OUR TEAM
WE ARE BUILT FOR DESIGN
MEET OUR
a-team
Alisha Gregg
President/CEO, RID, NCIDQ, IIDA
As the owner of Built for Dreams, this is my favorite part of the website! It is this section where I’m able to gush about the A-Team of people who work with us and are assigned the pleasure of working together on incredible projects for every single client. Every person with us has the technical credentials, licenses and education needed that you will see with every design firm you review. But I find it’s a bit more interesting for you to see these wonderful people through my heartfelt stories about them, and that little something that makes them quite unique.
We all have Pinterest pages set up with our interests, our vision boards, our motivational clips and other things so that you can know us on a little bit more of a personal level, so be sure to spend some time there.
Erica Brown
RID, NCIDQ, IIDA
“I witness daily the true heart she brings to our clients, to their projects, and to our team. Erica dives headfirst with excitement…”
Erica Brown
“I witness daily the true heart she brings to our clients, to their projects, and to our team. Erica dives headfirst with a level of energy and excitement you see in the best designers. The project becomes a canvas
of ideas and she embraces the challenges of balancing a budget with a desired aesthetic and function. What I love most about Erica is how she blends vision and crafts solid solutions in such a fun way to our clients. People truly love working with her because of her positivity. I witness a hyper-focused talent constantly fulfilling every client need, thinking ahead to help them realize the very best design for their budget. There isn’t a better day than when Erica bounces to my office to tell me about what she’s excitedly accomplished, learned, or delivered. Her love for what she does shines through.
Regarding technical skills, Erica has led multiple large-scale commercial furniture projects as part of the BFD team, tasked with detailed coordination, design. and project management. She sticks with a project throughout its life and works weeks, months, and sometimes years with them or the designer to get the perfect solution. She effectively manages design and support staff to coordinate with the client deliverables throughout the design process, with a tailored approach for each client. Working closely with designer-driven projects, she brings commitment to deadlines and response times with an unparalleled customer service approach. Her goal is to be the right-hand talent resource to her design client and provide world-class support for team efforts driving the client’s success. She has mastered CET 3D rendering to provide the client an exact rendition of specified product for order and delivery. Client expectations are fully satisfied ahead of order management by providing a photorealistic and fully communicated design.
I recently received this comment from a client with an extremely limited budget. Erica worked just as diligently and carefully to provide a perfect a solution for this client as she does for clients with larger budgets:
“Erica has been wonderful and so has the whole experience so far! Thank you for getting her to me so quickly! She has been so helpful and responsive, and I can’t express how much I appreciate it. I can’t wait to get it all together and start enjoying my new space, and I’d love for you to come see it!”
This is the norm for Erica; I receive comments like this from nearly every client she works with.”
Crystal LeDoux
RID, NCIDQ, IIDA
“Crystal is a high-level performer, and I’ve never witnessed someone with more ambition to take on and make the best of any challenge.…”
Crystal LeDoux
“Crystal is one of my favorite stories. She’s been with BFD nearly ten years. As a young designer right out of school, she came on as our fledgling business began to grow. She blossomed from a very shy designer and not only did she quickly learn the ropes, she began driving the department. Crystal is a high-level performer, and I’ve never witnessed someone with more ambition to take on and make the best of any challenge. She single-handedly developed many of the systems we still use today for project delivery and is always one of the first to embrace new technologies and drive the integration into our deliverables. I describe her as a powerhouse of leadership, mentorship, and exceptional talent.
The analytical instinct and maturity level of her decision making has led to her promotion as our Operations Division Manager in 2020. Her organizational skills are flawless. She is part owner in Bolt FDI, our installation company. Her influence is infectious, and her heart to do the right thing for our clients is resolute. She is another designer who sparks compliments from clients continuously as people love working with her, internally and externally. They appreciate her skills and client management approach, and comment on her empathetic demeanor and her kindness.
Crystal has designed commercial furniture projects for large-scale healthcare, banking, education, and private industry clients. She is a registered interior designer and works primarily with commercial furniture clients.”
Karen Albin
Quoting, Procurement, Logistics Management
“You will be hard pressed to find someone in the industry who works harder, is more pleasant and humble, and quicker on delivery.…”
Karen Albin
“BFD is so very fortunate to have Karen on our staff. You will be hard pressed to find someone in the industry who works harder, is more pleasant and humble, and quicker on delivery for the procurement and logistics roles she serves. Extremely detail oriented, she is responsible for quoting, product procurement, order processing, acknowledgment confirmations, and logistics for an internal team of seven designers and three salespeople. She takes great care to make certain everything is received in perfect order for a smooth delivery to our warehouse.
