What makes today’s Design
Center different from yesterday?
The answer, without a doubt, is the people. General Manager,
Cynthia Herrera didn’t just get her feet wet when
she came on board in March 2007, her entire body was immersed.
Hired as the Logistics Manager, Cynthia was promoted to
General Manager a mere three days after she started.
Cynthia graduated as an industrial engineer from the University
of Costa Rica and went on to obtain her Masters from UNED
in business management. She also obtained an APICS Certification
in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).
CAREER
Cynthia’s career has been rolling steadily along
a path going in one solid direction from the very beginning.
Her passion has always been the organization and optimization
of processes and performance. Her focus in every position
she has ever held has been the placement of controls and
measurement of the value stream through the analysis,
implementation and follow up of daily goals.
As the General Manager of the Design Center, Cynthia has
been faced with a new series of challenges, which she
has consistently met and overcome. She started by creating
a strong sense of team among her staff, including the
interior designers and their assistants.
Cynthia also relies heavily on her showroom and administrative
staff. Once each member of the Design Center staff fully
recognized his/her importance as an integral part of the
team, Cynthia could focus her energy on making the Design
Center competitive through creative show room designs,
pricing and a strong commitment to customer service.
TEAM WORK
Cynthia works closely with construction, architecture,
accounting and sales and thrives on the fast-paced environment
of the Design Center, “I am extremely happy about
where I am now and look forward to continually improving
our services. Together we are making it happen,”
she states.
Cynthia’s support team is headed by the Design Center’s
two interior designers, Lucia Esquivel and Natasha Damico.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is the key to creating a successful relationship
with any customer, according to Lucia Esquivel. Lucia
has put a lot of energy into establishing strong bonds
with her customers since she began in April 2007.
Lucia brought with her an extensive fountain of knowledge.
She studied interior design at Le Boulle Ecole in Paris,
France and then started working as an interior design
assistant under the famous French “artiste”
Mark Laroque. She worked with Mark for one year before
returning home to Costa Rica to study business administration
at Universidad Hispanoamericana. Afterwards, Lucia worked
as a fashion consultant and travel specialist for Laroque’s
Costa Rican-based office where she assisted high-end French
travelers who wanted to visit Costa Rica.
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Design
Center
Reshaped,
Renewed and Dedicated
COSTA RICA
Costa Rica’s weather is what brought Lucia back,
but it is the people that have convinced her to stay.
“I love the people I work with,” she says.
“Interior design is my passion,” she continues.
“There is a feeling of emptiness in a bare home,
so I put a part of myself into each detail. Every
step of the way is an exciting challenge. It’s
like raising a child. You have to give it a lot of
love and attention. Its a great deal of energy, but
pays you back with the realization of a dream.”
Lucia’s view on design is poetic and her intrinsic
talent is all too evident.
CANADIAN ELEMENT
Natasha is our Canadian-born element of the design
team. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Natasha came
to Costa Rica a number of times before making the
decision to permanently relocate. “I traded
my snow boots for sandals!” she laughs. Natasha
majored in jewelry design and minored in interior
design at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD).
After graduation, she worked for a custom furniture
design company that specialized in contemporary pieces.
She then established her own jewelry design and diamond
trading company. Despite her success, Natasha decided
she needed to get away from the cold Canadian winters
and says that her journey to Costa Rica’s tropical
climate was “meant to be.”
Originally, Natasha came to Los Sueños looking
for an entry level position as a secretary. However
her impressive resume immediately caught the eye of
Los Sueños’ upper management and she
ended up at the Design Center instead. Her coworkers
describe Natasha as “vivacious”. They
have seen her blend an enormous amount of energy and
passion into every unit she furnishes. “It’s
a pleasure to create a home for our customers,”
she says. Spanish is still a bit of a challenge for
Natasha, but her Costa Rican coworkers have taken
it upon themselves to teach her the language of the
Tico.
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A
perfect example of Los Sueños’ unique
architecture and design is Montebello Residences at
Altamira. The remaining units in this rustically elegant
project were recently furnished by the Los Sueños
Design Center and give future Montebello owners a
very strong sense of home by incorporating rich earth
tones, beautifully grained woods, a wide variety of
textures and several design styles that all work together
to make each a masterpiece in which the interior design
enhances the architectural features at every arch
and corner. Also furnished were the three remaining
units in Bay Residences at Del Mar.
Together, these three ladies, along with the rest
of their crew, are reshaping the Design Center one
customer at a time through communication, team work,
dedication and of course, inherent talent.
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