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Growing up in Detroit, Dan Grabowski was influenced not only by his own father, who was a builder, but by his friends' dads, too. "When my dad needed to create or repair something, he would design a solution and then we would go off together and build it. We built everything from cabinets to apartment buildings. That's how things were done in our house," he recalls.

At the same time, his best friend's father was a car designer, whose house was filled with sketches of cars, modern art, and contemporary furniture. "I decided I wanted to do something that combined my love of art and working with my hands. I considered being a sculptor, but then when I was in college, I studied the work of Harry Betroia, and that's when it clicked for me, the connection between sculpture and industrial design."

After graduating from The Center for Creative Studies, Grabowski worked on a range of projects, including power tools for Sears Craftsman and infant care products for Gerber. His primary focus, however, has been furniture design, with a special passion for wood casegoods.

Herman Miller was a West Michigan businessman who helped his son-in-law, D.J. De Pree, buy the Michigan Star Furniture Company in 1923. De Pree had been working at the company, which opened in 1905, since he was hired in 1909 as a clerk. De Pree knew his father-in-law was a man of integrity, so he decided to rename the company after him. By the middle of the 20th century, the name Herman Miller had become synonymous with “modern” furniture. Working with legendary designers George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames, the company produced pieces that would become classics of industrial design.