Business name: Archetype International
Business owner’s first and last name: Trish Secor
Business address: 523 North Grand Ave. Suite A
Santa Ana, CA 92701
How did you get started in this field?
An Interior Design class was offered in my senior year of high school. I remember that the teacher stated that there is a distinct difference between decoration and design. I then attended San Diego State as an undeclared major, and I quickly discovered that you could actually “major” in Environmental/Interior Design.
When I graduated from college, there were few commercial design firms to work for at the time. I was able to find work with a real estate developer assisting home owners with their interior finish selections in a “design center”. After that, I workedfor a flooring contractor for a short time, and eventually landed a job as a designer with a commercial interior design firm. The company provided furniture as well as tenant improvement interior design. I worked for two firms of this nature during the go- go 1980’s when the building boom of commercial high rises were keeping space planners very busy. After 9 years of working for other firms, I found it increasingly difficult to meet the demands of motherhood for my baby girl, and a full time job, so I decided to start my own business. My husband became my partner two months later. He is a licensed architect with similar experience.
What educational background or related experience might be helpful for entering
this field?
An Associates degree, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Design, or Interior Design. Internships or jobs in design, architecture or facility management.
What are the opportunities available for growth in this field?
The field is constantly changing. Architecture firms have added interior designers to their staff. Specializations in commercial design, healthcare design, and hotel and restaurant work are becoming more and more key. Large companies, the military and government agencies have their own space planning and interior design divisions.
Does the market look promising for young people starting out in this career?
Yes, as long as the individual is committed to lifelong learning and continuing to focus on specialties that meet the market demands.
What do you find most rewarding about this job?
Being able to interact with so many different types of clients and learn about their operations and careers. Police, Fire, Lawyers, Corporate, Research and Development, Engineering, Manufacturing, etc.
If you had to do it over, would you be in the same career?
Yes.
Are there any fringe benefits that particularly attractedyou to this field?
Reading design magazines, examining great architecture, and buying amazing art, are often what many people can only do for recreation.
What are the toughest challenges you have had to deal with?
The most challenging issue in our business is the consistency of work flow to keep employees on staff. This type of business fluctuates with the economy.
What problems does the industry/field have as a whole?
Marketing and public relations to promote our value needs constant attention.
What is being done to address these problems?
The industry has done a good job on this issue in the last few decades but willalways need to continue this effort. Groups like CCIDC, NCIDQ, IIDA, and other specialty organizations are doing a good job collaborating and informing legislatures and the public. However, it’s primarily volunteer and supported solely by our own efforts and contributions.
What workplace demands do you have outside of the actual job?
I started my business because I wanted the freedom to raise my family without being tied to a 40-60 hour per week job. We also provide this kind of family friendly flexibility to our employees. This was unique in 1987 and we were not sure if we could make it, but we did.
How much flexibility do you have in terms of hours, and dress?
Our policy has always been to try to design individual work schedules to meet the family life needs of all. Our dress policy is “professional”.
What kind of salary range could a person entering the fieldexpect?
It’s too broad of a field to generalize.
What are the benefits (paid vacation, insurance, retirement, etc.)?
Again, it depends on the nature of the employment. A large corporation or a government agency will likely be able to provide more benefits than a small firm. The tradeoff is generally in the type of work.
Do you have a favorite project that you worked on? What was it?
The Orange County Register newspaper decided to develop a daily newspaper in 2005 called OC Post. The design criteria included designing a team environment where each section of the paper had its own identity. Additionally, each section could see their work being developed digitally on a wall of monitors so that collaboration could be maximized. The newspaper executives, who developed this daily news product, requested that the interior design be completely different than anything previously done at the Register. All of these criteria were presented to us on a Friday afternoon in June, and the product was scheduled to be up and running within 60 days. It was a fun project to fast track and to develop creative solutions almost as they were being constructed in the field.
What are you currently involved with in the industry? Associations? Boards?
International Facility Managers Association (IFMA), President 2004 – 2005
Certified Facility Manager, IFMA, 1996
Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) 1989 - present
Seminar instructor for BOMA, Project Planning and Management
BOMA California - Legislative Affairs Board Representative (BOMA CAL) 1999 - 2009
Interior Design Advisory Council, California Community College Consortium
LEED AP, 2008
All questions answered by Trish Secor.
11:47 AM
kdloves
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