Episode #61 - Interview with Micah Yeck

Join us on this episode of All-In Design, as we speak with Micah Yeck with Chambless King Architects. The path to becoming an interior designer is not always a straight one, so we go on a journey with Micah from Ole Miss, to Birmingham, then to DC for a master's degree, and then back to Birmingham. We cover some of her favorite projects over the years and the importance of people skills in being an interior designer. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_07 0:10

From the sumptuous environment of the IIDA Alabama recording studio, this is All in Design. Hello and welcome to All in Design, IIDA Alabama's podcast. Thank you for listening. My name's Chad Moore here with my co-host Mark Griffo.

SPEAKER_05 0:30

Hey everybody.

SPEAKER_07 0:31

And we have a uh another, I guess this is a KPS alum, is who we have. KPS alum, yeah. We were uh talking before we're recording that we've we've had a number of KPS people on. Um and uh Mark had run into Donna dialing earlier today. I was like, oh, we haven't had Donna on. I was like, well, that's because we've had everybody. We've had everybody else. Yeah. It'll be a full deck. Exactly. So uh this is not currently a KPS employee, so it doesn't fit. But uh previous uh former KPS employee. But if you would uh do the honors of introducing who we have today, I'd be happy to.

SPEAKER_05 1:03

Um so we have today our friend Micah Yek, she's an interior designer at Chamberless King Architects, and she's got a you got Micah, you got a great story. You got a lot, you got you got a lot going on. I you know, I've known you for a while now since I got into the industry, um, and I knew some of this, but it's all very interesting. So I'm I'm happy you're here, even though you know you when you came in, you were like, I'm doing this to get out of my comfort zone. We're here to make you comfortable, and so you can tell the world your story and everybody can hear how awesome you are.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

All right.

SPEAKER_05 1:40

All right, see how about that for an intro? That was nice, it was good. Chad's kind of looking at me like, eh, this is a little fun. It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. I feel like we haven't done this in a while. It's been a few weeks, yeah, I guess. Anyway, Micah, welcome to the show. We're glad to have you. If you want to introduce yourself, tell everybody a little bit about yourself, we'll get going.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Well, thank you guys for inviting me to be on. I am Micah Yuck. I am a designer at Chamberlace King Architects. I grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. I made kind of a last-minute decision to go to undergrad at the University of Mississippi. I had always said I would never stay and go to college in the college town that I grew up in.

SPEAKER_08 2:17

Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Um, I think, you know, the story is my high school boyfriend was a year behind me. He was still in college. Um, and I think, you know, I had a great, a great experience at Ole Miss, but I think it was worthwhile because he's now my husband. Oh, okay. You guys did it!

SPEAKER_05 2:36

I didn't see that coming because I was thinking I was like, we just got done talking about your husband too. Like, is he does he know about this guy?

SPEAKER_01 2:42

He is the guy, yes. I've got some surprises for you today.

SPEAKER_07 2:45

I love it. That wasn't on the thing that she figured. No, I'm totally thrown off now. So he was your high high school sweetheart. Yes. And he was a year behind, and so you stayed in town because he was obviously going to be student.

SPEAKER_01 2:57

I looking back, I think that had a lot to do with that.

SPEAKER_07 2:59

Where else were you considering?

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Um I was I was looking at Nashville. Okay. Um so stayed to go to Ole Miss.

SPEAKER_05 3:08

Um did he go to Ole Miss as well?

SPEAKER_01 3:10

He did for undergrad. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 3:12

Did he follow you to Ole Miss?

SPEAKER_01 3:15

No.

SPEAKER_05 3:15

No.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

I think that was his his plan all along.

SPEAKER_05 3:18

He was like, No, I'm gonna wherever. Yeah. Okay, okay. Anyway, back to you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

So we started dating my senior year. He was a junior.

SPEAKER_08 3:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Um, I decided to stay and go to Ole Miss, and then we actually broke up for a little bit, and then we started dating again my junior year of college. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 3:35

So Yeah. It all worked out. You got it all, yeah, you know, out of the way. And so you went to school for interior design?

SPEAKER_01 3:43

I didn't. So even though I was interested in interior design and I was always like very drawn to, you know, creative, like liberal arts types things, when I went to Olmus, I knew they had no architecture design program. They had in the past, but that program had been dismissed. Um, and so I graduated with a business marketing degree.

SPEAKER_07 4:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

And I worked in marketing and retail for a few years before deciding to return to school for design.

SPEAKER_05 4:11

When you were working in in retail, were you in Oxford still?

SPEAKER_01 4:16

So this is an interesting part of the story. I actually came to Birmingham.

SPEAKER_06 4:21

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Um, I was interested in the buying program at SACS, so I came here to do that. Really because one of my best friends from college came to work at UAB. So we kind of all came as a group.

SPEAKER_07 4:35

Now husband at this point. Did he come to Birmingham also?

SPEAKER_01 4:38

No, he's still at Ole Miss.

SPEAKER_07 4:39

He's still at Ole Miss. Okay. He is. Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Yeah. Yeah. So after all exploring all of my options of like post-grad design school, you know, I didn't decide to do this four years ago. Now I'm going back. What's the best option for me? So I moved to Washington, D.C. to earn my master's degree in interior architecture and design at Marymount University in Arlington.

SPEAKER_07 5:02

Okay. So how did okay, how did that happen? So you're in retail here in Birmingham, and then what made you decide, okay, let's go to DC and follow this entire Because it's kind of a jump.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

It's kind of a jump. So I did I did retail with Sachs and then I went I moved back to Oxford and worked in marketing, and I still was just feeling like this real urge. I wanted to go to graduate school.

SPEAKER_08 5:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

So I didn't know if I was going to go to business graduate school and you know, kind of felt like I had this degree with a toolbox, but I didn't really know exactly what tools I wanted to use. Right. And so like when I was trying to explore, you know, research investigate, talk to a number of professionals, I decided I I still really want to do design. Okay. And I was still intrigued with interior design architecture. And I found, you know, that my path could go back there. So I I I went to Marymount in DC because they had a post-professional program. So everyone came from different careers and backgrounds, you know, made for a new unique learning environment. Um, but most of us were venturing into a career that was outside of our undergraduate studies. So some of us had been out of college for one year, some for 10 years. Um while we were in school, while I was in school, I worked for a consulting firm that managed resource libraries for architecture.

