2021 brought so much growth personally and in business. Personally, our family grew in number. My daughter Hanna Elizabeth, got married in CA on the beach in February. We welcomed our first son-in-law Chris to the family. Sydney graduated from ISU one year early and took an internship in Manhattan, Kansas, which is kind of ironic because I did my internship in Manhattan, New York! Scott is still enjoying being able to work from home and not traveling. In fact, he is excited the roles have reversed, and that I have been traveling extensively for Elizabeth Erin Designs and racking up the points for us.
During 2021, Elizabeth Erin Designs was thrown challenges like so many others in this industry, so we pivoted. This year, we faced more challenges and we keep pivoting, pivoting and pivoting – I have enjoyed the dance this has created. These challenges allowed me to see new opportunities. These opportunities led to more travel and creating different positions for employees in 2021.
When it comes to traveling, we have partnered with a multi-family residence developer out of New York. They purchase properties from Colorado all the way to the East Coast. We have enjoyed perfecting how we work with this company, which has lead to them recommending us to other investors who have a similar type of business plan. This helped us put together a process to assist our clients in a similar way, even if they are not in the state of Iowa. We love being able to continue achieving our clients’ visions and we are so honored they have chosen to continue their journey with us.
When it comes to employees, we have added Laura as our Project Manager, Ally, our Office and Marketing Manager, Diane – our new Assistant to the Designers and Amanda, our new Assistant Designer. Here is what they have to say about their year since starting with Elizabeth Erin Designs and what they look forward to next year:
Diane stated, “In January, I married the love of my life in Key West, Florida, on a sunset sailboat cruise. In August, I started a wonderful new job with EED. 2021 has been a wonderful year following such a difficult one in 2020.”
Here is what Ally had to say: “2021 was a great year full of new adventures. Traveling is my lifeline, so any chance I get, I’m on the next flight. I was blessed to create many new memories with family and friends while exploring new cities and states. Starting a new job is always an adventure and I am so happy for the opportunities I have been given at Elizabeth Erin Designs.”
“2021 has been the year of many changes! With my youngest daughter graduating high school, I am very grateful for their accomplishments and enjoying this personal time!” – Laura.
From Katie, “2021 has been a fun year for me both personally and professionally. On the business side, I was finally able to start handling my own Interior Design clients, who I have loved getting to know in order to create the best design for them. Whereas on the personal side, it was my first full year in my new home, which brought on wonderful challenges and experiences.“
Sue tells us, “2021 was a year of weddings for me. My husband and I had the pleasure of attending 8 weddings. It was wonderful to celebrate the unions of these couples and reconnect with many friends. I enjoyed golfing numerous times with my son and his girlfriend, taking a cross country road trip with my daughter, and biking with friends and family. I also enjoyed getting on the road for a couple of out-of-state work trips with Jodi. I’m always up for exploring new places!“
Ashtyn said, “In 2021, I learned that I was way stronger than I have ever given myself credit for. This has been the toughest year of my life by far, but the support from my family, friends, and the lovely ladies at EED kept me going when things were tough. I am so thankful for 2021 and the lessons it has taught me.”
“For me, this was a year of huge personal, professional, and educational growth! Highlights include traveling to new places, going to a few concerts, and moving into/decorating my first apartment!” Says Marah!
Aimee wanted to let us know, “For me, 2021 has been a year of new experiences and personal growth. I have loved learning so much about myself, about the world in general and about how to be a stronger designer. Can’t wait to see what 2022 has to offer!”
Amanda said,“ I had my sweet little baby in March, who is an absolute joy. I graduated university in May, after a challenging COVID transition and so close after having my baby. I learned a lot from my internship and grew as a designer and I am continuing to do so at EED:) 2021 has been a year of proving to myself how resilient and strong I am, and while it may have been a hard year, I have loved so much about it.“
Our newest high school intern Hayley has this to say, “My favorite part of 2021 was being able to travel again! I have also been knee-deep in college planning, and I am beyond excited to get hands-on career experience as an intern thanks to Jodi and Elizabeth Erin Designs!”
Another beautiful year is in the books and we have so much to look forward to in 2022; Our 19th year in business, moving our offices to a new, larger office and designing an HBA Home Show Expo home. We can’t wait to see what else 2022 has in store for us here at EED! Please follow us on social media to stay on top of all the exciting things we have planned for 2022 that we are dying to share with you! I wish you a happy and safe Holiday season with friends and family.
Sincerely,
