A Brand New Way to Look at AUS
Learning and Living in a New Normal
According to an article this summer in the New York Times, welcoming students back to campus life this fall “will be a hugely complex and costly endeavor requiring far more than just the reconfiguring of dorm rooms and cafeterias and the construction of annexes and tent classrooms to increase social distancing… Colleges are mapping strategies as varied as the contrasting COVID-19 regulations enacted by the states, reflecting the culture and leadership of their schools.”
We may all be tired of the word unprecedented, but it certainly describes the current times we are living and educating our children in. So many hard questions to answer and choppy, uncharted waters to navigate.
AUS has partnered for almost thirty years with collegiate clients across the country to guarantee classrooms and campus housing were move-in ready on Day One of the new school year. This year, supporting those who are charged with decisions on campus learning and living environments means working harder- and smarter- than ever.
AUS – A Smarter Way
AUS founder John Tipton, a craftsman who loved his trade, would counsel clients, “Buy your furniture from the inside out.” He established his furnishings business for the higher education market on this foundation and three principles for premier performance: the materials you use, how you join them and how you protect them.
Almost thirty years later, the Tipton family still builds furniture this way, from the inside out.
John always compared this old school approach to 21st century education to that of finding good people to work with you. “What matters most is what is on the inside.” The heart of the people who joined his company mattered as much to the founder as the heart of the superior mortise and tenon joinery in the case goods he produced. In both cases, it meant quality, dependability and longevity.
When I speak to AUS, I know they can and will tell me where every part of every piece of furniture comes from, how it’s put together, how it’s tested, who is overseeing the process in the factories, how it’s going to get to me and who will be installing it.
– Mitchell Smith, Chief Operating Officer, The Scion Group LLC
AUS – A Smarter Partnership
Our highly trained team, led by Brian Tipton, Dean Harvison and Johnny Collins, has multi-generational expertise and a combined 100 years of experience in the collegiate housing market.
We know how to partner smarter. Hit benchmarks. Meet budgets. Honor commitments. Earn trust.
And never miss a student move-in deadline. Ever. That’s The AUS Way. That’s why clients who start with us, stay with us.
AUS – A Smarter Decision
Our clients demand high quality, affordable, durable furnishings that can withstand student wear and tear while reducing problems, headaches, and replacement costs. Our case goods, in fact, are engineered to last 25 years … well beyond the industry standard of three to five years, and long beyond the day when the style will “ugly out.”
Smarter live-learn design environments enhance student perception of their institution and enrich the student living experience which impacts student recruitment, student success and student retention. While we have a complete selection of on-trend collections that are standard, we happily work with interior designers, project managers and developer and their in-house teams who love the ease of collaborating with us to create custom furnishing options.
We have enjoyed a long relationship with the staff of AUS, beginning with John Tipton and continuing today with Brian and Dean.
The staff at AUS makes the difference to us. They are always willing to help no matter the size of the job or the need Troy has.
– Herbert Reeves, Dean of Student Services, Troy University
Built to Learn. Built to Live. Built to Last.
This summer, we took some time to review our three-decade track record with our clients – institutions ranging from the University of Chicago, to the University of California-Davis to Purdue University to the University of Oklahoma, to Auburn University – and analyze their feedback to us. Our findings led to our launching a refreshed look, name and tagline for our brand that more clearly reflects what we do and how we do it.
From every angle, we believe we build Smarter Furnishings at AUS.
This new name for our thirty-year old brand merited a new logo which incorporates a new image – a stylized owl mascot that reflects the messaging, that AUS is the smarter choice for market insight, premium construction and design, high quality products and impeccable customer service.
AUS Smarter Furnishings creates smarter live-learn furniture that is Built to Learn. Built to Live. Built to Last. Just like our founder first envisioned, our tagline reflects our mission of furnishing our collegiate clients value from the inside out.
And, you can find us on our refreshed website, smarterfurnishings.com that we are in process of making even more navigable, with pertinent information more easily accessible to help you make smarter decisions on behalf of your students and your housing budgets.
I consider you a true partner that I can reach out at any time and receive a prompt response.”
– Claire Sedgwick, Sedgwick Business Interiors
Our senior leadership team maintains intimate involvement in the day-to-day business – not just the sales, but project estimating, ordering, scheduling, production, shipping logistics, installation and follow-up … toward one goal … our clients’ complete satisfaction.
It’s just smarter. And, our clients tell us it’s just easier when you work with AUS. And that makes everyone happier.
Call Jennifer at 205.621.2502 or contact us online for any questions or help as you welcome students back to school.