SPEAKER_07 6:32

Yeah, so I read that. I was like, that was cool. I didn't know that was a thing. I didn't know that was a thing either. So that gave you experience into all these different firms.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

It did. So I I decided to go to this program because they offered the pros post-professional degree. You know, I wasn't going to college with 18-year-olds who were just now starting. I kind of felt like we were all on the same track. We were going back to school, we were doing the different things.

SPEAKER_07 6:54

Um You were all adults. You've seen some things.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

Right. And most of us were working while we were going.

SPEAKER_07 7:03

Yeah. Sachs street cred. Nice. But but I mean, so this consulting, there's a consulting, I guess this is maybe not just this one place, but there's consulting firms where they work with these architecture design firms and they manage their resource libraries.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

That's right. And and it it actually still exists. And um so you know, I was sort of thinking like, how am I going to get like sight lines inside these firms? And I feel like I kind of I had this like feeling I needed to catch up, right? Because I was kind of late to the game, I felt like. Um, so that gave me the opportunity to spend time inside multiple firms because the consulting firm was only hired like one or two days a week per firm. You know, they didn't need someone managing a library five days a week. So I was able to um spend time inside firms such as RTKL, H O K, Perkins and Will, Gensler, and that gave me an understanding um of different working styles and cultures. Um and after a couple of semesters, well, so that gave me insight into like the culture and you know the actual work in the different segments because in DC, you know, most of these firms were global, so they had a health care care studio, a historic preservation studio, workplace studio. So I was really able to kind of like grab, you know, a lot of information and learning even in just a short time.

SPEAKER_07 8:38

Right. And they probably also lots of product knowledge just because you're dealing with all the samples and things and putting them away. Yes. But you wouldn't necessarily get it.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Right. And the relationships.

SPEAKER_07 8:48

You know, that's relationships aren't important.

SPEAKER_05 8:51

We never talk about relationships or networking on this this show ever. Crucial in our industry. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 8:59

That's fascinating. So how long were you in school there? Like how long how long was that program? So it was a three-year program.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Okay. Three-year program.

SPEAKER_05 9:06

Did you stay on in DC after graduation to work there at all?

SPEAKER_07 9:11

I did.

SPEAKER_05 9:12

You're you're like I did. Nice segue.

SPEAKER_07 9:15

She's looking at me like, well. Did you not read?

SPEAKER_05 9:18

I read but didn't memorize.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

No, I absolutely did. So as I was describing the time, you know, working in the resource libraries to kind of figure out like, where do I want to work? What market segment do I want to go into? Like simultaneously at school, we had to pick a focus for our thesis. Um so after a couple semesters in the school, I discovered I had a passion for healthcare design. So I was really drawn to the evidence-based approach and the research that you know we were learning about in school and how to apply that um into into your for healthcare. Also, I mentioned Tamma Duffy Day. She was in my master's program. And looking back, um, so Tama Duffy Day is not someone that you may have previously known before this podcast, but when she did I already say she was in my master's program?

SPEAKER_07 10:19

No.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Okay, so she was in our master's program. So looking back, I think that she had some interest, some some influence on me. So she was already um a pioneer in healthcare design and very well known. Um she was leading teams of global firms, so she had been practicing for at least a decade.

SPEAKER_07 10:41

She was in school with you at the same time? What was she going to do?

SPEAKER_01 10:45

She had come back to get her master's for design, even though she was already well known, published. Um she was interested in going into academics. Okay. And she wanted to get her master's to go into that track.

SPEAKER_07 10:58

Okay, gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 10:59

Yeah, it makes sense. Yeah, yeah. At first it was like, she's already killing it. Yeah, let's go back to school. What are you doing, Ms. Duffy Day? What do you need to go back to school for?

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Well, that's sort of like, you know, when when we all like kind of learned who she was, we're like, what she's sitting in the classroom with us. Like we knew nothing.

SPEAKER_07 11:14

Hey, hey, do you want to be a study partner? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 11:19

Did you get to hang out with her? Like, did y'all like go out for like drinks and stuff too? Are you all buddies now? We didn't. Oh god, missed opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Yeah, she she was more like a like a mentor for us.

SPEAKER_05 11:29

Yes. School mom. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

So where are we now?

SPEAKER_07 11:38

So you so she's in your I think she was an influence on you as far as your direction with healthcare. Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 11:44

That's correct. Okay. Yeah. So then I ended up doing my thesis in healthcare design, and I had decided I want to work at the in the healthcare studio at RTKL, which is one of the firms that I had been working in the resource library.

SPEAKER_07 11:58

And so you used those relationships? I did. Useless relationships.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

I did. So I applied, interviewed, um, I was an intern. I already know in the way around your library.

SPEAKER_05 12:11

You're like the library girls here for a job.

SPEAKER_04 12:15

It worked out though.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

It worked out. And so to answer your question about my time in DC, I was hired there full-time and then remained there until our family relocated to Birmingham several years later. So I worked.

SPEAKER_07 12:30

Um When did the family happen? It seems like we missed it. Last I heard he was in Oxford. Yeah. Yeah, we left him back at Ole Miss.

SPEAKER_05 12:41

Now you've got a family in DC years later and a master's degree. That is true.

SPEAKER_07 12:46

Best buddies with Tammy. Yeah. Definitely.

SPEAKER_05 12:48

Did he did he come? He obviously came to D.C. with you. So he graduates from uh the show's not about your husband, by the way. But that's okay. He's an integral part. Yeah. Um and and it also tracks with your family story. So he graduates from Ole Miss and then he joins you in DC. Was that the plan?

SPEAKER_01 13:06

No. The same summer that I moved to DC, he moved to New York City for his postgraduate studies.

SPEAKER_05 13:13

Wow. You two are just all over the place. Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

So we were we were back and forth on the Peter Pan Greyhound bus from New York to DC.

SPEAKER_05 13:23

That sounds terrible. Isn't there not a train?

SPEAKER_01 13:26

There is a train, but it cost three times as much, and the times did not run.

SPEAKER_07 13:33

And and this is probably a stupid question, but what's a Peter Pan bus? I know. I'm glad you asked. So it's like the overnight?

SPEAKER_01 13:42

No, it it had um a a sequence of maybe like running like every two hours or something. So it's highly convenient. But it's the nicer Greyhound bus. You know, so sometimes I say like times are different now because this was 2006, 5, 4. Um, but things that I hope that my girls never do, you know, because so it would drop me off at Port Authority in Manhattan.

SPEAKER_07 14:09

Yeah, yep, yep, I've been there.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Yeah. So yes, there was a train.

SPEAKER_05 14:14

It's the Port Authority of Manhattan. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:16

So there was a train and there was also, you know, the double decker Chinatown bus that ran from Chinatown, D.C. Chinatown. And that was a windy bus in New York.

