OPEN PLAN SYSTEMS INC
8-K, 1998-06-18
OFFICE FURNITURE (NO WOOD)
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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549
                                   -----------


                                    FORM 8-K


                                 CURRENT REPORT


                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                          Date of Report: June 17, 1998
                        (Date of earliest event reported)



                             OPEN PLAN SYSTEMS, INC.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)



          Virginia                       0-20743                  54-1515256
(State or Other Jurisdiction     (Commission File Number)       (IRS Employer
      of Incorporation)                                      Identification No.)

        4299 Carolina Avenue, Building C                    23222
               Richmond, Virginia                        (Zip Code)
    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)



               Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
                                 (804) 228-5600





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<PAGE>

Item 5.      Other Events.

         The  press  release  issued  by the  Registrant  on June  17,  1998 and
attached hereto as Exhibit 99 is incorporated herein by reference.


Item 7.      Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.

       (c)   Exhibits.

             99    Press release issued by the Registrant on June 17, 1998.






                                      -2-
<PAGE>

                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended,  the  Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                         OPEN PLAN SYSTEMS, INC.
                                           (Registrant)



Date:  June 18, 1998                     By: /s/ Anthony F. Markel
                                             -----------------------------------
                                             Anthony F. Markel
                                             Chairman of the Board


<PAGE>


                                  Exhibit Index


Number            Document
- ------            --------

99         Press release issued by the Registrant on June 17, 1998.


<PAGE>

                                                                      Exhibit 99


                      [OPEN PLAN SYSTEMS, INC. LETTERHEAD]


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                       Contact:      Anthony F. Markel
June 17, 1998                                             (804) 228-5600
                                                          John L. Hobey
                                                          (804) 228-5600


                 Open Plan Systems Announces Management Changes

         RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - Open Plan Systems, Inc. (NMS:Plan) announced today
the  appointments  of John L. Hobey as Chief  Executive  Officer  and William F.
Crabtree as Chief Financial Officer.  Mr. Crabtree replaces Gary M. Farrell, who
stepped down as Chief  Financial  Officer in May 1998 to pursue  other  business
interests.  Paul A. Covert will remain President and Chief Operating  Officer of
Open Plan, a position that he has held since November 1997.

         Messrs.  Hobey and  Crabtree are members of Great Lakes  Capital,  LLC,
which has entered into an 18-month management and consulting agreement with Open
Plan,   and  has   purchased   200,000   shares  of  Open  Plan's  common  stock
(approximately  4.3% of Open  Plan's  outstanding  common  stock) at a per share
price of $2.175. As consideration  for the management and consulting  agreement,
Open  Plan  has  granted  to Great  Lakes  options  to  purchase  up to  600,000
additional  shares of common  stock over the next five  years at prices  ranging
from $3.00 to $7.50 per share. Mr. Hobey and W. Sydnor Settle, a member of Great
Lakes, have also been appointed to serve as directors of Open Plan.

         Mr. Hobey, 51, was most recently employed as Chief Operating Officer of
The Olofsson Corporation, a Lansing, Michigan-based designer and manufacturer of
a broad line of  computer-controlled,  custom-engineered  metal cutting  machine
systems,  which was acquired by PCC  Specialty  Products,  Inc., a subsidiary of
Precision  Castparts  Corporation,  in 1996.  Prior to the sale,  Mr.  Hobey had
served  as  President  and  Chief  Executive   Officer  of  Olofsson  since  its
acquisition  in 1985 by an  investment  group that included the members of Great
Lakes. From 1973 to 1985, Mr. Hobey was employed by B.F. Goodrich Co. in various
capacities,  including  Senior Vice  President/General  Manager of its Polyvinyl
Chloride  Division,  Senior Vice President -  International  Chemical  Division,
Division Comptroller, and Director - Corporate Planning Development.

         Mr.  Crabtree,   58,  was  Chief  Financial  Officer  of  The  Olofsson
Corporation  from its acquisition in 1985 until its sale in 1996 and served in a
similar  capacity  under its previous  owner,  John Brown PLC, for the prior six
years. Mr. Crabtree also spent 13 years with Rockwell International in a variety
of business planning, controller and financial analysis positions.

         Anthony F.  Markel,  Chairman  of the Board of Open Plan,  stated,  "In
light of the recent  changes in our  management,  we are extremely  enthusiastic
about the  opportunity  that the  relationship  with Great Lakes  presents.  The
appointments  of  Messrs.  Hobey and  Crabtree  provide a solid and  experienced
management team for the Company.  We welcome Great Lakes'  philosophy of placing
its compensation,  which is predominantly in the form of stock options,  at risk
in the same way that our  shareholders  risk  their  capital  in  support of our
Company.  While our challenges are significant,  we have greater strength in our
ability to deal with them as the result of this relationship."

<PAGE>

         Great Lakes is a newly formed  entity,  the members of which are former
owners,  officers and directors of Olofsson. Mr. Settle was a partner of the New
York-based  law firm,  Simpson  Thacher & Bartlett,  from 1969 to 1990,  when he
retired to become of counsel. He was formerly a Director of Suburban Propane Gas
Corporation (NYSE) and the International  Silver Company. He presently serves as
Chairman of the Finance  Committee of the Board of The Seeing Eye, Inc., and was
formerly  Chairman  of the Board.  He is also a former  Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of Hampden-Sydney  College. Other members of Great Lakes include Thomas
H.  Corson,  co-founder  and  Chairman  Emeritus  and  a  director  of  Coachmen
Industries,  Inc. (NYSE), a leading manufacturer of recreational  vehicles,  and
Thomas J.  McGrath,  who served as a partner of Simpson  Thacher & Bartlett from
1970 to 1994.

         Open Plan  remanufactures  and markets  modular  office  work  stations
through a network of  Company-owned  sales  offices and selected  dealers.  Work
stations consist of movable panels, work surfaces,  storage units,  lighting and
electrical distribution combined into a single integrated unit.



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