Jeff Loreaux
by Jeff Loreaux
The education market has been facing many industry challenges such as steady or increasing acquisition rates, changes in student expectations, a deficit in funding for expansion, and many more that have contributed to one large, overarching problem: a lack of space.
High-Profile spoke with Jeff Loreaux, president of Donnegan Systems, Inc., a leading provider of storage solutions for the education market, about how storage can help combat the challenges that the education market is seeing today.
“Our in-house design team doesn’t just provide you with a system to hold your stuff,” said Loreaux. “We take the time to understand what your current storage challenges are, what your future challenges might look like, and then we design a system around those unique needs.”
It’s no secret that many colleges and universities have trouble finding extra space within their landlocked campuses, but what does this mean when they’re seeing an influx of everything from students, to books in their library, to collections in their art gallery, and even additions to their athletic equipment?
“New construction or expansion of an existing building is out of the question for many of these facilities, which is why we offer many solutions on high-density mobile shelving,” said Loreaux. “High density is basically a solution that gives you the flexibility to put different kinds of storage — cabinets, cantilever shelving, four-post, you name it — on a track that allows for the carriages to move sequentially together in order to open the aisle you have selected. It works in any number of applications, and can help save you serious space in your equipment room, library, gallery, or any area of your campus.”
High-density mobile shelving has become one of the more popular storage applications within the education market because it’s designed to either save space within your facility or add additional capacity. The concept is a simple one: Store the same amount in half the space, or store double the amount within the same footprint by eliminating wasted aisle space.
Some of Donnegan’s valued clients who have benefited from the use of high-density mobile shelving include Harvard, Yale, MIT, CT State University, University of Vermont, UNH, and Salve Regina University, to name a few. Along with free design work and site surveys, Donnegan Systems also offers a factory-trained installation team.
“With solutions that cover every part of campus, we offer unparalleled service and are an all-encompassing storage provider. I think that what makes the Donnegan experience different is that we truly take the time to get to know your own unique storage challenges. Once we are on the same page with what you are looking to improve upon, our team will then design a system that will last you well into the future and allow you to grow without needing to expand.”
In an AIA-accredited presentation titled “School Your Space: Smarten Up Your Campus Storage Solutions,” Donnegan Systems dives deep into the current trends and challenges facing the education market today, as well as how storage can help improve each area of campus.
“We have over 40 years of experience working with architects and designers,” Loreaux said, “and we often provide Lunch-and-Learns to firms around New England for CEU credit. In all of our presentations, and in our education one specifically, we discuss how storage can help with both LEED certification efforts as well as ‘greening up’ the campus and facility they are working on.”
Whether you’re a designer looking for resources, a campus that needs to store more stuff, or a facility that needs to free up additional space, Donnegan Systems can provide you with the services and solutions to help you achieve your goals.
Jeff Loreaux is president of Donnegan Systems Inc. of Northborough, Mass.
