Commercial Installation & Constr. Co.

Jennifer was an SIU-Carbondale, Saluki where she earned her degree in Interior Design. After graduation she worked on her AutoCAD skills at a metal manufacturer. Her first job in St. Louis was with Arcturis where she became one of the first on-site Facilities Planners for Edward Jones. From there she had various roles and leadership opportunities at Knoll Textiles and Herman Miller. Jennifer came to Color Art about 13 years ago to join the Workplace Strategies Team.

AF So what does Workplace Strategies team do?
JG We guide clients through discussions or workshops to uncover their business objectives and growing pains. We use research and design to help alleviate this pain. We provide thought starters that show how we can meet functional and aesthetic goals And we help the sales team set a realistic budget. We find that being on the same page early in the process improves communication and satisfaction.

AF What’s your favorite thing about Color Art?
JG My favorite thing right now is that we invested in our space. Having a space that reflects and supports your company’s values and culture is key to engagement in the workplace. Second, I would say, I love this job! We are focused and forward thinking about trends in the workplace. Moving a company or redesigning a facility is usually not a full-time job for our clients. We make sure the process simple and that it helps them attain their business goals. We have a process that is very expedient and successful.

AF What would your hobby be if money weren’t an issue?
JG I would begin construction on our lake house. Immediately. I would become the full-time general contractor. (laughs) The lake house is key to drawing our grown kids home after college. (laughs) We plan to have Christmases and Thanksgivings with our kids and their future families.

AF What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
JG I think everyone should have a job that allows them to be their authentic self. They should be around people who are OK with who they are, all day, every day. I have it here and I believe everyone deserves it where they work. They should find a place that allows them to be who they are.

AF Any go-to television shows?
JG I watch so many shows that allow me to zone-out. (laughs) By late evening I can’t think any longer. I was watching Survivor the other day and noticed that I couldn’t follow the strategy. Maybe it is time for something even more simple. (laughs)

AF What’s your favorite way to start the day?
JG Well, my answer SHOULD BE that I meditate but in reality, I watch something random on Netflix while I get ready in the morning. It’s 30 minutes of me-time to put my headphones on with no interruptions. I made the mistake of starting my morning with This Is Us and ended up crying. That won’t happen again. (laughs)

JENNIFER’S FAVORITES
Sports Teams Cardinals, Blues.
Superhero Ok. This is going to sound silly but I’ve often called my husband Dudley Do-Right because he always comes to save the day. That character has become very endearing to me.
Movie Princess Bride and a Knight’s Tale. Those two movies are always on TV at any given moment.
Holiday Summer vacation!! (laughs) It is a lot less work than other holidays.
Dessert Angel food cake with my mom’s divinity icing. It is like heaven; pure pink sugar almost as good as cotton candy in icing form.
Pineapple on your pizza? NO!
St. Louis Destination I love the original Old Spaghetti Factory on the Landing. As kids my parents would drive us an hour to downtown for special occasions. As an adult it is where my husband proposed. We still go there because it holds a lot of memories for us.

Jim was a Mighty Cadet here at our very own Christian Brothers College High School and went on to attend the University of Central Missouri where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. Jim got into the audiovisual business in 1997.

JS This was my intro to computers; my first laptop was as big as a truck and the “portable” projectors we sold were about 30 pounds and cost $10,000. The industry has really changed since then.

Over the next four years, Jim opened offices in both St. Louis and Boise but decided to break out on his own in 2001. He and two business partners moved back to St. Louis and started what is now known as Color Art Technology (formerly Innovative Technolgy Group).

JS Color Art was actually a client of ours in St Louis and I got to know the CEO and told him that we could offer technology solutions as a part of the portfolio. I’ll never forget coming to the office on a Saturday morning and presenting the business plan. Joe didn’t hesitate, right on the spot, he said “Let’s do it. Let’s go for it.” So we funded the company, started the business in 2001 and now we’re about to celebrate our 17th anniversary.

AF What’s your favorite thing about Color Art?
JS I love that even though we are a medium / large corporation, it still feels small, like a family. I like the values on which the company was founded and I think the leadership is second to none.

AF What’s your favorite thing about your job?
JS I love seeing other people become successful. I love when members of the Sales Team achieve their goals, I love seeing the Engineers design something super creative, I love watching Project Managers complete projects without a hitch. And it trickles down, I love seeing someone put their kid through college and knowing we had a part of that.

AF Are there any jobs you’d feel like you’d be really terrible at?
JS Oh, I know my limitations. (laughs) You don’t want me in the field. When I first got into the business, we wore a lot of hats. We had to design it, install it, service it, and sell it. We had to do it all and it was horrible! When I started this company I wanted everyone to be an expert in their role and I learned our Engineers and Project Managers are so much more detailed than I am.