SPEAKER_07 14:24

And that was a windy bus. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:29

But it uh it also just was a little bit more expensive, but I think the timing was why we did the Peter Pam? Yes.

SPEAKER_07 14:37

How long did a bus ride take?

SPEAKER_01 14:40

That's a great question. It's been such a long time. I'm just gonna say, I mean, I think like I mean three hours.

unknown 14:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 14:46

Um the only reason I'm curious is so like I lived in New York for a year, and while I was there, I was dating a girl in Philly. And she lived in Philly, I was in New York, and so like every other weekend, like I would either be in Philly or she would be in New York. But we just took the train. And it took an hour, an hour and a half, maybe, to get from New York to Philly. Like you'd go take the train.

SPEAKER_07 15:03

But you came from money.

SPEAKER_05 15:05

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. We didn't know. I wasn't in school, I was working, so you know. Yeah. Maybe that had something to do with it.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

I don't know. It just it felt that's what we did. It felt right. The less money you spent on travel, the more you had when you got there for shopping and dining. I'll just say that.

SPEAKER_05 15:26

Um they lived large when they got there.

SPEAKER_07 15:29

Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. So when did the family so you're going back and forth? When when did the We're going back and forth?

SPEAKER_01 15:36

So then we got married in 2007.

SPEAKER_07 15:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

And when we got married, Paul moved down to DC.

SPEAKER_07 15:41

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

And then our first child, who's now 15, was born in 2010.

SPEAKER_05 15:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

And our second child was born in 2013.

SPEAKER_05 15:53

And so what year did y'all move to Birmingham?

SPEAKER_01 15:55

In 2013. 2013. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 15:57

Yes. Okay. And what brought y'all to Birmingham?

SPEAKER_01 16:00

So it was it was my husband's job. This was, you know, I think I said this was our big move back south. So we we, you know, kind of came to a crossroads as our family was growing. You know, we're still living like in the city, and then last our last apartment was in Arlington. But, you know, we wanted we needed a little bit more space, so we came to those crossroads of like, you know, we are we're gonna move out into the suburbs, and then we're like, you know, gaining this commute to be inside the city, we're not. We'd always imagined ourselves closer to our roots, you know, we really value being close to family. Um, and so one thing after another, and Birmingham was it. I didn't know if we've ever got like this far south or you know, this close back to Mississippi. Um, but Birmingham was it, and we feel at home here now, and it's it's been really great to us.

SPEAKER_05 16:50

Were you before you moved to Birmingham, were you like scouting jobs? Like I mean, were you connected to because you got to Birmingham and then this is when you started KPS, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:00

That's correct. No, I really wasn't scouting jobs until until we got to kind of got so that's right.

SPEAKER_07 17:07

Because I guess you would have you had the one kid and then.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

Well, we had two. Okay. And the second one was was a baby baby. So, you know, it's it was a big it was a big move and it was a lot to juggle.

SPEAKER_07 17:18

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Moving and small children, and so I could see moving here and then getting your feet under you and then saying, okay, now.

SPEAKER_05 17:25

I know when we moved into our house and we had the cats.

SPEAKER_07 17:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell us more about the cats.

SPEAKER_05 17:31

Uh a few a few episodes ago, Chad and the guest where they were talking about kids, and I brought up our cats, and Chad looked at me like, really?

SPEAKER_07 17:40

Really? Which cats are great. We've got two cats. Yeah, see, there you go. Cats are fantastic, and they're a handful. They are they handful.

SPEAKER_01 17:49

I do love cats. Growing up, I did not love cats, but as an adult, I love cats.

SPEAKER_05 17:55

What changed?

SPEAKER_01 17:56

I have no idea. It's very strange.

SPEAKER_05 17:59

Were you a dog person when you were young?

SPEAKER_01 18:01

Not really.

SPEAKER_07 18:02

Okay. Oh, okay. Are you a dog person now?

SPEAKER_01 18:05

We have a dog that everyone loves very much.

SPEAKER_04 18:10

The look on your face was classic.

SPEAKER_07 18:12

That was a very odd answer. That was a way it's it seems like we didn't get the full answer there.

SPEAKER_05 18:16

The full answer was that she's a cat person. Yeah. That's the answer. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

But we don't have a cat. That's the problem. We need a cat.

SPEAKER_05 18:24

You need a cat.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

We need a cat.

SPEAKER_07 18:26

Okay. So she I think she became anti-dog somehow, maybe, and then it became pro-cat. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She's she's waving like, let's change the tone. Next question. Nobody listens to the podcast in that.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

So we yeah, we have a Frenchie and we love her very much. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 18:44

All right. So you Birmingham, uh, did when you moved to Birmingham, did you get a dog right away? I'm just kidding. Um got a job at KPS. How long were you at KPS?

SPEAKER_01 18:55

Uh I think I I'm looking at you. I know, you are looking at Mark.

SPEAKER_07 18:59

Mark knows. I don't know if he does.

SPEAKER_01 19:01

That's KPS for five years.

SPEAKER_05 19:03

I think so, because I feel like that I started at Global. I started at Global in 2015. And I think you had been at KPS a year?

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Maybe. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 19:14

So yeah, probably five, because when I was at Global was when you left to go to Mannington, which we will talk a lot about now that we've had a segue into it. See how easy that was? I do. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 19:24

There was there was discussion earlier before we started recording because we we sent out the questionnaire and it gets filled in. She was like, Oh, I kind of forgot to put that in there. But yeah, so you were at KPS and then you left KPS to be the Mannington rep. And I guess you were recruited, they come after you?

SPEAKER_05 19:39

I love how you're skipping over all of KPS right now. We know too much about KPS though, with all the guests that we have.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

All you need to know is if anyone ever meets Donna Dowling or interviews with her, then that's where they want to work.

SPEAKER_05 19:52

Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

I think that's why everyone works.

SPEAKER_05 19:54

That's a pretty that's a pretty solid uh endorsement.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 19:58

Way to go, Donna. Yeah. She's never offered me a job though, so I've met her many times. It could still happen. Chad, so there's reasons for this.

SPEAKER_01 20:09

Could still happen.

SPEAKER_07 20:10

Yeah. So you were you were at KPS Group there for five years, and then I was.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

And then I I did. I got recruited by Mannington, and so I started, you know, listening and thinking about, you know, what it would be like. And so I was the Mannington rep for a little bit over a year. And it uh I think, you know, just looking back, I think it just wasn't like the fit for me at the time.

