"This served as a great starting point for my career," says Josie. Within a few years her career in the construction industry blossomed, first as a project coordinator and then assistant project manager for various condminium builders.
"My days could be spent with architects reviewing drawings, or on site doing inspections,: says Josie. "I was not only learning the business, but I was also building relationships with key people in the industry."
With 12 years of experience within the construction industry, Josie has taken the next entrepreneurial step by creating her own décor consulting company. As President of Decorative Interiors, her company specializes in providing builders with organized and profitable décor solutions. These services include designing and custom tailoring the entire colour selection and upgrade process according to the various builders' needs. This could mean working with a builder's existing planned out procedures, or creating a colour selection division complete with documentation and strategies in its entirety. In addition to setting up finishing displays in sales offices and coordinating upgrade pricing with contractors, Decorative Interiors also produces homeowner information packages. This is a very successful tool in preparing the purchasers for the colour selection experience, one that can be very overwhelming.
"I take great pride in my work and providing excellent customer service to both my clients and to their homeowners. My commitment is to both the builder by increasing their revenues by promoting and selling upgrades, and to their purchasers by providing product knowledge and decorative solutions. Ultimately, the relationship I create with the purchaser is an extension of their positive experience with their home builder.
"This combined with competitive pricing and my vast construction knowledge are reasons why many builders choose Decorative Interiors," says Josie.
Here business also entails conducting pre-delivery inspections where she takes the homeowners through their home to make sure everything is built in accordance and that any deficiencies are resolved.
An enthusiastic member of the GTHBA and CAWIC (Canadian Women In Construction), Decorative Interiors continues to experience significant growth. Still, Josie plans on becoming involved in many other projects and industry organizations. Josie says, "I'm very proud of my strong ability to effectively function in a male dominated industry. Success in the business means understanding the business and working harder than you anticipated." This philosophy is very obvious in Josie's work, something any builder who has worked with her can firmly agree on. It's the only way she knows.
And succeed she has. Josie's clients include Sentex/Stonefield Developments, Beaverbrook homes, Eden Oak, Longo Developments, Elm Developments, Point of View Developments and Arista Homes. |