AF Any secret talents, claims to fame?
JS I am an avid scuba diver. I have dove all over the Caribbean. There’s such a sense of freedom. Sometimes I’d rather be under the water than above it. We’re definitely guests under the water (laughs) AF Any close calls? JS No. Diving’s all about safety so you always have an individual buddy and you’re technically always with a group. I’ve seen sharks, I’ve seen eels, a 6-foot barracuda, manta rays, eagle rays, turtles… AF What’s the deepest you’ve gone or rather, how do you gauge success as a scuba diver? JS (laughs) I consider it a success if I don’t drown! The deepest I’ve gone is 110 ft below sea level. AF Is that a lot? JS Yeah. The max you can do with my certification is 120 feet so I was at almost at my max. I dove a 280 ft mail ship that split in half off the coast of Peter Island, British Virgin Islands, the propeller was longer than me! It was a cool experience. AF How many times would you say that you’ve gone? JS In the past 17 plus years I’ve probably gone 15 times.

AF What’s your favorite movie?
JS Jaws.
AF (shocked) and you still choose to dive into the ocean?! JS It was one of the first movies I remember my mom and dad taking me to when it came out. I was 6 and it was awesome.

AF What is something you think everyone should do at least once?
JS Well. I’m obviously an adrenaline junky so I would say, everyone needs to do something that they fear, just once, to try and break that fear.

AF Do you remember the name and the type of your first pet?
JS My first pet was a Dalmatian named, Bud. He was the son of one of the original the Anheuser Bush Dalmatians from the commercials. My dad brought him home as a puppy.

AF What is something you’ve done that most people haven’t heard of?
JS Well, I’m not sure many people would know that I grew up playing hockey. I played juniors in town and won two state championships at CBC so that was cool. That and I’ve hit a hole in one.

JIM’S FAVORITES
Teams Blues, Cardinals
Superhero Superman
Holiday Christmas
Desert Key Lime Pie, German Chocolate Cake
Pineapple on your pizza? No.
St. Louis Destination I love listening to blues at Beale on Broadway or trying out trendy new restaurants.

Katie was born in St. Louis but grew up in Arkansas after moving there when she was 10. She was a Razorback at the University of Arkansas where she earned a degree in design.  Her first job out of college was at a residential furniture store but Katie realized VERY early on she did not want to “sell furniture to women who wouldn’t make a decision.”

Katie moved to the Steelcase dealer in Springfield, MO but when an opportunity with Steelcase in St. Louis came, she took it, working two years in administration before becoming Showroom Manager at Color Art. Once here she moved to outside sales and gradually into leadership as first a Sales Trainer then Team Leader for New Business Development.

Katie’s relationships with St. Luke’s and Washington University allowed her to help with strategic education and healthcare initiatives. When it came time to launch a fully-focused healthcare initiative, Katie was, naturally, included in the effort.

KT We brought-in outside consultants in design, marketing, and Steelcase to discuss what it would look like to be successful in the healthcare market. We rebranded and hired someone to guide us with a dedicated healthcare showroom. We focused more on training and got the right software to help us document our work. It was always the goal that healthcare would be 30% of the furniture business and we’ve met that goal – plus more – every year since we launched in 2008.

Katie now oversees more than 8 people that focus specifically on healthcare related solutions.

AM What’s your favorite thing about Color Art?
KT I would say it’s the people and the environment. Now that our space is fully renovated, it’s exciting to come to work. It’s interesting to see how everybody is adapting – or not adapting – because this is what we do. I love figuring out how to make it work and I think it’s interesting to share what we’ve learned with our clients. I also love that leadership is always wondering what they can do to make things better for people, “What can we be doing?” “How is this working for you?” “Are you able to work?” I feel like if you’re hard-working and dedicated, there are opportunities at Color Art. If you want to try other things all you have to do is plant a seed. I’ve been here more than 24-years and I think it’s safe to say I’m gonna retire here. It is such a great place.

AM Any secret talents or claims to fame?
KT I have one but I don’t think I want it in the article (laughs)
AM What is it?!
KT (reluctantly) I was in a country music video.
AM WHAT?! That is so cool!! I would tattoo that on my forehead. When was this? KT Oh gosh. I was in my twenties. It was a long time ago. My character was a beauty queen and I had a sash and a dress and they gave me this hair and teased it real high. It was hilarious. (laughs) AM Is it fun being in a music video? KT I only had a little part so it was actually kind of boring to sit around waiting all day.

*identifying information has been redacted but I totally YouTube’d it and it was awesome. 

