By Malorie Williamson
Since 1985, Norris Design has been committed to delivering design that thrives. Their creative solutions transform space and bring visions to life and are all made possible with the help of their marketing associate, Emily Cox.
Facts about Emily:
- She grew up in Kansas before making the move to Colorado.
- Emily has two dogs: a French bulldog named Petey and a French bulldog-Boston terrier mix named Annabelle.
- She started as a broadcast journalism major but earned a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications from Wichita State University.
- Pursuing her CPSM (certified professional services marketer) is on her bucket list.
How did you get started in this industry?
I was looking for opportunities in Colorado and Norris Design took a chance on me. I had been at a professional services firm before so my portfolio was really strong, but to be quite honest, I did not know what landscape architecture was before I moved here. Within my first three months at Norris Design, I had the opportunity to be the sole marketer serving (at the time) all five of our offices. It was a fantastic learning experience and our team has since grown firmwide. All-in-all it has been a really great opportunity that I kind of fell into.
What is something that people do not understand about landscape architecture?
Sometimes people think all we do is work on recreational parks or master planned communities. The breadth of our experience at Norris Design impresses me every day. There are so many different niches to what we do and the concept of placemaking – our forte – is not something that’s well understood by the general public. The impact that we as A/E/C professionals have on a space from day one, as well as how people react to the space, is something that is entirely developable by us. I find this fascinating.
What is an emerging trend that you see in landscape architecture?
I think there is more focus lately on how landscape architecture interacts with other disciplines. I have seen a lot of trends on how we mix spaces together, like the mixture between living space and transportation space at transit-oriented developments, like Westminister Station. We have also seen more opportunities for amenity spaces that kind of blur the line between uses for space, particularly in urban settings. One of our recent projects, Camden RiNo, is a great example of this. As a mixed-use multifamily and retail development, we designed a sculpture courtyard to provide a semi-public gathering area for residents and users of the retail space.
Specifically, here in Denver, green roofs and living walls have been a hot topic. We recently completed the redesign of the living walls at Fiddlers Green Amphitheater, which is an installation of more than 30,000 plants. People are excited about these kinds of spaces and we thoroughly enjoy when we can enhance the human experience with our designs.
How is Norris Design continuing to provide cutting-edge services and designs?
I love working for Norris Design because we are always open to embracing trends and cutting-edge ideas. One really interesting thing that we are doing right now is looking at the branding of spaces. From day one, we make sure that the vision for the project is supported by the final brand the public interfaces with – and I think our approach is unique to the industry. We also have a small army of drones and 3D visual artists who have combined these resources and assets to provide our clients with a new perspective on projects. The work they do is incredible and even spans into the realm of VR experiences.
What opportunities or support has Norris Design given you to be successful?
One of my favorite things about working at Norris Design is that we facilitate a culture focused on mentoring. As a marketer, Norris Design has been entirely supportive of my investment and the mentoring opportunities I find in SMPS (Society for Marketing Professional Services). Thanks to this support, I’ve been able to contribute greatly to that community and was recently named Member of the Year for SMPS Colorado in 2018. As one of the largest chapters in the nation, that was a huge honor for me. It is so rewarding to be recognized by your industry peers who understand what you do every day and also understand the challenges of a non-technical position. It was an eye-opening experience for me and it validated my investment in Norris Design and my career.
