Angie Taylor, J9 HOMES

Name of Company
J9 HOMES 

Name of Participant
Angie Taylor 

What is your job title?
Estimating, Permitting and Vendor Management

What do you do for your company?
Prepare project estimates for potential clients, permit coordination and collaboration with our vendors and trades as needed to procure estimates.

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
No

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
Having worked in startup organizations for years, being adaptable and able to change focus as needed is important in what I do.  Most of my experience is in operations and vendor management.  Both of which have played a pivotal role in finding success at J9 HOMES.  

What do you love about remodeling?
The process of modifying a great home and creating a new environment that still flows seamlessly with existing space is fascinating.  Always a treat to see the finished product.  Living the before and after in real time is quite the experience. 

Sara Kelly, J9 Homes

Name of Company
J9 HOMES

Name of Participant
Sara Kelly

What is your job title?
Director of Operations

What do you do for your company?
Financial project management via QuickBooks and Buildertrend. Coordination of accounting processes including liaison between our CPA and Bookkeeping firm. I also like to touch on training opportunities for our team. For example, I have a bit of an obsession with email efficiency and all the fantastic tricks within GMail that can be used to make managing your inbox simpler. The team can regularly expect a new tip from me on our regular status calls or via a quick Loom video.

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
No

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
Accounting degree and CPA experience helps in all the detail management and financial coordination/analysis required in my role. My process management skills allow for continued improvement on how we manage our back office operations as well. Given we regularly manage million dollar plus budgets, we need to be certain we know where every dollar is going.

What do you love about remodeling?
I enjoy the project management aspect of each distinct project and the challenges around tracking to budgets within the change order and selection processes.

Stephanie Cooper, J9 HOMES

Name of Company
J9 HOMES

Name of Participant
Stephanie Cooper

What is your job title?
Project Manager

What do you do for your company?
I manage execution and completion of remodel projects.

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
I am getting my NARI Project Manager Cert.

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
I used to have a Faux finishing and mural company so the attention to detail has made me particularly good at this job.

What do you love about remodeling?
I love watching a space transform. It feel so good to take someones home and make it their dream space!

Rachel James-Dolan, J9 Homes

Name of Company
J9 Homes

Name of Participant
Rachel James-Dolan

What is your job title?
Materials Manager

What do you do for your company?
I drive project success through procurement and purchasing strategies including management of orders from selections to placement, fulfillment, and delivery.

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
Not yet

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
I previously worked with full service design firms for 10+ years where I used my Interior Design degree from UT Austin’s School of Architecture every day. I then branched off into Owner’s Representation and Project Management where I learned even more about the construction industry and process. I am now able to use my past interior design experience to better serve our clients, architects, and designers through the selections process and ensure all the details of selections are captured fully.

What do you love about remodeling?
I love remodeling and the opportunity to make a family happy in their home. I focus my life on progressing and being better every day, why not make someone’s house better?

Janine Starr, J9 HOMES

Name of Company
J9 HOMES

Name of Participate
Janine Starr

What is your job title?
Owner

What do you do for your company?
When I first started my career in construction, I was doing it all – from the initial sales call to the final punch item. Now, I run an amazing and predominantly female team that helps our organization execute and not just meet, but surpass customer expectations. I apply my expertise through the full sales and project life cycle with my main focus being on building and maintaining strong relationships with clients, suppliers, and trades. I drive concept development by collaborating with our design and architectural partners. I am dedicated to team and company development, with an ever increasing focus on continued education. I am still very hands on through the entire build process, whether that involves walking jobs sites, conducting financial reviews, reviewing plans troubleshooting, etc. I am always thinking about ways to continuously improve and deliver a fabulous product and service to our clients. 

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
I am currently studying for my Certified Remodeler exam and plan to sit for it Spring of 2024. 

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
When I transitioned from a corporate consulting and Human Resources career, I did not realize just how much my professional background would apply in the construction industry.  With a BS in Psychology, an MBA, and years of consulting experience, these skills are applied daily. Experience with change management, conflict resolution, financial assessment, and more from my past business experience and education make me a better business owner, leader, builder, and general partner to our clients, trades, and designers.  

What do you love about remodeling?
The challenge to get to the transformation is my absolute favorite part. We work on fairly complex remodels requiring significant structural details and modifications to MEPs. Figuring out how to execute to the bones of these requirements while ultimately ending up with a beautiful aesthetic is a fantastic puzzle to put together.  

