About us

Welcome to Kohl’s, a place where creativity, innovation, and excellence meet. With a dedication to providing top-notch services, we have become a benchmark for quality. But what truly defines Kohl’s? Let’s embark on a journey to explore our philosophy, history, mission, and what makes us stand out in today’s competitive market.

Our Guiding Philosophy

Our philosophy at Kohl’s is driven by three core values that shape everything we do: integrity, innovation, and inclusivity. We believe in delivering solutions that are not just unique but ethically sound, forward-thinking, and cater to a diverse audience.

Integrity is at the heart of our business. Every decision we make is grounded in doing the right thing and maintaining the highest ethical standards. Trust and transparency are key pillars of our relationships with customers and partners.

Innovation is in our DNA. We are constantly pushing boundaries and bringing fresh ideas to the table. Our environment fosters creative thinking and rewards taking smart risks. We believe growth and success come from embracing innovation in all aspects of business.

Inclusivity guides our perspective. We celebrate diversity and create an atmosphere where everyone feels welcomed and valued. Our global community spans backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures, and we thrive on this rich tapestry of views and talents.

This ethos serves as the north star for every individual at Kohl’s, shaping our collective mission and vision.

Our Mission: Inspiring Creativity and Positive Change

Our mission is to inspire creativity, foster innovation, and make a difference in our community. At Kohl’s, we provide platforms for fresh ideas and solutions that challenge conventional thinking.

We aim to be catalysts for creative breakthroughs, equipping professionals and organizations with the tools they need to reach their highest potential. Our own team of designers, developers, and thought leaders loves crafting products and services that break new ground.

We also feel a responsibility to drive positive change through ethical business practices and community engagement. Our diverse customer base trusts us to operate with transparency, meet real needs, and give back.

Envisioning the Future: Setting New Standards Globally

We envision a future where our products and services will be a beacon for innovation, setting industry standards and enriching lives globally.

Some key goals that will take us into the future:

Become the #1 resource for creativity tools and business innovation services
Create platforms that make learning and growth accessible to all
Lead in social responsibility and sustainability among global brands
Foster a community where people can connect, collaborate, and transform ideas into reality

With emerging technologies, new markets, and fresh opportunities, we see endless potential to keep exceeding expectations. But as we grow, our commitment to our core values stays constant. Integrity, innovation, and inclusivity will guide us into the future, just as they fueled our beginnings.

The Kohl’s Difference: A Closer Look at Our Offerings

At Kohl’s, we pride ourselves on a wide array of services and products designed to cater to the individual needs of our customers. Here is an overview of some key offerings:

Boosting Creativity Through Innovative Tools

Our Creative Tools range provides everything from digital art apps and production software to ideation frameworks and design thinking guides. We aim to arm professionals with the latest, most empowering resources to unleash creativity.

Standout products include:

Canvas: Online design and prototyping platform
Metrix: Award-winning virtual reality tool for 3D modeling
The Idea Lab: Facilitation guides and frameworks for innovation teams

Expert Consulting to Catalyze Business Growth

Our Consulting Services offer customized guidance and support to organizations seeking to spur growth and innovation. Our global team works closely with each client to understand their unique needs and goals, and develop strategies tailored for their success.

Areas of expertise include:

Innovation strategy and culture
Organizational design thinking
Leadership and team development
Agile workflows and design sprints
Customer experience optimization

Opportunities to Continuously Learn and Grow

At Kohl’s, the pursuit of knowledge never stops. We provide diverse Educational Platforms to engage learners of all levels in continuous skill-building.

Our offerings include:

Online courses in design, technology, and business strategy
Custom corporate training programs
certificate programs and bootcamps
Coaching and mentoring for startup founders
Webinars, workshops, events and conferences

No matter where someone is in their journey, we help them reach the next level.

The Kohl’s Difference: Why We Stand Out

Our services stand out for their quality, innovation, and customer-centric approach. We provide personalized solutions, ensuring that every client feels valued and understood. Here are a few of the key factors that make the Kohl’s experience unique:

Innovative Solutions, Not Cookie-Cutter

Our cross-functional teams collaborate to create entirely new solutions tailored to each client’s needs, not pre-packaged options. No other firm can match our ideation process.

Bespoke Strategies, Not One-Size-Fits-All

Each engagement starts with deep discovery of the client’s goals and context. Instead of defaulting to the same fixed playbook, we craft made-to-order strategies that play to their strengths.

Partners, Not Vendors

We build long-term, trusted partnerships with our clients, walking alongside them from vision to execution. Our success is tied directly to their success.

Fanatical Support, Not Passing Service

Our dedicated customer support team goes above and beyond, providing expert, hands-on guidance. We pride ourselves on delivering 5-star experiences.

Cutting-Edge Methods, Not Status Quo

From augmented reality to AI-enabled tools, we adopt breakthrough technologies long before most competitors. We constantly push ourselves to improve.

This winning combination makes us the go-to partner for so many organizations seeking to reach the next level. Now let’s take a look at our origins and evolution.

The Kohl’s Story: From Humble Roots to Industry Leader

The journey of Kohl’s began with a simple idea and has evolved into a robust platform that serves a global clientele. Our growth has been marked by continuous innovation, expansion into new markets, and consistently delighting customers.

The Seed of a Vision

Kohl’s was founded in 1995 by John Kohl, an entrepreneur with a passion for creativity, design, and innovative problem-solving. John started Kohl’s as a side project offering design services to local businesses in his small hometown.