AM Any jobs you feel like you’d be terrible at?
KT I don’t think I would be a good doctor, I get too upset when I see people hurting, or the blood. I definitely couldn’t be an astronaut. I’m claustrophobic and afraid of heights. I think I would totally freak knowing I’m enclosed and in space.

AM What hobbies would you enjoy if money weren’t an option?
KT I’d like to learn more about wines. AM What’s your grape? KT I’m a chardonnay girl but I’m very picky. My husband gets mad when I order the most expensive glass on the menu but I do think they’re better.

AM Do you remember the name and type of your first pet?
KT The first pet I remember is a little orange tabby cat named, Bunny. I saw him at the pet store when my parents went to get fish and I would not speak to them until they got me the cat. (laughs) I went almost a week without talking to them until I came home from school one day and my dad had gotten him for me. AM I am so impressed by your obstinacy! How old were you?! KT I was probably like, 7. AM That is some dedication for a 7-year-old. A whole week?! That’s good. (takes a mental note)

AM Anything on TV you refuse to watch?
KT Well, I don’t really care for X-rated stuff and I don’t like scary stuff. My husband and daughter like it so I’ll watch it but I don’t really enjoy it.

AM What would you have for your last meal?
KT Dessert; a piece of carrot cake, a piece of key lime pie, and a coffee with Baileys.

AM Is there anything from your past you wish you could redo for the first time?
KT Yes, and I just told my family about this yesterday. You know the song, Celebration by Cool and the Gang? When I was in 10th grade, my cheerleading squad was State Champions and we did a routine to that song. It came on the radio and I was like, “I just want to remind everybody..! We’re Arkansas State Champs!” (laughs) We worked hard for it!

KATIES FAVORITES
Sports Teams Cardinals
Superhero Wonder Woman
Movie I love motivating sports movies like Remember the Titans and Rocky. All of those Cinderella stories where the underdog comes back and wins.
Holiday Thanksgiving
Could you choose a favorite dessert? Carrot Cake
Pineapple on your pizza? Yes
St. Louis Destination Charlie Gittos on the Hill

Kelly is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and holds a degree in interior design. After college she began working for Arcturis, and moved into facilities management a year later. She was an onsite contractor at Edward jones and moved from team member to team leader and managed about 2 million square feet. After briefly moving back to Chicago, she accepted a Strategic Planning Position with Arcturis, and she stayed there for about 5 years. Kelly came to Color Art in 2005 and was hired as a Project Designer for corporate accounts. A few years later she was asked to help grow the healthcare market and transitioned to designing healthcare-specific spaces, eventually becoming the Healthcare Design Team Leader. After completing BJC’s Campus Renewal, Kelly shifted positions to work with the education-aimed, Workplace Strategies Team and then again a few years ago to lead Color Art’s burgeoning education efforts.

KH I’ve always had a passion for education. Both my parents were teachers so I joke that I grew-up in high schools. My mother ran a private preschool and my father was a high school AP English teacher.

AF What is your favorite thing about Color Art?
KH The people. Having been here 14 years, I can tell you, they are it. We all have personal and professional struggles and I have never seen the people in this building fail to support each other.

AF Any secret talents or claims to fame?
KH I used to be able to origami really well. My grandmother lived in Japan for a while and she introduced me to it. During Operation Desert Storm I helped a school make 1000 paper cranes.

AF When was the last time you climbed a tree?
KH Well, having a six year old, I think it was last summer but I quickly realized I probably shouldn’t have done it. (laughs) Climbing up is easy but getting down is a little more tricky.

AF If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, for what activity could you win a Gold Medal?
KH Hugging. I’m a big hugger. AF Are you a good hugger? I don’t know if I’ve ever hugged you..! KH I am! There’s a gal who used to work here who would find me to ask for a “mom hug.” There are many types of hugs and many types of people, so you’ve got to know what you’re doing. AF Wait, there are different types of hugs? KH Oh yes. There’s a side of my family that’s not very “huggy” so I’ve learned to do more of an arm wrap thing with them. Then there’s the “we just met” side hug and of course the full-contact hug but you’ve also gotta think about the length of hug because you don’t want to over-hug someone. That would be awful. AF Did I hear somewhere that a real hug is supposed to last 12 seconds? KH Well, I would agree with that but long hugs are not everybody’s thing. You’ve got to know your audience. AF Know your hug-ee KH Right!

