2017 Women in Building Services: Kenne Shepherd, Kenne Shepherd Interior Design Architecture PLLC 

Name: Kenne Shepherd, AIA LEEP AP+

Title: Principal

Company Name: Kenne Shepherd Interior Design Architecture PLLC 

Years in real estate: 40

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of? CREW New York, AIA, USGBC

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career?

To me obstacles are opportunities to reinvent the present into the future I am looking to create. I don’t let myself get trapped in negative thinking about the worst that can happen or a cycle of complaining. I look beyond the obstacles in front of me and focus on what I am looking to create and outline the steps needed to get there. Obstacles are only setbacks when you allow them to be. 

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career?

I am by nature a multitasker and move quickly and easily from one role to another. As a business owner entrepreneur, I find this to be useful. I inherently see the broader picture of any project or situation while at the same time drilling down to the minutia, to the details, that are critical to the success of any well-designed environment. In a day, sometimes in an hour, I go from interior designer to architect to business manager to public relations and marketing wearing the many hats that are essential to a success practice. 

What trends are you seeing so far this year?

A big trend that we are seeing now is a fundamental reimaging of retailing. The success of Internet retail has been a wakeup call to the way traditional brick and mortar stores have been doing business and has forced them to re-evaluate their format to stay relevant to today’s shoppers. Retailers are re-engaging with their customers using technology and the internet in new ways to create an experience that that is personal, pleasurable and that keeps them coming back. Our job as retail designers is to use the latest in design technology to create innovative retail environments that support the new retail paradigm.

What do you do for fun?

Travel – seeing the art, architecture, and history of other cultures inspire me as a designer and keeps life interesting.