SPEAKER_08 20:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

I missed being inside, you know, all the different facets of a design project and like, you know, the the creativeness in all of those different stages of design. Um and so I just I decided to to venture back in.

SPEAKER_07 20:55

Yeah, I mean it's it's a completely different job, even though it's adjacent and it's you know connected to the industry. It's you know, sales is a completely different job than being a designer. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 21:05

Yeah, I think was a rep for about an hour, I think, in Atlanta, which I always forget. I forget that she was a rep. This is years before we met, and I can't even remember what she repped. I think that was gonna be my question. I think fabric, I don't know. Okay, and she did, I think she had this job for maybe six months, three months, who knows, six weeks. Right. And the thing is she was like, Yeah, I didn't like going places. And I was like, Well, that really is not great for a sales rep is if you don't like to go places. Right. It's great if they can come to you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Like if you're on the receiving end in the studio, right? Perfect. Right. But yeah. So she also tried it for um, she tried it on for a minute, and then I was like, nah.

SPEAKER_01 21:47

And I think a lot of us do, and I think there's some value in seeing the other side of it.

SPEAKER_07 21:51

Oh, for sure. Yeah. And some and some people excel at it. Like they hit it and they're like, This is where I needed to be. Absolutely. And then others, it's like, okay, I tried it, that's not true. quite the right fit for me.

SPEAKER_05 22:02

And then did so did so you were at Mannington and then you you start your you're back on the search?

SPEAKER_01 22:10

I'm back on the search, but the really the next the next thing in the timeline was COVID.

SPEAKER_05 22:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

So it was, you know, a time hoax. No, exactly. It's a time when, you know, a lot of things stop, a lot of things changes. Also the demands of, you know, me at the time having three school aged children was you know really hard. I mean even fast forward seven years, it still is a you know a lot of hats to juggle.

SPEAKER_07 22:36

Um so were you the Mannington rep during COVID or prior. Okay. Prior. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

Prior.

SPEAKER_07 22:44

Okay. And so then you're on the search but it's COVID now.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

That's right. Okay. So it is some contractual work.

SPEAKER_07 22:50

Um and then sp speaking of COVID with three kids because we went through that as well with the four was that they're all home now. They're not at school because they can't go to school. And all the schoolwork is being pushed, especially if they're young, they can't do the schoolwork themselves. The parents have to be very active in helping them do the schoolwork because they can't just watch a Zoom video and do it on their own.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Absolutely. And I feel like my two older children, you know, they never saw me in the light of you know like their teacher and when things shut down they had already been you know halfway through the school year with a teacher and so it was like that's not how Miss Holsey does it. That's not how Miss And I'm like I have no idea how she does it and I'm not equipped to this and I'm trying to juggle you guys and you've got a three year old sister that needs me too. And so it you know with the timing it was um just a time to kind of like pause.

SPEAKER_08 23:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

And so when we kind of came out of that and they I think you know they went back to school on a staggered schedule that kind of you know freed up some time you know to get back to work. So then that kind of led me back to going back into design and that you know is about the time I joined Chambless King.

SPEAKER_07 24:05

Nice. And you've been there ever since right yes. Okay. What kind of why don't you talk about Chambless King kind of projects that they work on?

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Sure. So our work span from workplace to higher education hospitality and some community focused design. So we've done some work at Auburn um some recent work at UAB those are you know both really great clients but all of our clients are really great.

SPEAKER_04 24:39

So are all of ours everybody all clients are great.

SPEAKER_05 24:44

Yeah um do they just have the two offices Montgomery and Birmingham Montgomery and Birmingham right now are you the only interior designer or is there more? I actually don't know and we were talking about this a little bit before you got here.

SPEAKER_01 24:57

Yeah so we have one interior designer in Montgomery Jessica and then here in Birmingham it was me until we hired Hallie who graduated from Mississippi State a year ago. So she has now been with us for a year and she's fabulous. So there are two of us.

SPEAKER_05 25:17

Oh nice yeah are you her new Tammy? Like do you are you her mentor?

SPEAKER_01 25:22

I would hope that she would describe me like that one day I'm sure she does.

SPEAKER_05 25:28

We'll have her on the show next and we'll ask her we'll get feedback from her sounds like a plan. We do have we we've we've had several um like guests that are a year year or two out. And what's funny you're talking about people who jump in the show like none of them are nervous at all. Generally yeah they're like they're like the podcast TikTok generation though.

SPEAKER_07 25:48

Yeah because they've got a phone camera and so they're constantly doing video and listening to themselves talk.

SPEAKER_01 25:57

This many years that we've been doing Zoom I still get uncomfortable on Zoom.

SPEAKER_07 26:03

That's because Zoom sucks the worst way that's I can talk to you face to face.

SPEAKER_05 26:08

Yeah that's why why we do it like this but there's uh several other IDA podcasts they're all virtual every single yeah they basically just record the call okay you know they just record the Zoom call and like that's the I mean that's fine that works for them yeah yeah it's but it's like something they're like out of the gate chat they're like we'll always do it in person.

SPEAKER_07 26:28

Always do it in person. Oh there was um South Florida IDA South Florida I had a call with them like two weeks ago maybe but they were thinking about doing a podcast. And so I was doing pros and cons and I doing the pros and cons I was like okay I can totally see why when you're starting a podcast why you'd go oh we're gonna do it virtual it's so easy because scheduling is super easy people can you don't have to you know for instance this you know we've got a schedule a time where we can all be together versus if you're just the office or at home or whatever you can schedule it's so much easier. The equipment you already have pretty much you've got your computer everyone's got their computer um it's recording it already so it just makes it so much easier to do. But I did tell them on it was like it's I was like I hate Zoom calls we were on a Zoom call it's like now this one's great. But um I hate all of them except except for this exactly um but there's you lose so much of just the nonverbals and you also lose people's attention as well because I think every single one of us has been on a Zoom call where you're you're listening and you're paying attention but then notifications pop up you get a text message or there's an email and you can see people's eyes kind of wander over. And you that would happen with the guests it would happen with the hosts so here you can't you you've got to look at us and pay attention to what we're saying.

SPEAKER_01 27:43

I'm so glad I have to yeah I I would be way more uncomfortable if we were all behind screens.

SPEAKER_05 27:51

Yeah well we're we're we're glad you're here.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

Yeah because I know you were like I guess I'll do this what was what did you say to us before we started recording when you came in you were like what was the meme that you saw about something Yeah about the same time that you reached out with the invite I saw some what did I say it was something about how like getting out of your company makes you happier when people are at their happiest they're their most comfortable so basically the flip side is if you kind of put yourself in uncomfortable situations then the happiness increases.

