The Azon family of companies was established for three compelling reasons:

  1. To provide for its owners and workers a suitable means in which they may enjoy a quality of life consistent with the needs of themselves and their families. A lifestyle in which they may enjoy enrichment through their individual and collective accomplishments in harmony with their fellow workers;
  2. To provide a vehicle for the spiritual fulfillment of its owners and workers in their creative pursuits and the satisfaction and recognition realized for a job well done.
  3. To be a good neighbor—no human being or company is an island. In order for them as individuals and collectively to grow, survive and prosper, they must live and work in an environment that is safe and healthy. As the people and the company they work for take from the community, they must also give back.
 

azon_crosstown


Green technologies showcased in building renovation

(scroll down to view original 1962 building)

KALAMAZOO — The world headquarters offices of Azon formally opened its doors in a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 24, 2004, following an extensive one-year renovation. The office was a former IBM building, a landmark structure built in 1962 in the International Style* of architecture. The renovation also included major site work with the goal of retaining the character of the building. (*Common characteristics of the International Style include: a radical simplification of form, a rejection of ornament, and adoption of glass, steel and concrete as preferred materials.)

Materials and methods used in the renovation process were aimed at reducing energy consumption, an approach that makes the building an environmentally sustainable structure. New windows used to replace the original units are architectural aluminum frames that incorporate Azon thermal barrier polymer technology. Glazing used in the windows is high performance energy glass, fabricated with Warm-Light® insulating glass air spacer. Other improvements with lighting, heating and cooling are expected to save energy costs by 30-40 percent annually. Much of the furniture was refurbished and other material selections were chosen with sustainability in mind.

The facility located in Kalamazoo adds nearly 19,000 square feet of administrative space for the corporate world headquarters. Azon also has manufacturing facilities in Kalamazoo Township. An ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) company, Azon was established in 1977 in Kalamazoo.

hq_oct_2005
With a modernist emphasis on volume, rather than mass, most often expressed through an extensive use of glass, smooth concrete and angular, rectangular shapes, the nearly floor-to-ceiling fixed, deep set windows are hallmarks of the International Style in the renovated building originally constructed for IBM in 1962.
 
IBM_large_photo