AF Do you remember the name and type of your first pet?
KH My first pet was a clumber spaniel named Cassidy. She was my parents’ dog but when I was born, I’m told she adopted me, I was Cassidy’s baby. All of my baby pictures have her in them. After that my family had basically every pet on earth: Guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, turtles, dogs, rabbits, hedgehogs, prairie dogs which are kind of cool because you can train them. My dad bred finches for a while. We had lovebirds, parakeets, and a cockatiel. The cockatiel was probably the most fun because we taught it to talk. His name was Mr. Jordan, I have no idea why, and my mother would walk by and say “Oh, Hi Mr. Jordan!” and make a kissing noise and he learned to mimic her. He’d be like “Hello!” and make the kissing noise back. AF Aw! That’s a lot of pets! Any other good names? KH Well, my father wouldn’t let me name the animals because I was told I named them terribly. When I finally got a bunny, I chose the name Fluffy and he was like, “That is exactly why you don’t get to name the animals.” (laughs) AF Worst name ever! KH I know, right? Like, no creativity whatsoever.

AF What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
KH I think everyone should take a class about what it is like to live with a disability. We did it in college and it really changed my perspective. We used a wheelchair to get from Point A to Point B, we put on boxing gloves before opening things, we wore visual-impairment goggles and tried to climb the stairs. I learned to value what I have, physically, and how quickly I am able to do things. From a design standpoint, it was a game changer; it gave me a real appreciation for, yes this might be prettier but functionally, it doesn’t work. We’re all going to be disabled at some point in our lives whether that means we’re pregnant, on crutches, injured, recovering from surgery, our eyes dilated, whatever. At some point we’re all going to need help to function in the world so I think it’s important to think about what it would be like to live like that every day.

KELLY’S FAVORITES
Sports Teams Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears
Superhero Wonder Woman. And not just because she’s a woman. I love her backstory and history.
Movie The Big Chill. The soundtrack is amazing.
Holiday If my son’s birthday doesn’t count, Christmas
Dessert Oberweis butter pecan ice cream or crème brulee
Pineapple on your pizza? I’ve never had it so, sure!
St. Louis Destination Forest Park and everything in it. I love the Muny, I love the Art Museum, I love the Zoo…

Mark grew up in south St. Louis, the middle of three children. After high school, he attended the University of Missouri, St. Louis for about 2 months before returning to work at Henges Interiors where he had worked all summer. He completed his carpentry apprenticeship in 1980, blew out a knee playing soccer, moved indoors to do a little job costing and never left. When his manager quit, 20-year-old Mark began overseeing the men he had apprenticed under. He did that for four years before moving into sales, then took a position with Alberici as Vice President Business Development in Automotive Marketing. When his daughter was born, about 5 years later, he accepted an offer from Sacs Electric to spend more time with her. A few more transitions later, Mark was working at The Lawrence Group and was asked if he would be interested in running Color Art Construction (formerly Commercial Installation and Construction) and the rest, as they say, is history.

MR When I moved to Color Art I returned to what I did for Henges. This is the same type of business I grew up with: find it, estimate it, sell it, run it, start over and do it again. When I got here we did about $9M in business and now, with our flooring company, we do about $42M.

AM What’s your favorite thing about Color Art?
MR For me it’s the diversity. I can run a company, I can estimate the work, and I can run the work so there’s never a dull moment. I have to be able to do all that to fill occasional holes.

*Please note, the following responses were not edited for length. Unlike the author, Mark doesn’t really talk a lot.

AM Any jobs you feel like you’d be terrible at?
MR Mortician

AM If you didn’t sleep what would you do with your spare time?
MR Estimate

AM If you could turn any activity into an Olympic Sport, what could you win a medal for?
MR Drinking. AM Oooo. What’s your poison? MR Scotch. That’s my distance drink. AM Any tips for getting this gold medal? MR (grins) Practice practice practice!

AM Do you remember the name and type of your first pet?
MR Yes. JoJo was a parakeet. AM Are those yellow? MR A little yellow and blue, green. AM Did he speak? MR Yes. He did speak. He said JoJo.

AM Do you have any songs completely memorized?
MR Chicago’s, 25 or 6 to 4. I used to play guitar in a band.

*It was at this point in the interview the author realized she didn’t have many more questions and was getting nervous.

AM What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
MR Skydive. AM Have you been? MR Yes. I’ve been 4 times. AM Would you go again? MR Yes. With better equipment. The first time I went, a friend of mine had a total ‘chute malfunction and was about 3 seconds from death. AM Oh, no. No no no no. MR He survived.

*realizing this could be a good story, the author allowed the following tangent and hopes it entertains you as much as it did her.

