We were lucky to catch up with Pam Lamaster-Millett recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Pam with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I grew up in a very rural area, and long before there was anything like Uber…so freedom was pretty much equal to driving. I got my first job basically so I could have a car and gas money without relying on my parents. I had no skills, so I waited tables, which taught me a lot about customer service! Work ethic is not exactly the same as customer service, but those first couple of waitress jobs where eye opening. When it’s New Years Eve and the other server calls in “sick” you learn pretty quickly how attributes like personal responsibility and dependability can make or break a business. Because I was committed, I got more shifts, I was assigned larger tables, I made more tips. At the time I was in it for the gas money, but looking back, it was a lesson that being responsible pays off, and I definitely took that with me as I developed in my profession.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
At our design firm, Searl Lamaster Howe Architects, we create customized spaces for our clients, so they can live, work, play, in the best environments for them. The design world has become so much more accessible to consumers in the last decade, sorting through all the possibilities is an increasing challenge for our clients. Our team does a lot of listening through the design process, so the end result is focused and cohesive. In recent years, we’ve been incorporating services for outfitting the final space with furnishings and accessories as well. Because it’s not our whole business, it’s easy to scale the interior design services to our clients’ needs – whether it’s purchasing everything down to the hand towels in the guest bath, or just having a professional to bounce sofa options off of.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Be a good listener. When you are in a service industry, you need to understand your clients’ needs. 2. Ask questions. Good clients appreciate good questions, because it shows you are listening, and that you want to understand.
3. Spend the time to do the research. Our clients are paying for our experience and expertise to guide decisions, so when there is a new product or source, it needs to be vetted as best it can. We run into this a lot with contract grade vs retail items. Sure, that light fixture you found on the internet might look just like the one from a trusted manufacturer, but it is as good? If there is little information available, how do you know?
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
When I was maybe in 7th or 8th grade, my mom asked me what I wanted to do when I was an adult. When I answered that I wanted to be a artist, my mom promptly told me “No. Artists die starving. You have to do something that makes money because you can’t depend on anyone else to take care of you”. So I decided to be an architect. The focus architecture gives to creative thinking, allows me to be artful every day. Thanks Mom!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.searlarch.com
- Instagram: @searllamasterhowe
- Facebook: Searl Lamaster Howe
- Linkedin: Pam Lamaster-Millett
- Twitter: @pklamaster
Image Credits
Tony Soluri; Mark Ballogg; Rachel Bires; Cynthia Lynn; Petra Ford; Chris Bradley