Kelli Moore , J9 HOMES

Name of Company
J9 HOMES

Name of Participant
Kelli Moore

What is your job title?
Director of Client Engagement

What do you do for your company?
My role is to introduce J9 HOMES to prospective clients and then shepherd them through the initial stages of planning for their remodel. I get calls ranging from “I think I want to redo my kitchen, but don’t know where to start” to “I have a complete set of architectural plans that are ready for engineering and estimating.”. I love meeting each client wherever they’re at and help bring their dreams to reality.  In addition to my client-related work, I also handle operational activities, such marketing, human resources, networking, and supporting Janine in her role as the owner. 

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
Not yet! 

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
My education and experience are perfect for this position! My undergraduate degree is in psychology and I also have my MBA. Additionally, I spent 20 years working at Accenture, a global consulting firm, in the areas of client relationship, talent development and performance management.  The unique combination of my degrees and work experience have given me the business acumen needed to support a rapidly growing company and wear many hats. My favorite though, is caring for our clients and supporting them every step along the way.

What do you love about remodeling?
In my opinion, much of our “quality of life” is rooted in our home lives so it’s important that our homes support our families and lifestyle well. This is where some of our most important memories are created! I love that our amazing team of professionals can truly create a seamless experience from end to end in helping clients love the home they are in. 

Iris Davis-Quick, CG&S Design Build

Name of Company
CG&S Design Build

Name of Participant
Iris Davis-Quick

What is your job title?
Marketing Manager

What do you do for your company?
I’m a storyteller. I coordinate with my team on the yearly marketing strategy and make sure everything we produce tells our story and the stories of our clients, staff members, and vendors. 

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
No

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
I have a background in film, so I approach our marketing strategy with story in mind. Who is our audience, what are their wants and needs, and what is the best way to tell their story through what we do? 

What do you love about remodeling?
Remodeling is like building onto a home’s story and history. Remodeling allows the house to be transformed, recreated, built anew, but we need to use the existing home first to do that, so the character and soul of the house remains even if the home itself has been transformed. 

Dolores Davis, CG&S Design Build

Name of Company
CG&S Design Build

Name of Participant
Dolores Davis

What is your job title?
Owner/President/GM

What do you do for your company?
I always say that my main task is to listen well and assist in solving problems. Specifically, my day-to-day tasks are to build, support and empower our leadership team. I create a support network so that CG&S can operate at a high level for our clients, staff and Trade Partners. I also work on Business Development for our company. My passion is creating strong relationships amongst our staff and the design-build community so that we can feel connected to a bigger purpose.

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
I am a Universal Design Certified Professional ‘UDCP’

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
As a second-generation family member of our company, I have been around remodeling my entire life. I learned to take messages from my father when I was six years old and did payroll for my mom when I was in college.  I studied social work at UT, so I feel it uniquely qualifies me to work in this industry.  At its simplest level, remodeling is connecting people with resources to design and build our clients the best project for them.

What do you love about remodeling?
The thing I love most about remodeling is that the work we do transforms lives. Every single project we do is designed and built to meet our client’s needs. We help solve their problems in beautiful ways which leads to making their lives better. It is the absolute best!

Tina Galindo, Arizona Tile

Name of Company
Arizona Tile

Name of Participant
Tina Galindo 

What is your job title?
Outside Sales Representative 

What do you do for your company?
Conduct sales out in the field with both potential and existing customers. Promote, update, and educate customers on our products in both tile and slab countertops. Provide the best customer service while developing relationships. Negotiate pricing to close deals. 

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
No 

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design and 12 years’ experience in the design industry. With my experience I can understand and read floorplans. I can suggest the appropriate finishes that are suitable for the space while meeting the clients needs. 

What do you love about remodeling?
Being a part of someone’s vision is so rewarding. I love to see the outcome of a project. Interior Design has been a huge passion of mine and I love creating beautiful spaces for a customer. 

Stacy Rosenbaum, Arizona Tile

Name of Company
Arizona Tile

Name of Participant
Stacy Rosenbaum

What is your job title?
Showroom Manager

What do you do for your company?
Ensure a positive shopping experience for clients in our austin showroom by leading a team of design consultants, as well as supporting our outside sales team

Do you hold any NARI certifications?
No

How do you use your previous experience and/or education to do your job?
My background in teaching is an asset when it comes to educating clients and my team about materials and applications.  I have worked with design as a small business owner and as a renovator of a historical property, so i understand what it’s like to be on both sides of a sale.  I appreciate that a client’s satisfaction depends on both the product and experience, and i understand how aesthetics and function combine to make a desirable product.

What do you love about remodeling?
The satisfaction one gets when finding a winning solution using creativity and ingenuity.