Here’s the story of The First Time Mark Went Skydiving 

MR When you picture people skydiving; you usually picture them using a square ‘chute with vents you close to land softly but these were not like that. They were old, round Korean War ‘chutes that they cut holes in. They stop you from dying but they don’t really slow down. You hit the ground going like, 15 miles an hour. So, it’s me and three buddies and we go out to the airport and we look around and see this little, dirty blue trailer with a smoldering campfire and guessed it was the jump school. We banged on the door and hear this thud, thud, thud sound which turned out to be our one-legged Jump Master hopping to the door. AM This is horrifying. MR Don’t worry. It gets better. So he says, “Everybody in the back of the truck we’re gonna learn our landing fall.” So we get in the back of his truck, he drives and we jump out, hit, land and roll. AM AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU WENT SKYDIVING?!?! MR This is the first time, right. It’s a great visual; a beat-up pickup with four guys jumping off, rolling through the grass with crickets flying everywhere.

MR So we finished practicing landing and exiting then go to the plane. It is a little Cessna with one seat and the rest of it is empty so one guy kneels behind the pilot, one next to him and I was the third guy and I knelt backward. So everyone pictures opening the door and jumping out, right? AM (screaming internally) Umhum. MR But there’s actually a series of commands. The first command is “open the door,” the second command is “in the door” so you kneel, feet dangling out the door and the third command is “on the strut” and you grab the wing strut hang from the side of the plane. AM (whispers) Oh my god. MR Right. It’s good. And your last command is “let go.” And you let go, throw into a hard arch and hopefully – because it’s a static line – you have a canopy when you get to 3000 ft. AM Hopefully?! MR If you get to 3000 ft and realize you don’t have a canopy, the emergency procedure is to eject your main ‘chute first – cause if you don’t, it will still open and it’ll get tangled and you’ll die anyway – and then deploy the emergency ‘chute on your chest. AM (breathing deeply) Ok. MR So. Fourth jumper, last guy to jump, my friend Joe. Well, Joe had what they call bag lock where he pulled his ‘chute but the canopy didn’t come out of the bag. So he’s falling, probably catches terminal velocity which is a hundred-some miles-an-hour, and is doin’ one of these deals (gestures floppily). So as he goes into his emergency procedure, he pulls his hands in, reaching for the toggles to release his main ‘chute, and immediately goes into a nose dive. AM (audible gasp)(hands to face) MR So he’s in this nose dive and starts going faster and he’s trying to release his main ‘chute but the speed actually pulled it out of the bag and open above him. AM So the main ‘chute actually opened?! MR Yeah. He landed upside down and had a few rips in his pants from the cords but at least he wasn’t dead so, yeah. AM (stares in disbelief) MR On the way home all you heard was the sounds of beer cans opening. Nobody said anything. So. (smirks) That is my jumping story.

MARKS FAVORITES
Sports Teams Cardinals
Superhero Not really
Movie Greatest Story Ever Told, I believe it was the story of Moses? Charlton Heston…
Holiday Christmas
Desert Gooey Butter Cake. Classic.
Pineapple on your pizza? F*** no. That’s just… that’s just bad.
St. Louis Destination Truffles. Actually, no I take that back. The Racket Club. I like to play squash.

Todd graduated from the University of Missouri where he earned a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. He moved to Minneapolis where he worked in the building materials industry before earning his first sales position at Herman Miller. He left briefly to take a national sales position but quickly returned to serve at in local dealership roles as General Manager and then President before being recruited by the corporation to lead Customer Centers and Distribution for North America. He moved back to St. Louis to run his father-in-law’s manufacturing business and left there to work as COO for retailer, Artmart, for the past 12 years.

AM What drew you to Color Art?
TN I would say mostly the people. I knew that a lot of the good, quality people I’d worked with in the past were here so that spoke volumes to me about the culture. I also liked all the integrated capabilities that Color Art offers. I’ve never had access to all of this under one roof. To be able to talk to a customer about taking their space from A-Z is a pretty powerful story.

AM If you were ever to receive a Grammy, who would you thank in your acceptance speech?
TN God would be #1 because, right, that’s my top priority. And then I would say my parents my wife, Diane, and our daughters, Morgan and Abby, for always being so supportive of me.

AM If you didn’t sleep what would you do with the extra time?
TN (laughs) I’d return all my emails!

AM Any jobs you feel like you’d be terrible at?
TN Oh my gosh. So many, but probably the worst would be if I had to do any rote activity over and over, in the same setting, I would not do well.

AM Do you remember the name and type of your first pet for your kids? Are you guys big pet people? TN Oh yeah, my wife has always been into animals so we were always big dog people before kids came along. She also loves rabbits so we had a couple of those. Once we had kids and they were old enough to know what was going on we introduced a dog into the process. AM What was his name? TN Simon. He was a collie / shepherd mix that we rescued. They told us he was only supposed to be about 60 pounds but he ended up weighing more than 100. (laughs)

AM What’s the best way to start your day?
TN Just quiet time. Reading scripture. That’s what I do. Then a good work out.