SPEAKER_07 28:32

Oh okay I didn't I didn't understand it the first time around so it just sound it just sounded like so you're gonna be uncomfortable and unhappy doing the podcast is that's what I take away from it. Just make more sense now. So far so good.

SPEAKER_05 28:47

So far so good. Get us back on this is where Chad gets us back on track because I'll just take us in a whole nother direction.

SPEAKER_07 28:53

Yeah so um you've mentioned the kind of projects you guys work on. What's what's one that you've worked on that's been either rewarding or challenging or just kind of sticks out because the client was great or just it was an interesting project so I think you know when I was filling up my questionnaire I mentioned our recent project at Chihaw State Park.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

So we're wrapping up CA for Chihaw State Park Lodge. It's a new hotel facility that's on top of Mount Chihaw and it views Alabama's first national park.

SPEAKER_05 29:27

I didn't know that until I read your questionnaire that it was Alabama's first national park. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01 29:32

It was so I think of that you know it it was really inspiring to be part of such an impactful improvement to our state. Right you know there was previously lodging and dining there but um it was really dated and some of the buildings were dilapidated. So now the new facility will offer a great destination for visitors within our state and without and I you know I think I think the project is just a great addition to the state and so therefore we were super intrigued and inspired to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_05 30:06

Right. When is it going to be done? It's gonna be right on schedule yes this tell us more about this fall is is the uh this fall okay we're very close okay this fall it's yeah it's July 15th practically practically yeah what is today the 14th 14th yeah yeah yeah yeah this won't watch on July have surpassed half the year okay nice right on schedule there was uh there was one project that I was really intrigued about that you mentioned and that was the uh food studios for Time Inc.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Yes so when thinking about like a memorable memorable experience um working closely with a client that one came to mind so I was on the team that designed and developed the first of its kind food studios for Time Inc. which has now been acquired they're now called dash Meredith so they're here in Birmingham the project supports we just lost a sponsor so the project supports publications such as Seven Living Food and Wine People magazine and so this was back in 2015. So Time Inc. moved its food content operations from New York to Birmingham which is also pretty great a great a great deal to be part of so the facility features 28 test kitchens 13 photo and video studios a showcase kitchen a tasting room for demo demos and events so this one was especially meaningful to collaborate with the clients because they're creatives also and come up with something unique that with a reach far beyond our region. At the time the audience was 30 million so you know to be able to be a part of something that's here in Alabama here in our city of Birmingham but reaching that far um you know it's just something that I'll always consider memorable.

SPEAKER_07 32:18

Right. Was there anything that you worked on with that that was surprising or just like because I I would imagine you didn't have a lot of experience within that particular field of design. Creating kitchens and studio space.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

We didn't um you know my husband has a culinary background so that piece was also really interesting.

SPEAKER_05 32:43

Did he give like any sort of side feedback on any of that?

SPEAKER_01 32:48

No he didn't. He didn't yeah no he didn't it was it was just you know neat to kind of understand some of the things that they were talking about you know even like the equipment and and you know what it entail and how all the pieces fit together um as we were designing they were they had a great idea of how they wanted it to be laid out and function but at the same time they were kind of figuring it out so you know it would kind of be massaged as we move through the different phases because it was the first one.

SPEAKER_05 33:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 33:20

Is it still there? You said it's two thousand two thousand fifteen is it yeah where is it?

SPEAKER_01 33:26

It is in homewood. So Sanford is it where Southern Progress used to be yes exactly okay so one of the old Southern Progress buildings so they Southern Progress had three buildings they sold two of them to Samford and consolidated into one building. Food Studios is on the fifth floor but it was just a shell it had never been fit out for anything. Oh so they decided this is what we'll do with that large footprint and we can bring everything here to Birmingham.

SPEAKER_05 33:59

That's really cool because I didn't I didn't know that but I had been in all of those Southern progress buildings back when they all were Southern progress buildings. This is an interiorscape story I won't tell but they didn't have they had all they had all that they had a bunch of kitchens in several of or at least one but I think more than one but it was photography. Like it wasn't the filming of stuff. They were ph photographing food for Southern living and and all magazines and stuff like that. So when I was reading your notes and just knowing the date and everything like that that was kind of after my time or yeah after my time of more regularly being in those buildings. And so that's cool. And it's cool that it's still there. Yeah it is we should do a fantastic forum there.

SPEAKER_01 34:43

We should I'll reach out to Chris okay yeah Chris Williams he's gonna be our next guest on the podcast yeah so that was back in 2015 and I think probably three years ago so 2006ish I was also part of a new expansion for they they had kind of like outgrown the photography base. They needed more and something look a little bit different. So they took out one of their previous office spaces and fit it out for that and so I was able to kind of be involved with them again.

SPEAKER_05 35:13

That's cool. Yeah those are great buildings. Yeah they are cool they're very cool yeah yeah it's beautiful over there. Everyone should go visit there that's our plug just drive just drive up there.

SPEAKER_07 35:23

Chris is going to get a fantastic form set we go yeah and by the way that's uh Chris Williams KI who's the director of City Centers and that would be his his role on the IDA board is to set up fantastic forms just to make that clear we'll provide his contact information at the end of the episode if anybody wants to reach out to him. Yeah all right or or do any events uh in Birmingham uh that would be uh Chris Williams Mike is looking at it's funny we like to regularly drag Chris every several episodes he's not listening no so it's fine it's fine it's good yeah Aaron's not listening yeah his work wife I don't know Chris so I'm not laughing you don't know Chris do you know Aaron Scroggins yes I do okay I was about to say she was saying first Chris and Aaron call on Micah so talking about other projects what's um one that you're most proud of or some that you're most proud of like uh she's looking at me like what do you think I've already answered all these solid projects these were more uh I was thinking something more medical the rewarding projects yeah so when I think about you know when someone asked me what well first of all I like to think they're all rewarding I'm proud of every project truly uh but a few stand out as especially rewarding so one of my very first projects was a newly constructed cancer center in Baltimore Maryland so this is when I was still working in DC and we did a post-occupancy study and it included you know a video with interviews and there was one specific patient that I'll never forget um that we interviewed and she just she had received treatment in both their old facility and now the new facility that we had designed and so listening to the words and hearing her describe you know how the new environment improved her experience it really came down to like access to daylight and choices.

