Who We Are

Shannon J. Fortenberry began her career with KnollTextiles in Atlanta, Georgia where she learned about the commercial design industry and embraced the mid-century classic design mantra of the great Knoll founders. She later transferred to Washington, D.C. to work with the furniture side of Knoll. In 2001, Shannon left Knoll to sell fabrics with Arc|Com. Within 4 years she built the Washington, D.C. metro area into a million dollar territory. 5 years later DesignBasics was created on the premise of selecting boutique products made of classic, well-made materials. In March 2008, Gary A. Donley joined DesignBasics. Gary brings over 25 years of contract furniture sales and sales management experience to DesignBasics. Previously Gary worked for MOI, a Knoll dealership in Arlington, VA. His experience spans dealer and manufacturing environments. Gary understands all facets of a project from the initial product specification stage through order entry, manufacturing and installation. His expertise in the commercial, institutional and government sector provides a valuable skill set to DesignBasics.