AM What would you have as your last meal?
TN Oh that’s easy. A cheeseburger and fries. AM From any specific spot? TN No. People ask me all the time but I’ll go anywhere. I’ve never met a bad burger AM Ok so what’s ON your burger? TN Swiss cheese, bacon and an egg of course. Right on top.

AM What’s the first question you’d ask after being frozen for 100 years.
TN What happened?

AM What do you enjoy learning about?
TN I’m always looking to gain more wisdom by reading scripture. I also read a lot about historical figures. I’m fascinated by people who were able to have a big impact without the aid of modern technology.

TODDS FAVORITES
Sports Team Cardinals, Royals – ‘cause I’m from Kansas City. The Chiefs would be up there and Baylor since my daughter went there
Superhero Superman
Movie Oh that’s easy. It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart.
Holiday Christmas
Dessert (exhales deeply) Andy’s custard. I get the Snow Monster with strawberries, chocolate chip sometimes I throw bananas in there. It’s amazing.
Pineapple on your pizza? Sure. I can do that. I like that one with Canadian bacon and pineapple.
St. Louis Destination I really like pretty much anything in Forest Park. If somebody comes to town I’m taking them to Forest Park. It’s cool.

Chris graduated from Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a double minor in Applied Electrical Science and Business Management. After graduation, he began his career as a Software Developer contracting for the government. After a couple of years of developing software, he decided to seek a more ‘people focused’ IT position. After several interviews, he took an entry-level position with Color Art where he has remained for the past 23 years. Chris now oversees technology solutions for all three Color Art Palette campuses and more than 200 employees.

AM What’s your favorite thing about Color Art?
CM Definitely our team members. I also enjoy being a solutions architect for the company. Color Art is a large group of overachievers. It is awesome to work with so many knowledgeable people; they constantly push me forward. They present their vision and it’s up to me to make it happen. The people here give me great insights into what the company needs and where our vendors and customers are pushing them. The fact that I can be a tool in their tool belt is very gratifying.

AM Anything you’re interested in that people may not know about?
CM In addition to being really outdoorsy – hunting, fishing, 4-wheeling, motorcycling – I’m a very big conservationist. I don’t hunt for the thrill but rather for the conservation that’s behind it. We’ve been pretty successful over the years.

AM If you could be famous for something, what would you like to be famous for?
CM I’d want to be famous for inventing a glucose monitor that does not require blood samples. Ideally, it would be an app. on a smartwatch. I don’t have the technical details worked out – or else we wouldn’t be sitting here – (laughs) but I think it would be really impactful to improve the lives of those that are chronically ill.

AM If you didn’t sleep what would you do with all the extra time?
CM I’d learn how to create an app-driven glucose monitor! (laughs) No. If I weren’t spending the extra time with my wonderful wife and kids I would be hunting, fishing and spending time outdoors.

AM If money weren’t an issue, what would you do with the extra money?
CM There’s no doubt I would move to the coast, buy a fleet of boats and start a fishing / tour guide company. We would take people deep sea fishing and have all kinds of fun. I have always been drawn to the ocean and marine life.

AM Do you remember the name and type of your first pet?
CM I remember – when I was really little – we lived close to the woods. I used to catch snakes, turtles, and fish. They were sort of my first pets. I remember putting some fish in a tank and they would immediately jump out. (laughs) Turns out wild fish don’t do well in captivity.

AM Do you remember your first job?
CM I worked at the old Busch Stadium for 17 years growing up. My parents owned the outside vending company at the stadium. We worked Cardinals baseball & football games, Ole’ Miss football, Mizzou football, Superbowls and any other event held at Busch Stadium. I started by delivering boxes but eventually owned my own stand and hired my first employees by age 16. AM Oh my gosh! Any cool stories? Did you meet anyone really neat? CM Tons! Numerous professional baseball and football players, entertainers but my favorite was mingling with the animals at Barnum and Bailey Circus during the preshow. I collected a lot of baseball memorabilia over the years (30-40 bats, Ozzie Smith’s and Darryl Strawberry’s hats, many signed baseballs etc.) but the memories and experiences are what stick with me.

CM One of my favorite moments was the first year I worked at Busch – ’82; the year we won the World Series. I was able to find my way down to the Cardinals locker room and managed to have every single player sign a baseball for me. This was the second-to-last game of the season – I had no idea we would win the World Series just a few weeks later! It was so cool.