I describe Karen as a checks-and-balances person with a designer’s eye. She negotiates strongly with manufacturers and CSRs to keep them on task and make our clients’ projects a priority in their queue. She assists the designers with special finish and fabric concerns to bridge the gap between the designer and the vendor. Karen has a brain for literally hundreds of details at a time and takes care of many issues before anyone knows they were even a problem. This includes expediting shipments with our vendors and working with them to ensure our client is getting exactly what they are expecting, on time. Karen owned her own company in another city before coming to BFD and approaches her role with a level of ownership and service that is personal on behalf of our clients. She knows how important she is to the logistical success of every project.
Karen is personally invested in our clients’ success. Preparation and execution are her superpowers, wrapped in a bundle of care. She is a knitting master by hobby – which seems apropos for the host of details she knits together for us.”
Kirsten Ramirez
RID, NCIDQ, IIDA
“When we need to organize a complex installation, Kirsten saves the day. I secretly think she can leap tall buildings in a single bound...…”
Kirsten Ramirez
“Kirsten is another of our unique designers who has been with bfd interiors for nearly as long as we have been in business. For her design focus, she gravitates to projects for children, hospitality, pets and education. She is definitely complex, with a heart of gold, a sharp wit, and a technical mind. She lovingly tortures our CFO who has a disdain for Hump Day funnies. She has prank called Anita, decorated her office and sent wicked e-cards, all the time, giggling in good humor, while poking the bear. It’s kinda their special thing.
I’ve seen her problem solve highly intricate design problems where I would have given up long ago. When we have a systems reconfiguration and all the parts and pieces are strewn about and must be counted, reorganized, redesigned and filler parts specified to make the system work again for a client, Kirsten is our go-to. When we need to highly organize a complex design installation, Kirsten saves the day. When our IT guy is nowhere to be found, and our computers need a touch or a kick, she waltzes in and waves a magic wand to keep us going. She is definitely our back house problem-engineer for our technology and programmable apps, and I secretly think she can leap tall buildings in a single bound.
She recently adopted a dog named Gracie, and yes, there is an Instagram page you can follow…Oh Goodness Gracie“
Anita Somers
Controller
“Our wizard behind the curtain, Anita works tirelessly to help us establish vendor purchasing contracts and protocols..…”
Anita Somers
“Anita leads our financial and procurement team, maintaining all purchasing contracts and driving accounting department efficiencies. Our wizard behind the curtain, Anita’s previous role with TTU FP&C made her the perfect person for our team to help us establish vendor purchasing contracts and protocols. She has been part of our team nearly nine years and works tirelessly to ensure our contract clients and our vendor counterparts are aligned for the product lines we represent. One thing that resonates with me, and the thing I appreciate most about her, is her drive to always find an answer and never tell our clients ‘No.’ If there is a special need, request or hurdle, she works with the procurement team to make the project feasible and make things flow seamlessly through final billing. When you think about an accounting team, visions of cubicle-sitting, bean-counting, calculator-banging boredom is the natural image. I am so grateful for Anita’s bubbly, lively spirit. She brings fun and lightness to our back office processes and drives a team of very connected and client-focused ladies to keep them enjoying their careers with bfd.”
Tonda Elliot
Interior Design Department Manager
“Her invaluable experience and relationships with contractors and subcontractors, provides a winning team management strategy..…”
Tonda Elliot
Tonda came to us from a lifetime career in the architectural world, where she largely designed for educational and institutional clients. Our resident empath, and what we lovingly refer to as our hippie designer, Tonda has an undeniable connection with people, and puts it to great use with our clients and designers. She leads the architectural interiors/interior design/construction portion of our business. Her invaluable experience and relationships with contractors and subcontractors, provides a winning team management strategy for bfd interiors, and a solid foundation of proven talent in the commercial world. Clients benefit knowing their design/construction team is experienced, has provided a positive and impressionable client experience, and is on board for the A-team delivery we demand. The confidence level of knowing your design/build team is “all in” for the benefit of the project means your team will work well together, and work to maximize the value of the project, and minimize the hurdles.
Tonda has an incredible warmth that puts people at ease, only rivaled by her customer satisfaction bar that is set to the highest level, and backed up by her wicked talent.
We think she secretly owns stock in Birkenstock.
Donnie Johnson
New Business Development
“When Donnie walks through the door, know that you have a friend in the industry who will go the extra mile to ensure your satisfaction..…”
Donnie Johnson
“And then there’s Donnie, whom we affectionately refer to as “one of the girls,” but whom we really know, is someone we all work for. Donnie is another favorite story of mine. He came to us late in his career path, from the field of steel siding (and was known as the Tin Man-seems to fit)….and oilfield sales. And to my surprise, was able to tough it out with all of these headstrong, Type A, multi-generational women. That alone told me he had what it took to be a special A-Team member. He actually tried to leave us once, and was gone about 5 business days before realizing he missed us too much. #hugs In his interview, he stated, “I can sell ice to Eskimos.” I don’t doubt that for a minute!
