"Creating a supportive environment is not just about productivity; it's about enhancing the quality of life for those who drive our success."
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Mike Pace, a driving force behind Contour Design’s success in the corporate ergonomics realm.
With over a decade of dedicated service, Mike Pace’s journey at Contour Design embodies a commitment to merging sales and marketing acumen with a genuine passion for enhancing people’s lives in the workplace.
In this illuminating conversation, Mike shares valuable insights into his role as a major player in the ergonomic industry, having successfully launched over 30 products that prioritize the well-being of office workers.
As the interview unfolds, Mike delves into Contour Design’s remarkable achievements in the past year, spotlighting the company’s global efforts to supercharge sustainability across its operations. He addresses the critical issue of employee satisfaction amid the ongoing trends of “Quiet quitting” and “The Great Resignation,” shedding light on what truly keeps individuals content in the workforce.
Mike also offers a forward-looking perspective, discussing the challenges and opportunities businesses face in the ever-evolving landscape of 2023. Join us as we explore the contours of success with Mike Pace, a leader dedicated to shaping a healthier and more sustainable future for the workplace.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET FEATURED?
All interviews are 100% FREE OF CHARGE
Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Mike Pace: For over 10 years, I have been a major factor at Contour Design, one of the leaders in the corporate ergonomics space. My sales and marketing background, combined with my passion for helping people, makes me a natural fit in the industry.
I have successfully launched over 30 ergonomic products into the corporate B2B space and strive to make a positive impact on office workers’ health and well-being on a daily basis.
Currently holding a CEAS ergonomic certification, I am always looking for new ways to spread the gospel of ergonomics to business and industry leaders alike.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Mike Pace: It’s been quite a year for us here at Contour, as a global brand, we’ve been focused on supercharging our sustainability efforts across all sections of our business.
From manufacturing, shipping, and even in our offices, we have put emphasis on lowering our carbon footprint with the goal of providing products that are good for you and good for the planet.
Going forward we will continue to increase the amount of sustainably sourced materials in our products while continually assessing our business practices to ensure we continue to get better at protecting the planet, every day.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Mike Pace: I think a lot of that sentiment goes beyond financial compensation. People in the workforce want to feel like their efforts have mattered and make a difference, and that the company cares about their wellbeing.
I don’t think it necessarily has to come in the form of bonuses or other financial incentives. Providing workers with a great work environment and newer, ergonomically designed tools for the job is a fantastic way to show employees that you care about their wellbeing, both physically and mentally.
Products like the RollerMouse provide comfort and pain-relief that so many office workers experience, it is one of many tools that can be deployed to keep a workforce happy and healthy.
I’ve also seen some companies provide rebates for things like gym memberships, spin/yoga classes, and stretch therapy to really drive home the message of “we care about you, inside and out of the office.”
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Mike Pace: You’re spot on. Hybrid work is here to stay, and now more than ever we are connected to our computer whether at home, in the office, or on our phones. With our continued reliance on computers, we are constantly putting ourselves in harmful postures, and we see a wave of work-related injuries and issues on the horizon.
Most offices are not set up in a very ergonomic manner, but that problem is exacerbated for most users working from home, as that usually means working from the kitchen counter, or couch. We know that the more time users spend in poor postures while working the more strain and pain they will feel, and its up to us to meet them where they live.
We’re putting an increased focus on single-user awareness and an emphasis on digital communication and advertising just to get that message of “you don’t have to feel like this when you work” out there.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Mike Pace: Awareness. Not for our brand but for ergonomics in general. Because ergonomic injuries are not as immediate or as jarring as other workplace injuries in areas like construction or manufacturing, they are usually an afterthought.
Where construction workers get safety equipment to prevent injury, we find that office workers don’t get that luxury. In the US it’s common for carpal tunnel syndrome to get to the point of an employee needing surgery before the company will act, and we are laser focused on changing that perception.
It’s a good thing to do for the employees and will increase morale, productivity, and wellbeing, along with being a long-term cost savings opportunity for companies. Did you know OSHA estimates the direct cost of a single carpal tunnel injury to a company at approximately $30,000? And that’s does not include lost productivity and replacement costs.
If more companies knew the true costs of ergonomic related workplace injuries, I think you would see a shift in philosophy, and a much healthier workforce.
2020, 2021, and 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Mike Pace: Be adaptable. In this post-COVID world, it seems that successful businesses are rapidly adjusting to various working conditions and adapting new technologies and tools to make their new reality as fruitful as possible.
Maybe working for a small, but global company has given me a unique perspective, but with continually expanding conflicts that has effects on global economics, things can change, and they can change quickly, and you get to the point where you need to ask yourself “can we keep up?”
What does “success” in 2023 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Mike Pace: I’m lucky to work for a company where I love our mission and ethos. While we are a business, and businesses need to make money, we only succeed at that if we are helping people. For me success in 2024 would be to successfully grow awareness for ergonomics in the workplace in a proactive way.
While it’s always nice to hear stories from our users on how we eliminated their pain, or saved their jobs, it always comes with a tinge of sadness that it even got to that point.
I hope that one day we will take care of our office workers, proactively, with proper safety equipment, just like we take care of workers with any other job function, and I’d like to see 2024 move us towards that goal.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Mike Pace for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Mike Pace or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