SPEAKER_01 37:30

So there was you know private semi-private choices there were areas where the patients could receive treatment um you know where they could bring in three friends if they want or one friend or they could you know just be alone. So that's what I mean by choices that um she described you know really impacted her overall well being while she was so sick and it it made me feel like our team had truly made a difference. And I think that's the most rewarding part of our work is to hear that we've made something better for someone.

SPEAKER_08 38:04

Right.

SPEAKER_01 38:06

And then you know I have a similar story about a children's clinic in Edmonton Can it was Edmonton Clinic in Canada. And so you know again it's just about hearing how we've impacted someone especially a sick person in that built environment made things more comfortable and more easy more intuitive for them and the choices.

SPEAKER_07 38:31

Yeah it does seem healthcare design does seem where you that you feel that impact more directly because people are sick and they they need they need help. And so you can see the the help that they're getting through your design and and making it better. And but even to the ones the other projects you've talked about you know ones about the the state park and then also with the studios that's going out to you know 30 million people or whatever I mean those are all having different impacts. But again healthcare you can kind of see more directly the other ones are a little bit more indirect.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Absolutely and I feel like people talk about it more you know we're rarely doing post-occupancy studies on like hotels and restaurants. But that doesn't mean that they're you know less important.

SPEAKER_07 39:13

Right. Yeah yeah so um what kind of advice would you have for people considering interior design?

SPEAKER_01 39:20

So I always just say you know research the profession ask questions understand why interior design interests you and I say that thinking back you know on myself I say when I went back to design school I truly didn't know what it was. I'm really glad that it that it was more technical and um you know that that balance of creativity and functional design. Right. But I didn't know that. And so maybe I could have asked more questions. So really just ask questions because before you jump back into it you kind of have to be committed to one or the other. But also you know explore the market segments.

SPEAKER_07 40:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:07

Because depending on you know kind of what like you know jazzes you up maybe you you could you can do um you know one market segment whatever appeals to you. I think with any profession just try to gain as much experience as you can from the day-to-day um you know knowledge um just to gather insight and advice it's good you're checking your questions I guess I guess along that same line you know if if if somebody were to ask me specific skills or qualities that I think are crucial for our profession I would say strong communication skills are essential. Along with that ability to connect with people we've talked about that several times you know the the the relationships um really matter in in in so much and educate educate yourself you know throughout the process I think I've said balancing the technical skills with the creative problem solving is truly something that can set yourself aside.

SPEAKER_07 41:17

Yeah that was um I did highlight where you talked about strong communication skills and then ability to connect with people because that's you know talking about AI and technology that's you know being integrated into everything and people losing jobs and you know people be getting replaced with AI. That's what can't get replaced is those personal connections. And so I think in in by my daughter for instance who's gonna be going to Auburn and I know I've said this on the podcast before but she's going in interior design and so she just got her schedule we were worked on that when we were at Auburn you know what's she going to take first semester and she's gonna take public speaking as one of the classes fall semester and was like you need to do that the f as soon as you can. Like learn how to communicate and get up in front of people and present your you know your case and put forth a good argument and um speak clearly and communicate. So she's doing that first because as we talked before we started recording she's like somewhat of an introvert and I can definitely see her just being really quiet. And so um again trying to develop those personal skills.

SPEAKER_05 42:20

Well and I'm sure that'll help her too when she's she gets more involved in the program and just gets into critiques and stuff like that. Like she won't be one of those students during a critique or charrette or whatever that's sitting on their hands.

SPEAKER_07 42:32

Right.

SPEAKER_05 42:32

You know and not being part of that process. Because that's part of the process. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 42:36

You know so in her yeah and like uh you know you were saying that um not knowing exactly what interior design was until you get into it. That's one of the things I do like about Auburn's program is that you you aren't actually in the program until sophomore year. You've got intro to interior design for kind of I guess the first fall and spring semester and then you've got to put a portfolio together and get entered into the interior design program. But you wouldn't apply for it if you get into it and you're like oh this is far more technical than I thought it was going to be this is terrible or whatever. That's good. They know what they're doing yeah they've thought about it I guess. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 43:10

Yeah decent decent program.

SPEAKER_07 43:12

Well speaking about technology uh how do you see um technology impacting interior design? Do you see any changes or what's been kind of the biggest changes you've seen since you've been in well s I mean since I you know started what feels like a long time ago in some ways some people would say that wasn't a long time ago.

SPEAKER_05 43:29

It was a long time ago.

SPEAKER_01 43:30

It was a long time ago you know that technology pre-COVID pre-pre-COVID pre-COVID that's all you gotta say um so when I when I first started you know we we would we were still encouraged to hand sketch do some type of hand drafting and you know we would do we would do renderings but mostly those were outsourced um and I feel like rarely we see you know the younger designers sketching and hand drafting Most of us use three 3D software to develop you know the views and the renderings for clients, which allows us to test ideas. And I think that go that you know parlays into conveying your ideas. It strengthens the communication. So I feel like it's as we start to talk about that, it sounds like, oh, this is so sad, you know, we're we're losing that skill of like hand drafting and sketching. And we are, but I I think there's also some beauty to it because it's helping clients understand a design before it's built.

SPEAKER_07 44:35

Right.

SPEAKER_01 44:35

And I think that all of that said, technology is helping us create smarter designs because of it. Um, you know, there's a coordination piece too. You know, we can look at, you know, MEP 3D and you know make sure something is you know not running out and out into space. Um and then AI, I'll say also, AI is a whole nother level. I'm not even equipped to talk about. So I think that that's also vague. Tell us about AI, Mark.

SPEAKER_05 45:13

No, I don't know where this trend of thought is.

SPEAKER_09 45:15

I'm still processing it.

SPEAKER_05 45:16

Yeah, well, we all are, and it's just surrounding us more and more each day. Um what's the name of your new coworker that's been around a year? How Hallie? Hallie. Hallie. Have we met Hallie? I don't know. I feel like she's she'll be on this second shoe. She's gonna be like, yeah, I met you guys. Yeah, I need to bring her over. She'd she would be great. Um I and I don't exactly know where I'm going with this question, which is something that's happened before. So as I've talked about many times, and as y'all both know, like my wife's an interior designer as well. And she, you know, she's in it with the technology, right? Revit and all the things. And what I've noticed in working with her both on projects like at our house, but also Gresham is who's currently working on business interiors showroom renovation. Um, that's not a secret. She is not even though it's digital and what she's working in, you know, as opposed to a hand sketch where you know you have your trash paper and you get bought it and throw it away. She is not married to anything. And she will quickly change a design in in Revit or whatever she's using, I'm sure it's Revit. I guess my question is Do you see that in like someone like a Halle where even though they're using these newer technologies as opposed to where you're coming up as a new designer and you're in school and you're hand drawing, like are are they as quick to discard something that's digital as opposed to just being married to it because it kind of looks good because it's easy? Easy. Yeah. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_01 46:51

I'm following you, right? Because once you see it in 3D, you're saying like Oh, I finished.