CHRIS’ FAVORITES
Sports Teams Blues
Superhero Ironman. He’s a technological genius. He’s an inventor. He’s a rich guy that can fly!
Movie Forest Gump
Holiday Christmas
Dessert Crème Brulee
Pineapple on pizza? Yes.
St. Louis Destination Lately it’s been the Scottrade Center but Busch Stadium is probably my favorite.

Jen is an Air Force Veteran who studied mechanical engineering at The Ohio State University. She has worked in manufacturing, operations, and engineering for almost 25 years. Her career has taken the definitive path from estimating to project management / project engineering to operations management to Director of Operations and now Vice President of Operations. Jen is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (LSSMBB) and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). She had been working at Color Art for about three days at the time of this interview.

AM Hello and welcome! We’re all so happy that you’re here.
JC Thank you! I’m excited to be here. I’ve never received such a warm welcome by so many people. That feels really good. 

AM What drew you to Color Art?
JC The company culture, values, reputation, and products are what initially attracted me to Color Art. But one of the first things I thought when I walked in was, “Wow, there are so many women!” (laughs) I’ve been in male-dominated industries most of my career; from the military to engineering school, manufacturing, shop floors, factories, operations, I was usually the only, or one of very few, women so it’s refreshing to see women in President, Vice President and other key roles. It definitely validates Color Art’s forward-thinking culture.
AM That’s true, there are a lot of ladies here. JC I love it!

AM Tell me about Six Sigma. How did you get involved with that?
JC I think I’ve always had a process improvement mindset, but my formal studies came from ASQ, Villanova and an enormous amount of reading. It’s been a long journey but in manufacturing and distribution, Lean is crucial. AM So like, eliminating unnecessary steps? JC Definitely eliminating unnecessary steps but also eliminating errors and defects, minimizing downtime or wait time, and ensuring talent and resources are properly aligned. I love observing and analyzing processes and finding creative ways to streamline. Our warehouse is like, a playground for my nerd brain.

AM Any secret talents?
JC I’m a painter on the side. I do a lot of murals, logos and feature walls. It was an occasional weekend hobby for several years but now it’s become a bit of a side business. Painting has always been a passion, but when my son, who is a very talented painter, commented that I rarely painted anymore, it reignited me.

AM If you were to receive an award, who would you thank in your acceptance speech?
JC I’ve had some exceptional mentors in my career, early on Tim McGuire encouraged me as an engineer and as a professional, and more recently Curt Kinney helped me to evolve and mature as a leader. Throughout, my son, Andy, has motivated and inspired me. I’m a very structured, mechanical, type-A, person but Andy brings out my creative side. He has shown me that anything is possible, taught me to worry less, be fearless, take risks and live outside of the box. He reminds me that “Life is short, buy the shoes, take the trip, eat the cake”.

AM What would your fake award be?
JC Best Shoes maybe?
AM How many pairs of shoes do you have?
JC Too many. Way way way too many. (laughs) For my last Color Art interview, I arrived wearing all black with leopard print shoes. Chris Hoffman also arrived in all black with leopard print shoes. I knew then that it was meant to be.

AM If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would it be?
JC Oh I could win a gold medal at folding a fitted sheet.
AM OH! That is unfair. What’s the secret?
JC (nods) The secret’s in the pockets.

AM Do you remember the name and type of your first pet?
JC When I was 7 or 8 we had this ugly dirty little poodle-mix named Fonzie. I don’t even know where he came from, he was supposed to be white but he always looked dirty. I think he’d been hit by a car 3 times and lived.

AM Favorite movie?
JC Waterworld with Kevin Costner. I know, it’s ridiculous. The engineer in me is intrigued by all of the inventions and adaptations. And the opening “water-filtering” scene definitely grabs your attention.

AM Favorite holiday?
JC Halloween
AM Do you dress up?
JC Absolutely.
AM We have a Halloween party here. A few people dress up.
JC Oh. (gestures to warehouse) There will definitely be an Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz theme happening in the future. We typically throw a huge Halloween party every year and dress up for the Halloween run downtown. One year we ran dressed as nuns and priests.
*The author of this article would like to add that she is incredibly excited to see the warehouse guys in costume. Don’t let me down, Jen!

AM What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their life
JC Skydiving. I’ve been once but I would love to jump again. It was exhilarating. AM I’m surprised that in the Air Force they don’t make you do it more often? JC (laughs) I was a computer programmer. They didn’t let us jump out of planes.

AM Do you have any songs completely memorized?
JC (laughs) I hope you do not publish this but there’s a song from summer camp when I was 8-9, called Four Wet Pigs and I still know every word of it.

AM Anything else you’d like to share with the internet? JC Um. I think that’s WAY more information than anybody should have but its good insight into Jen as a whole. AM You did good.

