart.
"Fulton Market has quickly become one of the most important destinations for design innovation and dialogue," said Tony Besasie, chief sales and marketing officer at KI. "For us, this move is about more than a new address. It's a strategic investment in being part of a community where ideas, experimentation, and the future of work are actively taking shape."
The Innovation You Have to Feel: Cognetic Technology
At Design Days, KI will introduce Cognetic Technology, a patented innovation invented by Aaron DeJule that fundamentally expands how seating is designed, experienced, and evaluated.
Workplace seating has traditionally focused almost exclusively on ergonomics-comfort, posture, movement, and muscle exertion. Cognetic Technology builds upon these established ergonomic principles while also introducing two entirely new dimensions to seating design:
- Neuro/Cognitive Performance: focus, processing, and mental clarity
- Physical/Physiological Impact: stress response, wellness, and how the body adapts over time
Together, these dimensions establish a new category: human performance seating, an evolution beyond just ergonomic support into a system designed to support how people move, think, focus, and perform throughout the day.
"For decades, seating has asked the body to adapt to the chair," said DeJule. "With Cognetic Technology, I reversed that relationship. It works with gravity and natural movement, allowing the body to find balance on its own. Whether you're working, collaborating, or relaxing, the feeling is seamless, effortless, intuitive, and aligns with how the body actually wants to move."
Cognetic Technology represents a disruptive shift within the seating industry, from static support to responsive human performance systems.
"People shouldn't have to think about how to sit," said Besasie. "Cognetic Technology creates a sense of balance that happens almost unconsciously. It allows the seating experience to respond to the user, rather than forcing the user to constantly manage the chair."
Controlled studies associated with Cognetic Technology demonstrated measurable outcomes across wellness, cognition, and comfort, including up to a 30% reduction in anxiety, improved cognitive performance and processing during seated work, improved comfort through the lower back and pelvis, and reduced effects commonly associated with prolonged sitting, including stiffness, discomfort, and fatigue.
"These findings matter because the reality of work today is that we spend more time seated than ever before," said Besasie. "Cognetic Technology is designed to counteract the effects of a sedentary day by working with the body's natural rhythm. It provides the essential movement and support required to keep a person comfortable and engaged even during long stretches of focus."
Visitors to the KI Inspiration Center will have the opportunity to experience Cognetic Technology firsthand during Design Days. KI will also have a presence at street level outside the building, featuring interactive product activations.
More to Discover at the KI Inspiration Center
Alongside Cognetic Technology, the KI Inspiration Center will showcase a curated selection of product introductions, collaborations, and design activations from KI, KI Wall, and Pallas Textiles, along with additional experiential opportunities for visitors.
Outspan is a refined furniture collection designed to connect interior and exterior environments. Built with outdoor-grade steel and high-density polyethylene surfaces, Outspan brings modern simplicity to outdoor learning, working, and collaboration spaces while maintaining a cohesive design language with interior environments.
Building on the signature design of the Tributaire Collection, this line extension introduces new forms and finishes that elevate both collaboration and aesthetic expression. Designed to support connection across a range of environments, Tributaire balances refined detailing with the flexibility needed for modern shared spaces.
Purposeful Design® Partnership
KI has partnered with nonprofit enterprise Purposeful Design to introduce handcrafted solid-wood tabletops for select Tributaire café and occasional tables. The collaboration supports job training and meaningful employment opportunities for individuals overcoming homelessness or addiction, pairing craftsmanship with social impact.
Upon entering the new KI Inspiration Center, visitors will be greeted at a custom reception desk designed via the Infinity From KI process and featuring Purposeful Design surfaces and accents. Infinity From KI showcases the company's collaborative design approach, enabling organizations and designers to co-create custom furniture solutions tailored to their brand, culture, and space. Through a consultative process that includes concept development, prototyping, and engineering support, Infinity has already helped organizations bring one-of-a-kind environments to life.
Giverny Collection by Pallas Textiles
Inspired by Monet's mastery of light and color, the Giverny Collection translates impressionist principles into modern textile design. Through nuanced palettes, tactile surfaces, and thoughtful materiality, the collection supports expressive, design-forward environments across workplace, hospitality, and healthcare settings. Meet the designer of the collection, Geraldine Blanchot-Fortier, to hear about how she was inspired by Impressionism. Then, bring expressionism to life in a unique interactive textile art creation led by Elodie Blanchard. Guests can also view commissioned artwork from Blanchard inspired by and featuring textile patterns from the Giverny Collection.
In a newly reimagined space, KI Wall presents a more design-forward expression of its architectural wall solutions-highlighting a shift toward openness, material refinement, and seamless integration. Visitors will experience integrated power solutions, glass-forward applications, and expanded customization capabilities that support flexible, high-performance environments. Alongside these applications, detailed cutaway displays reveal how the system comes together, giving architects greater insight into performance, integration, and constructability. Following their recent acquisition of Custom Glass Products, LLC-Wisconsin, KI Wall has expanded by strengthening precision and flexibility in glass-intensive wall system applications and storefront installations.
VIP Events
KI invites the A&D community to attend the following events at 1045 W. Fulton Street:
- Inspiration Center VIP Preview Event: Sunday, June 7 | 2-5 p.m. | 8th floor
- Inspiration Center Cocktail Reception: Monday, June 8 | 5:30-7 p.m. | 8th floor
A New Destination for Design Conversations
Throughout Design Days and beyond, the KI Inspiration Center will serve as a hub for exploration and conversation, encouraging visitors to linger, engage, and discover ideas shaping the future of work, learning, and collaboration.
For KI, the debut of both the Inspiration Center and Cognetic Technology represents a broader step forward in how the company pursues innovation.
"Design Days gives us the opportunity to bring people together to experience ideas in a more meaningful way," said Besasie. "Our Inspiration Center, and innovations like Cognetic Technology, reflect where KI is headed. We're focused on designing environments and experiences that better support how people move, work, learn, and connect in entirely new ways."
For more information about KI and its presence at Design Days, visit ki.com/designdays.
About KI
KI manufactures innovative furniture for education, healthcare, government, and corporate markets. The employee-owned company is headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with sales and manufacturing facilities worldwide. KI tailors products and service solutions to the specific needs of each customer through its unique design and manufacturing philosophy. For more information, visit ki.com.
About Aaron Dejule
Aaron DeJule is an industrial designer and founder of DeJule LLC, with a career spanning more than two decades focused on advancing the experience of seating. A graduate of the Institute of Design in Chicago, he has partnered with leading manufacturers to develop award-winning furniture and lighting solutions recognized with honors including IDSA Gold and NeoCon Gold and Silver. DeJule is the inventor of Cognetic Technology and designer of the Kiaura Collection, a new approach to seating that rethinks the relationship between movement, comfort, and performance.
KI Furniture
1330 Bellevue Street, Green Bay, WI 54302
Phone: (800) 424-2432
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ki.com
KI - Krueger International Inc. published this content on May 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 21, 2026 at 21:43 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]