SPEAKER_07 46:56

Oh, that's pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 46:56

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 46:57

And Aaron will toss it. Like in a hard, I mean, so much so that it can be abrupt.

SPEAKER_07 47:01

I could see where it could be the opposite, where it's even easier to toss because it was so easy to put together in the first place. That's what I think.

SPEAKER_01 47:07

I think we, you know, we use we look we're primarily we're yeah, primarily working in Revit, and then we, you know, use Inkscape to look at it in 3D immediately to test things. And so we literally do, especially you know, preliminary schematics, we're testing it, setting it options, trashing it immediately. And so I think it's I think it's pretty efficient.

SPEAKER_07 47:29

Okay, well that's a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 47:30

Yeah, so that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_07 47:30

Yeah, I guess it was this is not related, but it's sort of related where um photography versus somebody who paints a painting, paints a painting. You know, whereas photography, you can take quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, and it's like, oh that's not good, not good, not good, not good, not good. Whereas if you're painting something, I could see totally see getting uh you know spinning hours on something and going, well, I need to it's done. You know, like or or or you put it aside to work on much later. Um but you might be more likely to hold on to it because you put so much work into it. That's actually a really good analogy, Chad. Okay. Oh, good.

SPEAKER_05 48:01

The only thing I will add is I took three years of painting in Auburn and the put setting things aside for painting is very much a thing, and then going back and having the courage, and sometimes you need encouragement from a professor to paint over entirely. You don't have to toss the canvas, but like you can completely start over in that first step. There's a little bit of or sometimes a lot of apprehension, but it can also be very freeing. Right. And sometimes all you gotta do is just throw a bunch of gesso or whatever. Just I mean, just it's like it's like if you have long hair and you want to cut it off, cut off like the most obvious spot first that's gonna look the weirdest because then there's no going back. Right. Like don't just trim in the back. Cut off right here in front of your face. Has that happened to you before? Yeah, yeah. I've had long hair multiple times in my life.

SPEAKER_01 48:48

You gotta commit.

SPEAKER_05 48:49

You gotta commit, yeah. That you just you just get you just lop off that front bang and then you're like, all right, now I'm gonna have short hair. Now I gotta shave my head. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Anyway, I guess it was a good rabbit hole. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 49:02

Is it time for rest of it for it? It looks like she's got a follow-up question.

SPEAKER_01 49:04

You yeah, do you have a follow-up question? I was just going to ask more about your hairstyles and if you ever if you had changed your hair color.

SPEAKER_05 49:13

I've never, I I I when I was in like seventh or eighth grade, I was kind of one of the first kids, not in life, but in my school, to like use peroxide to like bleach his hair.

SPEAKER_00 49:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 49:27

That was the only time, other than that, I've never changed my hair color.

SPEAKER_00 49:30

No.

unknown 49:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 49:31

Excellent.

SPEAKER_05 49:33

Yeah. Good question. Excellent question.

SPEAKER_07 49:35

Yeah, I think it I think we are ready for a rapid fire if you want to get a rapid fire chip.

SPEAKER_05 49:39

One thing I do want to clear up, we'll just be clear with my friend Micah here, is I've never had frosted tips or anything like that. Ah, okay. Oh, you seem disappointed? Like, not yet. There's still time. Like the 1999, 2001, like spiky frosted tips. Yeah, no. Didn't do it? No, I wouldn't I would never never say never. Teach their own. Yeah. This is I toe the line with a few things, and I feel like that would be one where Aaron would be like, we're fixing this right now. I don't think this is gonna work out. This is yeah, yeah. You just have to buzz your head. The relationships, I've done that before too.

unknown 50:15

There you go.

SPEAKER_05 50:15

Yeah. Yeah. I've had hair almost as long as yours, not quite as long, and then went from that to shaved.

SPEAKER_01 50:22

That's dramatic.

SPEAKER_05 50:23

Yeah, my dad came home and literally sat down on the couch and stared at me for like two minutes. Who are you? This was when I was in high school. Yeah, I was like a sophomore genius. And he was like, What? What the hell? Yeah. I was also like 6'2 and like 140 pounds, and so he was like, I see what you're doing here and you're experimenting, but also you kind of look sickly. And so maybe grow it out a little bit. Yeah. But good on you.

SPEAKER_00 50:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 50:48

So, all right, rapid fire.

SPEAKER_07 50:50

Yeah, do you want me to go first? Do you want me to go first?

SPEAKER_05 50:52

Um, you go first, because I, you know, I gotta shuffle through my own.

SPEAKER_07 50:59

We'll see. Um that was season one, Micah. Yeah. There is maybe a couple of these that might be. Let's start with a Mickey Davis classic. Sure.

SPEAKER_05 51:12

Black.

unknown 51:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 51:14

Syria fast. All right. So in DC, since you guys lived in DC, um, obviously there's lots of different tourist areas and things to visit. What would you recommend to somebody going to DC to see first? Like you must go by and see this.

SPEAKER_01 51:25

Well, Lincoln Memorial is all my all-time favorite. You know, you get a view of like, you know, the the mall, right? It's the national monument. So I'd say Lincoln.

SPEAKER_05 51:33

Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_01 51:34

Nice.

SPEAKER_05 51:34

That's a good answer. If you had to give a TED talk tomorrow, what's it about?

SPEAKER_01 51:41

I mean, just the season of life I'm in, I feel like it should be something about parenting. Not that I think that I have it all figured out at all, at all. But that's the first thing that comes to mind. That's a good answer. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 51:58

Yeah, we'll take it. Uh God disagreed.

SPEAKER_05 52:02

I hope the mic picked up that thunder. Yeah, there was God laughing. Like, okay, my God.

SPEAKER_07 52:08

All right. Uh, what's your go-to non-curse curse word? So if children are present and you would normally let out some sort of expletive, what would you say?

SPEAKER_01 52:17

I feel like I say shoot a lot.

SPEAKER_07 52:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 52:19

Shoot.

SPEAKER_07 52:19

Shoot.

SPEAKER_01 52:20

Yeah, kinda.

SPEAKER_05 52:21

Do you cuss? This is not my question. This is a follow-up.

