Centerpiece

MVP Design, Product Strategy

A smarter way to manage FS&E projects. We helped Centerpiece design a centralized tool that brings structure, visibility, and communication to a chaotic, outdated industry. Empowering project managers to move work forward, not just track it.

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Overview

Project managers in the Food Service & Equipment (FS&E) industry often juggle dozens of complex installations using spreadsheets, emails, and outdated tools. We partnered with Centerpiece to design an MVP platform tailored to their needs—a centralized experience for planning, tracking, and collaborating across projects. By integrating industry-specific workflows and open-access communication tools, the new platform eliminates friction and brings much-needed order to a fast-paced, fragmented process.

Core Team

Kate Mook | Product Strategy, Design Lead

Geordie Mclelland | Chief of Strategy

Stakeholders

Sam Grote | Founder

Heesh Naim | Co-Founder, CTO

Discover and Define

User groups, critical workflows and functional requirements

Our work began with immersive research alongside FS&E project managers from a range of companies. Through interviews, journey mapping, and competitive analysis, we unpacked the inefficiencies caused by disconnected tools. These insights helped us define a flexible framework and clear opportunities where Centerpiece could add immediate value through task tracking, communications, and project visibility.

“The quality of their process and wireframes stood out, and they did an excellent job of getting up to speed on our very nuanced, off-the-radar industry.”

Sam Grote - Founder

Wireframe and test

Divergant concepts

We designed and tested two foundational workflows with users—one that followed a strict, phased timeline and another that allowed for dynamic, evolving project structures. The feedback was clear: flexibility was key. Project managers needed structure, but not rigidity. This learning directly shaped the final experience, which allows for standardized project phases while supporting real-time changes and customization.

Collaborate on the MVP

Sprint plan, information arcitecture and

The Centerpiece MVP is more than a project tracker, it’s a project accelerator. Built specifically for FS&E professionals, it provides a clear framework for managing phases, tasks, and timelines while making it easy for internal and third-party collaborators to share updates and files—no log-in required. By replacing a patchwork of generic tools with one tailored system, Centerpiece brings clarity, control, and progress to an industry long overdue for innovation.

“I have no complaints. I wish I had them working for me every single day.”

Sam Grote - Founder

Centerpiece

MVP Design, Product Strategy

A smarter way to manage FS&E projects. We helped Centerpiece design a centralized tool that brings structure, visibility, and communication to a chaotic, outdated industry. Empowering project managers to move work forward, not just track it.

Go Back

Overview

Project managers in the Food Service & Equipment (FS&E) industry often juggle dozens of complex installations using spreadsheets, emails, and outdated tools. We partnered with Centerpiece to design an MVP platform tailored to their needs—a centralized experience for planning, tracking, and collaborating across projects. By integrating industry-specific workflows and open-access communication tools, the new platform eliminates friction and brings much-needed order to a fast-paced, fragmented process.

Role

Kate Mook | Product Strategy, Design Lead

Geordie Mclelland | Chief of Strategy

Stakeholders

Sam Grote | Founder

Heesh Naim | Co-Founder, CTO

Discover and Define

User groups, critical workflows and functional requirements

Our work began with immersive research alongside FS&E project managers from a range of companies. Through interviews, journey mapping, and competitive analysis, we unpacked the inefficiencies caused by disconnected tools. These insights helped us define a flexible framework and clear opportunities where Centerpiece could add immediate value through task tracking, communications, and project visibility.

“The quality of their process and wireframes stood out, and they did an excellent job of getting up to speed on our very nuanced, off-the-radar industry.”

Sam Grote - Founder

Wireframe and test

Divergant concepts

We designed and tested two foundational workflows with users—one that followed a strict, phased timeline and another that allowed for dynamic, evolving project structures. The feedback was clear: flexibility was key. Project managers needed structure, but not rigidity. This learning directly shaped the final experience, which allows for standardized project phases while supporting real-time changes and customization.

Collaborate on the MVP

Sprint plan, information arcitecture and

The Centerpiece MVP is more than a project tracker, it’s a project accelerator. Built specifically for FS&E professionals, it provides a clear framework for managing phases, tasks, and timelines while making it easy for internal and third-party collaborators to share updates and files—no log-in required. By replacing a patchwork of generic tools with one tailored system, Centerpiece brings clarity, control, and progress to an industry long overdue for innovation.

“I have no complaints. I wish I had them working for me every single day.”

Sam Grote - Founder

Centerpiece

MVP Design, Product Strategy

A smarter way to manage FS&E projects. We helped Centerpiece design a centralized tool that brings structure, visibility, and communication to a chaotic, outdated industry. Empowering project managers to move work forward, not just track it.

Go Back

Overview

Project managers in the Food Service & Equipment (FS&E) industry often juggle dozens of complex installations using spreadsheets, emails, and outdated tools. We partnered with Centerpiece to design an MVP platform tailored to their needs—a centralized experience for planning, tracking, and collaborating across projects. By integrating industry-specific workflows and open-access communication tools, the new platform eliminates friction and brings much-needed order to a fast-paced, fragmented process.

Core Team

Kate Mook | Product Strategy, Design Lead

Geordie Mclelland | Chief of Strategy

Stakeholders

Sam Grote | Founder

Heesh Naim | Co-Founder, CTO

Discover and Define

User groups, critical workflows and functional requirements

Our work began with immersive research alongside FS&E project managers from a range of companies. Through interviews, journey mapping, and competitive analysis, we unpacked the inefficiencies caused by disconnected tools. These insights helped us define a flexible framework and clear opportunities where Centerpiece could add immediate value through task tracking, communications, and project visibility.

“The quality of their process and wireframes stood out, and they did an excellent job of getting up to speed on our very nuanced, off-the-radar industry.”

Sam Grote - Founder

Wireframe and test

Divergent UX concepts

We designed and tested two foundational workflows with users—one that followed a strict, phased timeline and another that allowed for dynamic, evolving project structures. The feedback was clear: flexibility was key. Project managers needed structure, but not rigidity. This learning directly shaped the final experience, which allows for standardized project phases while supporting real-time changes and customization.

Collaborate on the MVP

Sprint plan and information architecture

The Centerpiece MVP is more than a project tracker, it’s a project accelerator. Built specifically for FS&E professionals, it provides a clear framework for managing phases, tasks, and timelines while making it easy for internal and third-party collaborators to share updates and files—no log-in required. By replacing a patchwork of generic tools with one tailored system, Centerpiece brings clarity, control, and progress to an industry long overdue for innovation.

“I have no complaints. I wish I had them working for me every single day.”

Sam Grote - Founder