Our Team
On the threshold of our tenth year in business, it’s clear that Partnerships have helped drive the growth and success of the Decor&You franchise. We value the contributions of every employee, every franchisee, and a select group of experts and advisors from strategically important industries whose time and knowledge have made and continue to make Decor&You bigger, stronger and better.
Franchisee Leadership
Executive Leadership
Corporate Advisors
National Training Center Faculty
Highway Decorated with Dreams Paul Allegro – New Jersey Regional Developer
For Regional Developer Paul Allegro, the famed Jersey Turnpike has become a long cement ribbon of success in the design industry. Paul joined Decor&You just three years ago and today has more than 12 decorators on his team. Paul’s journey began 20 years ago when he headed to Manhattan to study Interior Design at the celebrated Parsons School of Design, and complemented that with studies in Business Administration at Queens College in Queens, NY. He was set up for a productive career in retail management in the design industry, running a successful home decorating and home improvement business. Today, Paul focuses straight ahead on mentoring the DecorDesigners in his region, nurturing their spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation and inspiring them to flourish. “Every franchisee is abundantly aware that they’re in business for themselves,” Paul explains, “but not by themselves.” Paul observes that decorators who drive “in the lane,” and follow the proven DecorPlan™ system, enjoy desirable, independent lifestyles where they set their own schedules and work from home. Paul makes periodic trips to Connecticut to serve on the national Decor&You training faculty. He offers road-tested advice to trainees in his “Marketing Cookbook,” a specialized strategic and analytical framework for marketing decorating services. That he chose “cookbook” as the title reflects the other joys in Paul’s life: cooking, gardening and improving the home he shares with his family, children Victoria and Massimo, and wife of nearly 20 years, Giovanna. Enhancing the Quality of Life in Middle America Amy Boesen – Nebraska DecorDesigner
Amy Boesen was climbing the corporate ladder at First Data in Omaha, Nebraska’s largest city, reaching the comfortable rank of senior management. With a BS in Textiles, Clothing and Design from the University of Nebraska, Amy felt like she was getting her money’s worth in corporate recognition and rewards. Something was missing, however: the creative side of that degree she had earned. Amy began searching the Internet for opportunities and learned about the home-based Decor&You franchise. She was drawn to the flexible, people-focused culture, which would give her time to participate actively in the lives of sons James and Derek. Amy acquired a franchise in 2004 and says the experience has delivered on its promise. Operating an interior decorating franchise gave Amy the autonomy and busy project work she enjoyed. Ultimately, her greatest reward is her ability to change the way people feel about their surroundings. Amy calls it “decorating therapy” – the power to create a personal space that truly enhances quality of life. Busy Mom, Bustling Decorator Cheryl Garrison – Arizona DecorDesigner
Cheryl Garrison, a talented seamstress and devoted mother of three, ran a window covering and accessories business in Phoenix, Arizona. As her business evolved, her interest in furniture restoration and antiques grew and she discovered she had a real ability for creating beautiful, balanced interiors for her clients, friends and relatives. When she learned about the Decor&You franchise, she was delighted to turn her decorating talent and business management skills into a career as a professional decorator. Cheryl finds fulfillment in a vibrant family and community life. She finds time for the kids and their basketball games, and for volunteering at her church as pianist and director of the children’s choir. Today, after three years with Decor&You, she also finds continual success and enjoyment working with clients to create comfortable, beautiful and affordable home interiors.Surpassing the Energizer Bunny Sandra Hambley – Virginia & Maryland Regional Developer
From morning until evening, Sandra Hambley is continually recharged by the fast-paced, entrepreneurial demands of managing a regional decorating business. Sandra manages a team of decorators in the Baltimore/Washington corridor, with hundreds of clients, so there’s a lot on her plate: marketing and media, product research, coaching decorators, interfacing with clients, troubleshooting projects, financial management… and more. It sounds hectic by most measures, but for Sandra it adds up to “pride and fulfillment” compared to the demands of corporate work. Sandra is a native of western Pennsylvania and a graduate of Penn State University, who transplanted to Fairfax County nearly 20 years ago. Sandra enjoyed a successful career at Capital One, which she believes prepared her well for the ultimate challenge… entrepreneurship and Decor&You. In just three years, Sandra grew her team of decorators from zero to 12, garnering the most awards for sales and design in the history of Decor&You. Nowhere near slowing down, Sandra just recruited the first Decor&You territory director in the nation and acquired a condominium office space in Herndon, creating a permanent home for her regional design studio. In February, the Washington Post invited Sandra’s team to solve a design challenge in House Calls, a popular Home section feature.Southern Gentleman with Designs of National Acclaim Ted Jurek – Georgia DecorDesigner
The 2006 Decor&You Franchisee of the Year could have taken a rest in ’07 and enjoyed the accolades, but Ted Jurek has 20 years of financial services exec running through his veins. His success as a decorator in just two years made him more eager to reach more clients with even better services. With million dollar homes, Coca-Cola and trendy midtown restaurants on his client list, there was no time to rest. Ted first acquired a window-expert license to begin offering Exciting Windows!™ products and services to his Decor&You clients. As if an MBA from the University of Tulsa and 200 hours of Decor&You training were not enough, Ted stepped up his credentials with a national CID designation. Next, he landed in a Home Page feature story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, splashed with beautiful color photos of his northern Atlanta home and his little boy, Alec. His clients agree that among Ted’s many attributes, they’re most impressed by his ability to listen – and with exquisite attention to detail and accountability – he can transform their dreams into inspiring interiors. Karen Powell, CEO
Few understand the significance of the phrase “If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t get done!” better than Karen Powell, CEO of the nation’s second largest interior decorating franchise, Decor&You. Karen views Decor&You as the ideal opportunity for businesspeople with extraordinary spirit who want to be their own boss and find the courage to be master of their own success. Read more about Karen Powell
Paul Pieschel, Vice President for Franchise Development
Paul Pieschel brings 30 years of experience in the franchise industry to Decor&You. He joined the company in 2001 to develop the franchise sales operation and guide its growth. He became vice president of the sales division in 2004. Paul previously spent three years with TES Franchising, LLC in Southbury, Conn., and was formerly senior vice president for franchise development with Moto Photo Inc. in Dayton, Ohio.