SPEAKER_01 52:25

I feel like I do not. You don't never strike. But she's not sure.

SPEAKER_05 52:29

Strike me as a gush. Meanwhile, meanwhile, Paul's like, you cuss like a sailor. You don't even know it. Even when the kids are around.

SPEAKER_01 52:37

No, no.

SPEAKER_05 52:39

Um, this is one that I've never asked before, and we'll see where it goes. What's your default role in a group setting? Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:48

Well, I think it depends on how many people the group is. How large is the group?

SPEAKER_06 52:55

Yeah. Give her a number. Uh 12 people.

SPEAKER_01 52:58

Twelve people? Yeah. I'm probably listening.

SPEAKER_07 53:01

Okay. Four people.

SPEAKER_01 53:04

I'm probably like participating in the conversation a little bit more.

unknown 53:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 53:10

Than twelve.

SPEAKER_07 53:11

It would have cracked me up if you would have said listening. That's what you're about to say too. I'm still listening to you. Listening. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 53:22

I've never read that one. That's a that's a that's an interesting one. All right.

SPEAKER_07 53:25

Weird. Um do you have a hobby? And if so, what is it?

SPEAKER_01 53:29

Again, the season of life that I'm in, I feel like my children's hobbies are my default hobbies because I don't have any extra time.

SPEAKER_07 53:39

I understand that. If you did have extra time, what would your hobby be?

SPEAKER_01 53:43

Plants.

SPEAKER_07 53:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 53:45

Like, if if anyone would a ever ask me, like, what would you want to do as your retirement job, or if you could choose any other job, I would like open a nursery.

SPEAKER_09 53:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 53:55

So I would I would grow a garden. Does that sound really boring? No.

SPEAKER_07 53:59

No. Depends on the garden. Yeah, boring. Poisonous plants? I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_05 54:08

It's very specific. Um what's one material you love that your clients don't?

SPEAKER_01 54:19

Some came to mind before you said that my clients don't.

SPEAKER_05 54:22

Okay. Well, you can make the question what you want. That's fine. There's no rules here.

SPEAKER_01 54:27

That's good.

SPEAKER_07 54:29

Now she now we tell her. Yeah, we're at the end of the podcast. There's no rules. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:33

I mean wood. I feel like it's the natural choice. Would it's natural, it's warm, you know, in some ways it's it it brings a color. Would, but I don't I don't think that falls in the category of clients don't like it.

SPEAKER_07 54:48

Yeah, but like is there in is there has there been a finish or a product that you've tried to get on projects and it just always gets cut? Maybe they don't like it.

SPEAKER_05 54:57

And maybe that's a cost thing.

SPEAKER_07 54:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:59

Yeah. Because we've had that happen before where people are like they're just trying. We also have had guests before, and I cannot remember who. I want to say Jessica White, but I don't think that's right. But somebody wanted to like constantly get a certain green. Do you remember this? Like they were always trying to get like a green or specific color on a project and it's getting nixed, and it almost became like a personal goal.

SPEAKER_01 55:20

Oh, so I don't I don't have a story like that. I mean, I would just think, you know, wood floors, we never get them into a project. Or we rarely get them into a project.

SPEAKER_07 55:31

Right.

SPEAKER_01 55:31

Uh but I mean, maybe it's just that my clients love everything.

SPEAKER_07 55:36

You're such a good communicator.

SPEAKER_01 55:38

That's that's yeah.

SPEAKER_07 55:39

Yeah. All right. Um pick a number between 11 and 200.

SPEAKER_00 55:45

Seven.

unknown 55:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 55:46

That's it. That's the question. Um that was from season one. I had that seven. Oh, that's right.

SPEAKER_05 55:52

I was doing this. Yeah. Um what's your ideal Saturday with nothing planned? That's I was gonna say actually, as soon as I finished that question, also.

SPEAKER_07 56:04

I'm a parent, Mark.

SPEAKER_05 56:05

Yeah, I was gonna say Yeah, because we talked a lot about baseball and dance before we press record.

SPEAKER_01 56:10

Next.

SPEAKER_05 56:10

Next, what's one chore you weirdly enjoy?

SPEAKER_01 56:13

One chore I weirdly enjoy vacuuming. Oh, okay. Yeah, no, that's weird.

SPEAKER_05 56:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:19

It's very weirdly satisfying to me.

SPEAKER_05 56:21

Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:22

She had kind of determined look on her face. That's weird.

SPEAKER_05 56:25

Yeah, no, I don't know if we've ever gotten that one before. People have said like laundry because it's like Oof. Yeah, oof. Yeah. I think those people don't have kids. No laundry.

SPEAKER_07 56:35

I think that might be part of it. Yeah. Um, what was your favorite toy growing up as a kid?

SPEAKER_01 56:41

My baby dolls. Cabbage Patch Baby dolls. Cabbage Patch Baby dolls, for sure.

SPEAKER_07 56:45

Great. Awesome. All right, so we usually, if you've listened to the podcast, we finish the um podcast off with a custom song. Yes. Are you familiar with this? All right, so I need from you a genre of music.

SPEAKER_01 56:57

Okay. Like hip hop or are we still recording? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 57:07

This would be really funny.

SPEAKER_05 57:08

She just started cussing. Oh, I thought the mic was off.

SPEAKER_07 57:15

What are my actions? Any genre of music. Do hip hop. Hip hop, yeah. Hip-hop's great. And do uh trap rap. No. No hip hop. Metal uh hip-hop. Uh and then as far as like a chorus line, like uh the hook. Um again, the slicker face.

SPEAKER_01 57:38

A chorus line.

SPEAKER_07 57:39

Yeah, just like what's the what's the hook? What's the lyric? What's the repeated lyric?

SPEAKER_01 57:43

You want me to come up with this on the fly.

SPEAKER_07 57:46

Yeah. I'm trying to think of something else. We're not gonna stop recording until YouTube.

SPEAKER_05 57:51

This is why no one makes it to the end. Because they get to this part and then they're like, oh, whatever.

SPEAKER_07 57:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:59

I have absolutely no idea.

unknown 58:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 58:01

That's a good one. That's a good one. And I think I might throw in I'm a parent, Mark. All right. Great. Awesome. Thank you so much for coming on. Yeah. We enjoyed having you on. Thank you guys.

SPEAKER_01 58:19

You guys are very fine.

SPEAKER_07 58:20

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 58:23

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Welcome to the mic. Yeah, mic is in the chair. Got it, don't miss business dreams up in the air. Fuck it in the green. Yeah, that looked okay.