Robbie Hildebrand (OEB Office Furniture)

Robbie Hildebrand is the Vice President and part-owner of OEB Office Furniture, a furniture store in Coon Rapids that sells new and used office furniture to Twin Cities businesses. 

A native of Spring Lake Park, as a kid Hildebrand loved playing sports.

After high school, he enrolled at Dunwoody to become an auto technician, but over time Hildebrand’s fascination with the inner workings of automobiles slowly waned. 

“I realized after the first few years that working on cars was a hobby, and I didn’t want to do it every day,” Hildebrand says. 

Needing a job, Hildebrand went to work for his father-in-law at OEB Office Furniture.  

“My father-in-law was nice enough to give me a job as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life,” he says, but little did Hildebrand know, his stay at OEB wouldn’t be temporary. 

“As I became more comfortable with the furniture business, I saw an opportunity with the company to work in sales.”

Excited about the prospect of brokering the sale of office furniture, Hildebrand approached his father-in-law, Tim, about becoming involved in that aspect of the company, but Hildebrand’s enthusiasm wasn’t initially shared. 

“Tim told me that I had to learn more about the business before I could sell,” says Hildebrand, who right away began to further immerse himself in OEB, mastering the nuances and regulatory codes associated with installing office furniture, and also developing a keen sense for what type of aesthetic Twin Cities’ business owners were looking to design. 

That relentless attitude, aided by his passion for design and helping others, caught the attention of Tim, who eventually promoted Hildebrand into a sales role.

Since then, OEB Office Furniture has steadily grown as a company, and so too has Hildebrand’s impact both on the business and the Twin Cities community, to the point where today Hildebrand is now a part-owner of OEB. 

For context, OEB Office Furniture sells new and used office furniture, but they also configure office space designs for companies. 

“In its simplest form, we help businesses maximize their office space with quality furniture at an affordable price,” Hildebrand clarifies. 

Having personally visited OEB’s expansive headquarters, I was impressed by the quantity of office furniture they have on display, and whether one is looking for new or used office furniture, OEB has an array of options that can accommodate any office and budget. 

But the best part is OEB typically can save business owners thousands of dollars when they revamp their office spaces, simply because they offer quality used products at a fraction of the cost that new products would retail at. 

In that sense, unless you’re a major corporation with an endless budget for your upcoming office renovation, it’s worth your time to visit OEB instead of going to OfficeMax to buy new products. 

“The big-box stores have lower-grade products. Their stuff is not designed to be used for eight hours a day and five days a week,” Hildebrand says. 

“The big stores are also not going to help you design anything. They’re just going to give you a box and send you on your way. That means you have to assemble the furniture yourself and figure everything out, design-wise, on your own.” 

Again, if money is no obstacle, it may be in your best interests as a business owner to spend retail price on new office furniture, but if you’re looking to be more judicious in your approach, Hildebrand and OEB can offer an alternative solution. 

For reference, Hildebrand recently worked with a client who was prepared to spend $60,000 on new office furniture, but after the client met with Hildebrand and was made aware of more budget-friendly options, the client altered course, and in turn saved over $40,000, while still getting quality products for their company. 

“That particular client didn’t even know that used office furniture was an option. After we sat down and I explained how I could save him some money and still supply him with premium products, he was ecstatic,” Hildebrand explains.  

“The reality is that the new stuff is marked up so much. There are a lot of good used products available, but unfortunately people often don’t know how to get their hands on it, so that’s where we come in.” 

Every day, Hildebrand and OEB Office Furniture fulfill orders of all sizes, the inventory in their spacious warehouse enough to meet the demands of nearly all small to mid-sized businesses. 

More importantly, the office furniture they have on-site is still in excellent quality, and it is also warrantied for one year after the date of purchase. 

“The cool thing about our furniture is most of the time people don’t even know that it is used,” Hildebrand notes.  

“That’s a testament to the quality of the products that we buy and sell.”

To reiterate, small to mid-sized businesses are the target demographic for OEB.

Yesterday’s featured company, Twin City Heating, Air, and Electric, fits that description perfectly, and they recently partnered with OEB to furnish their Blaine location.

“Any company, from one that is just starting up, to one that needs to service about 50 desks, that’s our niche,” Hildebrand says. 

As for what Twin Cities business owners can expect to spend when working directly with OEB Office Furniture, Hildebrand says that their premium used products range anywhere from 1/10 to ¼ the price of new office furniture.  

“When you go with used products, you still get the brand names like Herman Miller, but you also get the huge price savings,” Hildebrand emphasizes. 

“So really if you want to get quality materials, but you don’t want to spend more than you need to, then I think used is a really good route for a business owner to go.”

After a purchase has been made, OEB Office Furniture transports everything directly to their clients, and with twelve years of experience in this industry, Hildebrand is able to seamlessly integrate the new products into an office space. 

“What’s cool is that our processes are so refined, to the extent that when we bring furniture to a business, we are extremely efficient in how we get in and out,” Hildebrand asserts. 

“As a result, the business owner isn’t suffering from a drastic loss of production and employees aren’t being put out when we set everything up.”

Still, for as much as Hildebrand enjoys saving clients money, he is equally as thrilled to form connections and network with the eclectic mix of people who come through OEB’s front doors. 

“It’s very rewarding to meet business owners around the Twin Cities, build relationships with them, and then over time, if they ever are in need of new office furniture, it feels good to be able to help them find a solution at a relatively affordable price point,” Hildebrand says. 

“And with those cost savings, the business owner can then allocate funds to something else, or if they were considering systematically revamping their office furniture, often the cost savings that they get from working with us allows them to furnish their entire business, as opposed to having to wait another year to get everything addressed.” 

Looking ahead, it’s likely that both OEB Office Furniture and Hildebrand will continue to capture more market share as they focus on offering their clients quality and affordable products, all backed by an unwavering commitment to exceptional customer service. 

For his part, Hildebrand would gradually like to evolve as an entrepreneur and assume more responsibility, but he also understands that big leaps don’t usually happen overnight, or even over the course of a decade. 

“In the next couple years, we would like to add a salesman and another person to work in the back of the house,” Hildebrand starts. 

“I would also like to eventually be able to do more networking events, and be able to pass off a lot of my day-to-day responsibilities to our staff, but for us to get there, we have to continue to serve people in the same way that has gotten us to this point. I believe we will do that, and that has me excited for the future.” QS

**

As a family-owned business with 53 years of experience in the Twin Cities market, Grussing Roofing specializes in residential roofing, insurance restoration, siding, windows, and gutters.

For homeowners and commercial building owners who are looking to connect with a company that prides themselves on putting customers first, look no further than Eden Prairie-based Grussing Roofing.