At MiEN Company, creating innovative, functional, and flexible furniture solutions for evolving learning environments is central to our mission. We are fortunate to have a team of dedicated individuals who work hard every day to position MiEN as a leader in learning space design and innovation.

Today, we’re highlighting Bill Hillgrove, MiEN’s learning environments specialist overseeing Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Upstate New York. Bill is a lifelong learner who is passionate about designing effective and innovative environments, and he has been a valuable member of the MiEN team since October 2024.

Bill is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where he majored in Communications & Rhetoric. He was a student manager for basketball team from 1984-1988, for which he earned Varsity Letterman.

Not only is Bill a dedicated MiEN employee, but he is also an active member of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials. He has completed several sales management improvement courses, including Miller Heiman Group’s sales training and the Challenger Sales Training & development program. For six years, Bill served on the board of the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (now known as Trying Together), highlighting his passion and commitment to creating innovative solutions that support education.

One of Bill’s favorite experiences with MiEN has been his involvement in revamping various learning spaces at Madison Township SD HS. In collaboration with a New Jersey dealer, the school’s cafeteria space was upgraded with Chameleon Lounge seating and the main lobby was converted into a social gathering and learning space using FLEX Steps. This was Bill’s first project at MiEN, and he cherishes it as his introduction to how MiEN can improve learning environments for a school and help a furniture dealer hit a home run with one of their customers.

In his role at MiEN, Bill draws inspiration from his colleague, Hannah Ladd. Bill says that Hannah has an astute ability to listen to requests from schools, design firms, and furniture dealers and create spaces that perfectly fit the clients’ needs. This encourages Bill to be more perceptive in his interactions with clients.

Bill is not only inspired by his colleagues and dealer partners, but also by the innovative furniture offerings that MiEN has developed. His top furniture picks are the KIO Tinker and the entire GROW Series.

The KIO Tinker is a unique product that Bill thinks every school media center should have, it’s an EDSpaces People’s Choice Award winner for a reason!

As for the GROW series, Bill feels grateful to work for a company that is designing cutting-edge products that support the needs of neurodivergent learners, helping them be comfortable, and successful, throughout their learning journey.

Outside of work, Bill loves spending time with his family. His family loves to travel together, and some of their favorite vacation spots are the Outer Banks, long weekends in New York City, or family gatherings right at home. When he isn’t traveling, Bill enjoys playing golf, watching comedy movies, and listening to 70’s and 80’s music.

In addition, Bill is a sports lover and is an avid Pitt Football and Basketball fan. Hail to Pitt! His claim to fame is that he once caught an NFL Football in the stands at a 1994 Steelers game when a field goal attempt cleared the net behind the goalposts. Bill was able to keep the ball, and it’s on display in his “man cave” to this day.

Bill Hillgrove’s dedication to creating practical, innovative, and inclusive educational spaces and his ongoing commitment to professional learning make him a valuable asset to the MiEN family. We are grateful to have such a motivated individual on our team, and we look forward to the continued positive influence he will provide to our clients and projects in the future.