He has forged his own path in our hearts, and is a tremendous addition to our team. Donnie has a gift for relationship building with new and existing clients. He is tenacious with a strong sense of customer service and satisfaction. When Donnie walks through the door, know that you have a friend in the industry and a guy who will go to every conceivable length to ensure your satisfaction level!
Donnie was once a PGA Pro golfer touring around. He now spends his leisure time spoiling several dogs with names that sound either grandmotherly, or Mafia-ish.”
Jennifer Yost
Accounting
“One of the hardest working women I’ve ever known with simply a “whatever it takes” mentality and ambition....…”
Jennifer Yost
“We are so proud of Jennifer; she is the epitome of the bfd interiors culture. She went back to school and earned her degree in accounting while working full-time with our company, and putting a teenage daughter through her last year of high-school. She graduated in 2019 and is one of the hardest working women I’ve ever known with simply a “whatever it takes” mentality and ambition.
Besides being Jennifer-on-the-spot with payments and billing, collections, vendor reconciliations and accounting for 2 of our companies, Jennifer is also our “Monica” from Friends – compulsive cleaner. Nary a day will you find a mess on her desk. It’s like magic somehow. This gargantuan pile of things will appear on her desk and within literally minutes, it’s organized, paid, collected, reconciled, and neatly filed. I sit next to her in our office and it’s beyond befuddling. She stays away from my office because it is sensory overload for her…“
Diane Zartman
Health & Happiness Coordinator
“Diane holds initiatives to keep us on track with our vision boards and goal planning, wellness planning, and overall day-to-day functioning..…”
Diane Zartman
Diane is our staff assistant and makes sure we have healthy alternatives for birthday parties, staff meetings, and snacks! She actually does so much more for us and holds initiatives to keep us on track with our vision boards and goal planning, wellness planning, and overall day-to-day functioning. She holds a degree in Healthy Lifestyles Coaching and is a board-certified Health & Wellness Coach. She paints, does pyrography and is a former barista serving up happiness at bfd! Before she worked for bfd, she came one day and brought her very own espresso machine and made us all delicious and healthy specialty coffees! We are so lucky to have her here!!
Jamie Salley
Interior Design Intern
“She gives it her all, is meticulous to a fault, and fits in perfectly with bfd interiors passion for the products and services we provide...…”
Jamie Salley
“Jamie is a very talented first year intern with bfd interiors. I secretly hired her after our interview with a resounding “YES” before her interview with anyone else in our company. Jamie is a bona fide sports-car mechanic by hobby, and it is a serious hobby. Her cars are a passion. I knew anyone with that much “hands on” drive (no pun intended), would be an A-team member. And she has proven my instinct correct – over, and over, and over. She gives it her all, is meticulous to a fault, and fits in perfectly with bfd interiors passion for what we do. She has worked alongside our registered designers as our talent in 3D rendering, and mastered our technical and creative programs. We are so excited to have her and watch her career explode as she conquers the world of commercial interior design.”
Miranda McAlister
Interior Design Intern
“We look for the spunky side at bfd interiors, it is a huge thing in our design team – Miranda carries something just a little different..…”
Miranda McAllister
“Miranda is a driven and talented first year design intern with bfd interiors. She’s been voted the sweetest of the bunch. Little did we know she was a 3-year hip-hop dancer at Texas Tech. We look for the spunky side, it is a huge thing in our design team – something just a little different! Miranda has taken the reins with a passion and fervor, to learn all there is to know on the commercial furniture dealership side of bfd interiors. She has a creative flair for the design, an eye for detail, and a head for the technical specification. She works alongside our licensed design staff to assist with 3D rendering, specification assistance and details. Miranda graduates in May 2020 from Texas Tech University, and has decided we are a fit for her as well. We are excited she will stay on as a full-time designer and begin pursuing hours and experience to become a registered interior designer.”
BOSS
Office Dog
“In keeping with our wellness initiatives, we wanted to have something cute and cuddly, with a big spirt and a lot of sass...…”
BOSS
“Our big boss, whose name is actually BOSS, is a new addition to our bfd crew. In keeping with our wellness initiatives, we wanted to have something cute and cuddly, with a big spirt and a lot of sass. Done! You can email boss anytime at boss@bfdinteriors.com; also check out his Pinterest board and follow him on other social media. We plan for him to have a lot of adventures, if he can ever find his way out of someone’s lap.”
WHAT MAKES BFD TICK
our culture
We exist for a greater cause To build a woman owned and driven business fostering creativity, personal and professional growth by developing a sustainable company with revolving ownership.
We strive to provide meaningful jobs for employees and an opportunity to create a better life for ourselves and others, by offering design related services and products to the public.