DeLinda Forsythe
DeLinda has thrived in the contract furniture industry for 30 years. By far the most rewarding portion of those years has been since opening ICE in 2006. The impetus for ICE was her son acceptance into Georgetown University. As a single mother with few financial options to help him achieve his educational goals, DeLinda was forced to try entrepreneurship. It was a leap of faith that proved fortuitous.
ICE has been named in the Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in San Diego 2013-2016. Inc Magazine ranked ICE in the top 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in the US 2014-2017.
ICE added hospitality furnishings to their scope of services in 2013 which added to significant growth both in the ability to furnish more commercial environments and also in adding hospitality and residential furnishings in the office space. This has led to ICE’s reputation as the most creative office furniture dealership in San Diego. In 2016 ICE was awarded a highly coveted IIDA Calibre award for The Music Box, formerly the Anthology music venue.
DeLinda started a new company, WorkShop, in 2015. WorkShop provides live edge conference tables, custom furniture and a patented; brewery inspired benching system called WorkiBeam. WorkShop furniture is made in San Diego. In 2017 ICE took home the Gold with the Best of NeoConnect award with a stunning Cottonwood Creek conference table made through WorkShop.
Teknion selected ICE as their exclusive San Diego distributor in 2017 which certainly offers more opportunity for continued and sustained growth.
DeLinda serves on the San Diego Economic Development Committee Foundation board and the NAIOP Foundation board and has volunteered over the years with TERI, MOM and Reality Changers. She continues to encourage Millennials and mentors them individually and through a woman’s book club. She has remarried and in addition to her son, through marriage she has 3 daughters and 8 grandchildren. In 2014 DeLinda was a SDBJ Women Who Mean Business winner and it remains one of her most coveted achievements.