Theodore David "Ted" Nierenberg (May 20, 1923 – July 31, 2009) was an American business executive and entrepreneur who created Dansk International Designs, a company that sells Scandinavian Design-style cooking and serving utensils and other home furnishings, established after discovering the simple but elegant design style on a 1950s trip to Denmark.
Nierenberg was born on May 20, 1923, the son of businessman Albert Nierenberg and his wife Rose. He majored in engineering management at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Institute of Technology, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1944. After graduation, he worked in the family business that manufactured metal nameplates for appliances.[1]
On a trip to Europe in May 1954, Ted and his wife Martha Nierenberg visited a museum in Copenhagen, where he saw a set of unique cutlery on display that combined teak handles and stainless steel, created by artist and industrial designer Jens Harald Quistgaard.[2] Nierenberg tracked down Quistgaard and spoke with him in an effort to convince him to manufacture the cutlery, but Quistgaard insisted that the pieces could only be forged by hand, one piece at a time. Nierenberg was able to convince Quistgaard that the pieces could be mass-produced, leading to Dansk International Design's first product, the Fjord line, which has been one of the firm's enduring bestsellers.[1]
Dansk was established that same year by Nierenberg and his wife in the garage of their Great Neck, New York home, with Quistgaard as its founding designer.[1] By 1956, Nierenberg was not certain that American consumers were ready for the spare styling and brought some early samples of stainless steel flatware with sinuous carved wooden handles to a Manhattan store, and was so surprised that the company bought several hundred units on the spot that he almost walked in front of a bus driving down the street.[3] By 1958, Nierengard and Quistgaard had expanded Dansk's wares to include teak magazine racks and stools, stoneware casseroles and salt and pepper shakers, and flatware with split cane handles, with The New York Times that year as "creating a stir" as "some of the most popular accessories found in American homes".[3]
Dansk relocated to Mount Kisco, New York, and was known for its sleek, functional products often made of exotic woods such as teak, combined with enameled metal and stainless steel.[1] Dansk was purchased in June 1985 by Dansk Acquisition Corp. in a deal initiated by Goldman Sachs.[4]
^ abcdFox, Margalit. "Theodore Nierenberg, Founder of Dansk, Dies at 86", The New York Times, August 3, 2009. Accessed August 4, 2009.
^Fox, Margalit. "Jens Quistgaard, 88, a Designer of Popular Tableware, Is Dead", The New York Times, February 2, 2008. Accessed August 4, 2009.
^ abReif, Rita. "Accessories Designed by Dane Proving Popular in U.S. Homes; Jens Quistgaard, Son of Noted Sculptor, a Born Craftsman", The New York Times, October 10, 1958. Accessed August 4, 2009.
^Staff. "Dansk Acquisition Corp acquires Dansk International Designs", Thomson Financial Mergers & Acquisitions, June 11, 1985. Accessed August 4, 2009.
Theodore David "Ted" Nierenberg (May 20, 1923 – July 31, 2009) was an American business executive and entrepreneur who created Dansk International Designs...
acquired by Food52. On a trip to Europe in 1954, Americans Martha and TedNierenberg went in search of a product to manufacture and produce for a U.S. audience...
Lunning Prize. 1954 was also the year American business people TedNierenberg and Martha Nierenberg visited Europe, on the lookout for talented design which...
(1992–1997) Gerald C. Meyers (B.S., M.S.), former Chairman of American Motors TedNierenberg (B.S. 1944), founder of Dansk International Designs David Tepper (Master...
Hawkes, 86, British sinologist. Chris Humphries, 62, British botanist. TedNierenberg, 86, American entrepreneur, founder of Dansk International Designs,...
Felice Nierenberg Schwartz (January 16, 1925 – February 8, 1996) was an American writer, advocate, and feminist. During her career, Schwartz founded two...
geology, biology, and climate of the Earth. The institution awards the Nierenberg Prize annually to recognize researchers with exceptional contributions...
World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010". In 2013, Cameron received the Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public, which is annually awarded by the Scripps...
September 2021. "No. 57645". The London Gazette. 20 May 2005. p. 6631. "Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest". Scripps Institution of Oceanography...
Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015. Nierenberg, Danielle (3 February 2014). "Allan Savory: Save the world's food supply...
myself to be Freddie Mercury'". The Guardian. Retrieved August 23, 2019. Nierenberg, Jacob (April 3, 2019). "Revisiting the Tragic Last Days of Kurt Cobain"...
University. She has also presented a TED talk. Additionally, she founded Food Tank: The Food Think Tank with Danielle Nierenberg. "Ellen Gustafson '02 Helps To...
Maryol: Feeding the Soul". New Mexico Magazine. Retrieved January 1, 2022. Nierenberg, Amelia (December 16, 2019). "Hard Times for a Hot Commodity, the Prized...
Alberta. In February 2008, he gave a speech about his current work at the TED conference. Venter was featured in Time magazine's "The Top 10 Everything...
Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (2006), and the Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest (2009). He was awarded the Deschner...
Man's War (Edgardo Cozarinsky, France) Say Amen, Somebody (George T. Nierenberg, USA) The Stationmaster's Wife (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)...
Fathers Reimagine Life. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190649562. Nierenberg, Amelia (28 October 2019). "For Many Widows, the Hardest Part Is Mealtime...
the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020. Amelia Nierenberg; Adam Pasick (October 23, 2020). "Trump and Biden Finally Talk Schools"...
views to his or her satisfaction. It may flush out the assumptions that Nierenberg and others fault for misunderstanding. It is intended to improve understanding...
indiatimes.com. The Economic Times. June 5, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020. Nierenberg, Amelia (June 11, 2020). "Signal Downloads Are Way Up Since the Protests...
Savage Eye Ben Maddow New Wave Retrospective Say Amen, Somebody George T. Nierenberg Documentary Competition Shadows John Cassavetes New Wave Retrospective...
grabaciones". Blog Chespirito (in Spanish). 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2023-04-02. Nierenberg, Cari (September 23, 2011). "We may hate laugh tracks – but they work...
Prize and Ted Danson Ocean Hero Award in 2007, the Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology and Environmental Sciences in 2008, and the Nierenberg Prize for Science...
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