Despite minimal funding and resources, he assembled a scrappy team united by his vision to create something groundbreaking. Propelled by ambition and grit, they began building creative solutions that challenged the status quo.

Momentum Through Milestones

Positive customer feedback quickly put Kohl’s on the map locally. As demand grew, John expanded the team and service offerings. Within two years, Kohl’s was serving clients nationwide and attracting venture capital investment.

Some key milestones of the early growth years:

1997: Launched an online platform for design services and creative collaboration
2000: Opened design and development offices in 3 major cities
2002: Unveiled a new innovation consulting arm focused on organizational design thinking
2004: First international expansion into Asia and Europe
2007: Surpassed $50 million in annual revenues
2009: Named one of the country’s fastest growing private companies

Becoming Today’s Global Leader

In the following decades, Kohl’s experienced massive growth in customers, services, reach and industry impact. With innovation in its DNA, the company charged forward in leveraging emerging technologies and designing transformative solutions.

Today, Kohl’s has established itself as a trusted global brand and leading expert in creativity, innovation and design. Our offerings now span everything from online education platforms and virtual collaboration tools to breakthrough technologies like augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and extended reality.

But despite our vast growth, our founding values of integrity, inclusivity and boundless creativity still define Kohl’s. John’s original vision remains our North star guiding us to keep pioneering new ideas and positively impacting communities worldwide. The journey continues as we chart the course for the future.

Making an Impact: Our Commitment to Community and Responsibility

At Kohl’s, we believe in giving back to the community and engaging in responsible business practices. This shapes everything from our sustainability initiatives to our work culture.

Building a Sustainable Future

Our commitment to sustainability is evident in our eco-friendly products and initiatives that minimize our environmental footprint.

All our facilities utilize renewable energy and are zero waste certified.
Our product design process integrates principles of the circular economy, such as recyclability and material reduction.
We partner with climate organizations and invest in carbon removal projects to offset emissions.
Our online platforms are hosted on energy-efficient cloud servers.

We will continue pioneering solutions that enable organizations everywhere to be forces of good for the planet.

Making a Difference through Community Engagement

We aim to be stewards for good by giving back to the communities where we operate. This includes:

Supporting local charities through donations, fundraising campaigns, and drives for supplies or volunteer needs. Causes include homeless shelters, youth arts programs and environmental nonprofits.
Encouraging our employees worldwide to get involved with causes they care about by providing paid time off for volunteering.
Organizing community hackathons where our staff provides pro bono consulting and development support to social innovators.
Hosting free public events like design thinking workshops and startup bootcamps to make learning accessible.

These initiatives provide ways for us and our employees to share our expertise in building a more just, inclusive world.

Promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We work to promote a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone feels welcomed, supported and empowered to contribute.

Our leadership team represents diversity across gender, race, age, and background.
We provide unconscious bias and diversity training at all levels of the company.
Employee groups like Women in Tech offer networking and mentoring.
We offer wonderful benefits like gender transition support and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
Our hiring process proactively seeks qualified candidates across demographics.

At Kohl’s, we believe our differences make our collective team stronger. Our commitment to DEI will remain uncompromising.

What’s Next for Kohl’s: A Look at the Road Ahead

The next chapter of Kohl’s promises to be our most groundbreaking yet. As we continue growing, we remain fixated on the future and the vast opportunities ahead to keep transforming industries and enriching people’s lives through innovation.

Upcoming Projects Setting New Standards

Our think tank is constantly developing ideas and solutions that will push boundaries across sectors. A few coming down the pipeline:

Launch of Cortex: Our AI-powered collaboration and project management platform integrating predictive analytics to revolutionize team workflows.
XR Learning Campus: An immersive online learning environment utilizing augmented and virtual reality to make skills-training more accessible and engaging.
Smart City Technology: New IoT and connected platforms that will optimize energy, transit, public safety and resource allocation in urban environments.

Strategic Goals Driving Our Next Chapter

Some of the key goals guiding our strategic decisions include:

Expanding our global footprint with offices in 50 countries by 2025
Becoming the #1 provider of online innovation education worldwide
Pioneering AR, VR and AI to open new possibilities across industries
Forging partnerships with leading universities and research labs to support open innovation
Launching a climate-focused incubator for cleantech entrepreneurs and startups

Our Continued Commitment to Excellence

As we enter new frontiers, our commitment to excellence remains steadfast. We will keep raising the bar in our offerings, service and integrity. The core values that built Kohl’s will steer us into the future.

We pursue innovation not simply for its own sake, but to make a genuine difference. Our larger purpose is to uplift, inspire, and unlock the potential in every person and organization we work with. This spirit will guide all we do as we embark on exciting new chapters ahead.

The Essence of Kohl’s: A Creative Community United by Purpose

Thank you for taking the time to explore the world of Kohl’s. We are more than just a business; we are a community of thinkers, creators, and innovators unified by a higher purpose – to inspire human potential through innovation.

Join us on this exciting journey as we continue to break barriers, set trends, and make a positive global impact. Our commitment to our values, our passion for innovation, and our dedication to our customers are what make Kohl’s not just a brand but a movement.

We invite you to be part of this movement and discover the endless possibilities that await you in the Kohl’s community. Here, fresh thinking is celebrated, new ideas flourish, and creativity transforms lives.

Feel free to reach out anytime for inquiries, suggestions, or just to say hello! We love hearing from our community. Let’s keep building the future together.