Design Story: TDS Furniture Decommission and Community Reuse Initiative
When TDS (Telephone & Data Systems) began downsizing its Madison headquarters, the goal was to be thoughtful about what came next. The furniture throughout the space was in excellent condition, and sending it to a landfill was never the right answer.
As part of that transition, TDS made the decision to move forward with a formal furniture decommission. To help plan and manage the process, they connected with Roberta Montague at CJ & Associates. From the start, the focus was on identifying what could be reused, what could be recycled, and how to minimize waste in a structured and responsible way.
While that planning was underway, CJ & Associates began exploring opportunities to give the furniture a second life beyond the TDS space. That effort led to a connection with Cheryl Hytry at UW Credit Union, a longtime supporter of Latino Academy in Madison, who was actively seeking furniture donations on their behalf.
Latino Academy is a Madison-based nonprofit that provides adult education, skills training, and workforce development programs for individuals and families across the region. They were looking for functional, durable office furniture to support their growing programs and the timing could not have been better.
*Some photography courtesy of Latino Academy of Workforce Development.
Planning and Execution
CJ & Associates coordinated a walkthrough at TDS with Shannon Page and Dustin Braaksma from the TDS team, so the Latino Academy team could view the furniture in person and select what would be most useful for their space. Once selections were finalized, CJ & Associates documented and organized the inventory by product type, quantities, and intended placement. Detailed pull lists were created, pieces were tagged and grouped, and the dismantling and transport process was carefully planned. Cheryl Hytry also contributed design insight during this phase, helping translate the selected furniture into workable layout options for the new space.
A Collaborative Effort
What followed was a shared effort, with each organization playing an important role.
- CJ & Associates handled the planning, dismantling, and preparation of the furniture.
- TDS donated the furniture.
- Latino Academy welcomed pieces into their space and helped coordinate what would work best for their programs.
- UW Credit Union contributed their time, staff, and hands-on support to help with transporting the furniture and the installation of it all at Latino Academy.
Each group donated time, labor, and resources to make the effort possible.
Sustainability at the Center
CJ & Associates made a commitment to reuse or recycle as much as possible that came out of the TDS space. The majority of the furniture was put to use at Latino Academy, and anything that could not be reused was recycled. Very little ended up as waste.
A Workspace That Supports Their Programs
For Latino Academy, the impact was immediate. The donated furniture helped create new work areas, meeting spaces, and training environments. The organization now has a more organized, more functional space to welcome students and better serve the community.
Their Executive Director, Nydia Martinez, shared her thanks:
“The space looks phenomenal — truly transformed — and it is already inspiring new ideas and plans for how we will use it to serve our community even better. We are deeply grateful for your time, energy, and collaboration.”
A Model of Community Partnership
This project shows what can happen when organizations come together for a shared goal. CJ & Associates helped guide the furniture decommission, and each partner contributed time, labor, and resources to make the effort possible. Together, they created a responsible reuse solution that supports a nonprofit serving the Madison community.
