08 May 35 Years of RI Workplace: Our Founder’s Story | NYC Office Design

35 Years of RI, Told by Our Founder

Our story really begins in the early 1970s, when several of us – who would later become RI’s senior team – were working in the trades across New York City and its suburbs.

We spent decades in drywall, ceilings, and finished carpentry – and learned from skilled artisans, architects, and designers along the way. Over time, we grew beyond the trades into project management, office furniture, and eventually full design-build, building not just spaces, but something bigger.

The 1990s

By the early 1990s, we were starting to shape what would eventually become RI Workplace.
We launched Renotech Interiors – a business providing commercial interior renovation services.We operated out of a converted residential space in Valley Stream, New York.

But while our set-up was modest, our dreams were big.
We were working from makeshift cubicles, laying the foundations for what would become a third-generation workplace design/build firm.
By the mid-90’s, we began offering turnkey commercial interior design/build services as a package, which included design, construction, millwork and furniture.

A New Millennium: The 2000s

By the early 2000s, it was clear how far we’d come – and that it was time to take the next step.
Our growth led us to purchase a larger building next door, where we built a showroom, corporate office and large custom fabrication shop.
This new space allowed us to expand our operations and create a more refined office environment and showroom.

The space reflected the design trends of the time, with traditional cubicle layouts and rich cherry and mahogany finishes.

Into the 2010s

In 2010, we relocated Renotech Interiors to Tappan, New York – an exciting step forward for the business.
Our new office gave us the opportunity to embrace a more modern, open-concept design, blending private workstations with collaborative areas and updated finishes that reflected how the workplace was evolving.

A couple of years later, in 2012, we marked the next chapter in our story, evolving our name from Renotech Interiors to RI Group.

The 2020s

By 2020, our team had grown again, becoming a third generation firm.
To accommodate this expansion, and to bring us even more centralized to our client base in New York City and the surrounding suburbs, we relocated to our new workplace in Saddle Brook, New Jersey.This new space gave us the opportunity to create something different: a workplace that truly reflected how people work today.

That’s where the idea of our “Workplace Retreat” design-build approach began.

The result was a unique, future-ready space that brought our mission to life:

Dream. Design. Build. Transform.