Hospitality Design - August 2017 - 6

advertorial

Q&A

with

seth fritz
senior industrial designer, delta faucet company

What are some best practices you
employ in your business?

Collaboration is the one key to what we do at
Delta Faucet Company. It's everything-between
departments, working within the design team, all
the way up to working with manufacturing and
trend partners.
Beyond that, we really focus on creating
talented, diverse teams. That's a best practice at
every level of the Delta organization. We aim for
a wide range of people in the team, try to hire the
best available, and encourage everyone to grow,
learn and develop.

How do you see your company growing
in the next five years?

We're going to continue focusing on the user
experience-that is, how can we make a guest's
day better, their life easier? It's important in
everything we do. We research to understand the
end user and how they interact with the product.
It's great that we have a product that delivers
water, but how can we make things better with
this product? How can we make a shower more
enjoyable or relaxing? That focus can separate us
from everyone else in the industry.

What current trends are you keeping an
eye on?

Design used to be dominated by the traditional,
but we're seeing a lot more contemporary,
and I think that has to do with a younger
generation. Contemporary used to be perceived
as institutional, but now we're seeing a broader
definition-slightly eclectic, even. People don't
want to be defined by trend categories; they want
a little bit of everything. It's part of the worldly
view that people have today. They think, "I'm not
just modern, because I like some of my grandma's
things," or "My parents liked traditional and so do
I, but I like contemporary too."

What is your company's philosophy?

Specifically, I define our design team's philosophy
as constantly exploring. We want to explore how
a consumer uses our products, how the world
perceives design, and challenge those perceptions.

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August 2017 hospitalitydesign.com

Exploration is the one thing we all do. We never
want to be satisfied with our capabilities. We
want to challenge the norms. And ultimately, we
want to deliver a fantastic experience no matter
the product.

What do you look for in a good
partnership?

Whether we're working with another company or
hiring someone, it's all based on trust and shared
values. If we're going to collaborate, we want our
philosophies to align. Teamwork, an eco-friendly
focus, technologies, a great team atmosphere:
they're all important. And it's a two-way street.
If we're partnering, it's because you're the best at
what you do, and we're going to trust you to make
good, smart decisions. And we hope that you'll
expect us to do the same.

What's one thing people probably don't
know about your company?

We don't really advertise it, but we're heavily
involved in charitable organizations, both local
and national. We have great relationships
with Habitat for Humanity and Plumbing
Manufacturers International, and we take part
in environmental discussions to help guard the
precious resource that is water. For example, we
helped coordinate sending 400 plumbers to Flint,
Michigan, to help with their water crisis. We don't
boast much about it, but I think our charitable
work is the thing I'm most proud of. It's not about
recognition. It's just the right thing to do.
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - August 2017

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