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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=150 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=160 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="04f6c470.png" border=0 width="364" height="71" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="15" VSPACE="0">  <A HREF="mailto:asidmail@yahoo.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:asidmail@yahoo.com"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A><B> </B> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial Narrow" ><A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><U><B>Site Map</B></U></A></FONT>   <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial Narrow" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home"><U><B>Home Page</B></U></A></FONT></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>   </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About ASID"><U><B><IMG SRC="17e961c0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="28" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="17f961d0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Members"><U><B><IMG SRC="180961c0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="28" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Students"><U><B><IMG SRC="181961d0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=150 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="13bd07d2egerdp.jpg"> <div> <B>«««««</B></div> <div> <B>Five Star Sponsors:</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.noland.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.noland.com"><U><IMG SRC="191774b0.gif" border=0 width="119" height="75" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="21e81150.jpg" border=0 width="129" height="21" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>««««</B></div> <div> <B>Four Star Sponsors</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="21b58580.jpg" border=0 width="88" height="88" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="21c62410.jpg" border=0 width="98" height="65" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Buy your ASID T-shirt today!</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.asidva.org/tshirt_order_form.pdf" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.asidva.org/tshirt_order_form."><U><B><IMG SRC="19464500.gif" border=0 width="100" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Membership Information How Do I Join?"><U><B>To apply for membership click here!</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=320 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Loving the Many Faces of Our Profession - Part 2: Career Paths         </B></div> <div> By Sharlyn Underwood, ASID, LEED AP</div> <bR> <div> If someone had handed a synopsis of the past 12 years of my life as I graduated from Virginia Tech, I would have never believed how many jobs and amazing design related experiences I have had. As my husband and I prepare to have our first child, I find myself wandering in thoughts of the adventures to come and the life chapters that have passed. </div> <bR> <div> I graduated from Virginia Tech and headed west to Corvallis, Oregon. After two weeks of knocking on every door that was remotely related to interior design, I received a call from Randy Davis, then the vice president of Davis Furniture. He and I had crossed paths at an ASID conference or expo the summer before I moved to Oregon and he was calling to check on me. In a roundabout series of telephone calls I got the name and number of the interior designer at Oregon State University. I called her on a Wednesday prior to her last Friday on the job. She gave me her boss' name and number. I went for an interview the next day and was on the job as the only interior designer on staff at OSU the following Tuesday (Monday was Labor Day!). Remember, this all started with an ASID connection I made as a student in Virginia. </div> <bR> <div> I worked at OSU for two and half years. OSU is a land grant university like Virginia Tech so in many ways it felt very familiar to me from the beginning. While at OSU, I remained active in ASID. Desiring more interaction with interior design peers, I put the word out with my ASID connections that I was looking for a job in Portland. I received a call and was told about a job opening at GBD Architects - a very well respected firm in Portland. Again I was called!! I went to a couple of interviews, landed the job, and had a great couple of years living and working in downtown Portland. </div> <bR> <div> When I was in Oregon the environmental, living-green bug hit me. I immersed myself into greening my personal life and soon knew that I had to do the same with my professional life. I went to an ASID weekend conference and learned about the Natural Step, a green organization. This was the first smack that I needed to green my design practices. I heard William McDonough speak at a lecture series conducted by Portland State University. This was the second smack that sent me hurtling into green design. About six months later I was moving back across country to work for McDonough's firm, William McDonough + Partners, in Charlottesville, VA. The timing felt right to move back to Virginia and I was eager to be closer to my parents for a bit knowing that I had many friends and opportunities in Oregon if it did not work. This is the only design job I have landed without an ASID connection. </div> <bR> <div> Three months after starting to work at WM+P, I fell in love. Though I loved my job, I knew my days were limited at the firm as Roanoke, where my future husband lived, was destined to be my new home. Once again I pulled out those ol' ASID connections. I called Patty Irish and Lucinda Jennings and told them I was moving to Roanoke. These two ASID die-hards remembered me from when I was a student and active in the ASID Virginia Chapter six years prior. I had lunch with Patty and within a couple of weeks she had hired me to do CAD work for her and learn the ropes of office furniture sales. Six months later I was working on commission selling office furniture and building an even greater respect for Patty and the world of office sales. </div> <bR> <div> Then Lucinda invited me to coffee one day with some other people that were interested in bringing green design into the limelight in Roanoke and the New River Valley. The group started talking about the U.S. Green Building Council. We began meeting quite regularly and eventually I ended up leading the effort in getting a local U.S. Green Building Council chapter started in Roanoke. </div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile the economy was turning upside down after September 11<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> and I was quickly realizing that I was not cut out for office furniture sales. Lucinda told me about a part-time job opening at Virginia Tech in their renovations department. I got it and began commuting the hour each way to my alma mater.</div> <bR> <div> Still working to build the USGBC chapter, I kept in touch with a green firm in Roanoke, the owners of which I had met on that fateful morning at the coffee shop with Lucinda. Soon enough they offered me a job and I spent three years with them administering a huge design competition and cutting my teeth on LEED project administration. </div> <bR> <div> Today, I have started my own consultancy firm currently focusing on work with the U.S. Green Building Council and LEED projects here in the area. I have the courage and knowledge to do this with all of the experience I have gained through ASID and work with great business owners like Patty Irish.</div> <bR> <div> Through the years, I have worn the hats of facilities management and design; tremendous churn in corporate interior design; green focused corporate interior design and architecture; office furniture sales; environmentally driven competition administration; and now business ownership. In my short twelve-year career, I have managed to always challenge myself, recognize the tremendous potential in an interior design career, and strive for the next goal. Without the help of ASID and the wonderful variety of opportunities that our profession presents us, I would not be where I am today. I have a job working from my home that I love and the flexibility to adjust my schedule to the arrival of our baby. Embrace the many faces of our profession. I sure have! </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Picture Caption: </B></div> <bR> <div> L to R Jim Bohn, Patty Irish holding Ruth Deibler's baby girl Naomi, and Sharlyn Underwood at the Southwest Region White Elephant Sale.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>