Julie grew up in Kirkwood, MO and attended Kirkwood High School. She started her collegiate career at Southwest Missouri State University but returned home to earn her degree from UMSL. Out of college, Julie began her career in special events, non profit and community relations.  While working for the former Rams player, Kevin Carter, she helped him start his charitable foundation that included a football camp for 500 kids at Rams Park. When Kevin moved to play football in Tenessee, Julie met some people in commercial furniture while playing golf. JD It was actually Todd Nixon! (Color Art’s current Vice President of Furniture).  I can assure you it was not my golf skills that won him over. (laughs) He and I were talking and I loved the idea of connecting people. I did it all the time when I was running events so it made sense I could do it in furniture too. And it worked out! Some of my first clients were sponsors I knew from past events.

Julie began working with Todd at Herman Miller dealership before moving to a Kimble dealership. Three years later, Gary Mindel (our current CEO) called her and invited her to Color Art. JD I came for a visit and I saw all that Color Art had to offer. I had only been at companies that sold furniture but Color Art was doing everything! I loved the idea of offering more to our clients. Plus, it was a huge team of people that looked fun to work with.

On a day-to-day basis Julie is in the community figuring out who’s moving, who’s building and what opportunities she can bring back to the team from corporate, healthcare and education markets. She currently lives in Wildwood with her two kids Brody, 10 and Molly 7.

AF What’s your favorite thing about your job and Color Art?
JD I love finding new opportunities, I love networking in the community, and I love developing client relationships. I like quarterbacking a team and listening to the client. Do you want construction? Furniture? Technology? Great. Let’s build a team and go from there. I love the diversity of everything we have; that we’re not just a furniture company. That and the people. I’ve been here 15 years. It’s a good pack of people and I’m proud to put them in front our clients and industry partners.

AF If you could win an award for any activity, what activity would it be?
JD People connector would be the award I would probably get. I love putting people together. In fact, two people are married today because I’m really good a talking! We were at a baseball game and I had a girlfriend on one side of me and a guy on the other and so I broke the ice. I remember sitting at the wedding and the priest asked, “Yeah, who was in seat 3?” and I sort of raised my hand and he goes, “Good thing you talk a lot, that’s how these two met!” (laughs) I think connecting people is probably what I do best.

AF If you didn’t sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
JD Travel. Find another beach… That and Brody wants me to teach him to snowboard. I told him I don’t know how but he was like, “Well, you taught me to play golf, you taught me to rollerblade, to taught me to ice skate. You can definitely teach me to snowboard.” So I guess this winter I’m gonna learn to snowboard! That and I’d like to learn how to play the guitar. I’ve had one for 8 years but never learned how to play it… it’s about time!

AF Do you remember the name and type of your first pet?
JD My first pets were Ozzie and McGee, two cats. Clearly it was the 80s. We named them after Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee. AF Do you have any pets now? JD I do, a little puppy named Casey. Well, he’s not little, he’s 14 but he’s a shih tzu so he’s small.

AF What’s something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
JD Leave their comfort zone! Learn something new! Meet new people. Get out of the bubble.

AF What’s something you like to do the old-fashioned way?
JD Talk on the phone. Everybody texts these days! Pick up the phone, people. Pick. Up. The phone; talk on it! Don’t just text. I also like to take notes manually. Jennifer Graham (Vice President, Workplace Strategies) makes fun of me when we talk about a project or anything ‘cause I’m usually writing out my notes.

AF How do you relax after a hard day of work?
JD I go for a run. I’m a run/walker. I’ll go for about 45 minutes. I also love to hike in Powder Valley, 44 and Watson. It’s like forest and hills. I love it. That or rollerblading at Creve Coeur park.

AF What is your dream car?
JD My dream car when I was 16 was a white Rabbit convertible. My dad said he would match how much money I had and I’d saved 1800 bucks. (sighs) Unfortunately, 3600 bucks was not enough to buy a white Rabbit convertible so I ended up with a white Civic instead. (laughs)

AF If you played professional baseball, what would your walk-up music be?
JD Maybe We Will Rock You by Queen? Or some Kid Rock? Julie texted later to clarify Nope! Sweet Child of Mine, Guns n Roses.

JULIE’S FAVORITES
Sports Teams Cardinals
Holiday Christmas
Dessert Carrot Cake
Drink Red wine, margaritas, or Blue Moon
Movie Anything sports. Remember the Titans, We are Marshall, Rudy… any underdog sports movie
Pineapple on your pizza? Oh yeah! I like Hawaiian pizza.
St. Louis Destination Forest Park. It’s cliché but I love it.