Interview: A strong partnership for strong outdoor solutions

Marc Redman is our Meissl distributor for the US, Canadian and Mexican markets. Where the journey is heading, what the future holds for strong partnerships and more – an interview.

Meissl: Your company is called Open-Air Design – what is the positioning and core of what you set out to do in the US market?

Marc Redman: We intentionally named the new company “Open-Air Design” to reflect an evolution from Umbrella Bars USA, because I see the opportunity to take this much beyond the standard umbrella bars. I see a new market opening here for the large terraces, the style that are very prevalent throughout the European market, but they have not taken hold in North America yet. Many of the customers and opportunities I talk to in North America have never seen a Meissl terrace. That's why the Open-Air Design brand is to give us that „larger umbrella“ portfolio to work with, not just umbrella bars.

Meissl: Why do you believe in the Meissl products? What made it interesting for you to work with Meissl in the first place?

Marc Redman: I think Meissl has a unique offering on a global level. There’s simply no equivalent on the marketplace. But more importantly the customer focus, because I see that the Meissl products over the years have been developed from listening to the customers and designing exactly what those customers need. So therefore, it's a very responsive offering built on the needs of the hospitality industry. It’s a very great opportunity to be able to take a proven solution into a market as large as North America.

Meissl: Why do you think the partnership with Meissl is such a sustainable and strong one?

Marc Redman: Meissl is all about build to order solutions, meaning that everyone I have met in the factory understands that concept, that we are not building to stock and storing on shelves. Everyone is oriented on how we solve that customer's problem. That to me is very important. Working with the Austrian Team means, we solve everything as a team – it’s our customer. That is the most critical thing for whatever comes up in the future as we evolve the products and the market and everything else. Particularly for myself as a very small-scale entrepreneur.

Meissl: Finally, why do you believe in the power of being outdoors?

Marc Redman: I think we spend too much time indoors – especially within the American culture. But I believe it's better to be outside and I see much of this country heading that direction more and more.