Theresa Fiore is an associate and managing director with ASD, an interior design, architectural and graphics firm on the Southbank.
HOW LONG WITH COMPANY?
She joined the company in 1985 in Tampa and transferred to Jacksonville in 1999.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
“We do commercial interior design and manage the office.”
WHOLE PACKAGE PLAN?
“The way we approach design is not so much decorative in the sense that you would think of interior decoration and so forth. Our whole concept is integrated and contextual.” They believe in the handling the entire package for the client from the programming, inquiry, finding out how many people they need space for, their long term goals, expenses, budgets and move coordination.
WHAT DOES THAT ENTAIL?
“We investigate their actual programming needs including how many people they would need and we project out as long as their lease. We try to look at it from the standpoint of do they have standards established for office sizes, cubicle sizes and ratios of how many administrative to management. All different types of work have different standards applied. Technology has been a key factor in establishing that. We want to give them the best scenario for their leased dollars. If it’s a full-service design they want us to move them in and make it look good. We take what they do and create a space that reflects their product, atmosphere and work ethic.”
TYPE OF CLIENTS?
A lot of their clients are national financial clients. “We’ve seen a lot of mergers in the last five years.” They also work with insurance groups and brokers on tenant planning.
COLLEGE
She has a bachelor’s degree in interior design from University of Florida College of Architecture.
HOW DID SHE GET STARTED IN THE BUSINESS?
She started as an intern with ASD in 1985. After college, she started there full-time.
BEFORE DESIGN?
She was a florist while in college.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“It’s diverse. I get to work with a lot of different people in a lot of different trades. I love the design and detailing side of it and seeing how the parts and pieces actually get built.”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE INTERESTED IN GETTING INTO DESIGN?
“Go to a good accredited school. We only hire from accredited four-year colleges. The realization is that you work really hard in school and that is the reality when you get out too. It’s a very schedule oriented job, so I would make sure that they are aware of deadlines and such.”
DOES YOUR HOME REFLECT YOUR STYLE?
“No, and that is probably because my taste buds are much more expensive than what I can afford. Working in the field you see a lot of nice stuff and it’s not always the least expensive. My house is ordered.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
She is on the board and communications director of the Commercial Real Estate Women of Jacksonville. She handles the website and the newsletter for the organization.
BIRTHPLACE
Ocala
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
In 1999.
RESIDES
Confederate Point.
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“A lot of faith and my parents. I’ve been very fortunate to work with some really good leaders in my company.”
PET PEEVES?
“Integrity is a big thing. Honesty is also very important in the sense of commitment and customer service. That is what makes a business survive. That is what I expect from my subcontractors and vendors.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“The ability to help people understand to work within their budget and understand their financial limits. Also, it takes a team to get a project done.”
FAMILY
She has been married to Fred, who works in social services, for 19 years. They have four children, Danielle, 16; Tony, 10; Victoria, 6 and Andrew, 4.
WHAT DOES SHE LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
Gardening and doing things with her family.
FAVORITES
A book she would recommend is “A Savage Nation” by Michael Savage. Her favorite place to visit is the mountains. When dining out, she enjoys Yoshi’s Japanese Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris and the Chart House. A movie she saw recently and would recommend is “The Last Samuri.” “It was brutal, but I loved it.”
- by Michele Newbern Gillis