Frank M. Spano, Executive Strategist
Frank Spano joined Decor&You in 2006 to lead strategic development initiatives capable of supporting and sustaining a large national design organization. Frank is founder of Design Associates, a comprehensive design firm that provides architectural, interior and landscape design, business development, branding, and image management. Under the Design Associates umbrella is the award-winning ApparenzA Design Studio, whose original furniture designs are licensed and distributed worldwide. Frank is on the Board of Directors of ASFD.
Mary Gilliatt, International Design Advisor
The influence of Mary Gilliatt and her treasury of design industry resource books, nearing 40 volumes, permeates Decor&You with the authenticity of great design and a global point of view. Mary first became associated with the franchise in its earliest days, when she joined as Design Director. The Decorating Book, published in 1981, helped secure Mary’s position of international fame and has since been translated into eight languages and sold three million copies worldwide. In 2004 she published Mary Gilliatt’s Dictionary of Architecture & Interior Design, an essential desk reference for anyone who works in or writes about the engaging world of design.
Mary Gilliatt currently sits on the advisory board of the leading design school in America, the New York School of Interior Design. Decor&You is fortunate to have Mary Gilliatt on its training faculty, where each year she teaches several classes of trainees. Mary also consults year-round with Decor&You franchisees on individual client decorating plans, to enhance capabilities and maximize beautiful results.
Mary’s accomplishments in the world of design are truly exceptional. Consult our authoritative, three-page biography that details the evolution of her career, her high profile clientele, and the full compendium of her published books (1965 to present). Read more about Mary Gilliatt
Steve Bursten
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Steve Bursten is the founder of Exciting Windows! and a leader and innovator in the window coverings industry for nearly 50 years. He was the founder of Decorating Den in the 1960’s, the first franchisor of decorating businesses in the U.S. He has helped hundreds of business owners start and grow to their full potential. As an author, he has published a book, and more than 60 articles which offer authoritative guidance small business management.Linda T. Gottlieb, National Training Manager
Linda Gottlieb is national manager of Decor&You training programs and a trend-setter in corporate training and motivation who has developed dozens of training curricula and led hundreds of workshops during her career. Linda joined Decor&You in 2006, to continue the effort to modernize and restructure training programs in line with the needs of a fast-growing franchise with more than 100 owners.
Linda holds a BS in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Instructional Design. She is a member of the American Institute of Fitness Educators and holds multiple industry certifications from IDEA, ACE and AFAA. She is the first corporate trainer in Connecticut to become nationally certified through the Cooper Institute for the Active Living Every Day behavior change program.
Neil Gordon
Neil Gordon is one of the nation’s leading experts in window fashions and the owner of a successful window fashions retail business in New York. He is currently the national director of design for Exciting Windows!, a national organization of window coverings retailers. He also serves on the board of the Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA). Among his credits, Neil has served on the editorial board of Window Fashion Magazine. He has contributed to Extreme Makeover Home Edition, the popular ABC network television series. He writes for Dezingnare, an online resource for interior designers.
Neil is also a world-class trainer. He is a Certified Master Coach through the Behavioral Coaching Institute. For Decor&You he leads sessions in Advanced Training and also serves as a field coach for franchisees during their field internship phase.
Neil appears on the cover of the July 2007 issue of Draperies & Window Coverings.
Jo Ann Brezette
Jo Ann Brezette is a leading national authority, trainer, and author in the window fashions industry. She lectures throughout North America and has published numerous articles on sales and marketing in the nation’s window fashion magazines. She is author of Selling to the Limit, a practical guide to in-home sales of window fashions, used by educational institutions throughout the U.S.
Decor&You named a national award in Jo Ann’s honor at its 2006 annual conference, to emphasize the value she has contributed to the company, as well as the profession.
As a trainer, Jo Ann impresses with her relaxed style and powerful anecdotes. Jo Ann currently serves as lead instructor at the Exciting Windows! Window Coverings University. For Decor&You, Jo Ann appears at the national conference each year to lead sell-out audiences in successful techniques for selling, marketing and designing for clients in the in-home business setting.
Susanne Wiener ASID, FIDS
Susanne Wiener is a U.S. design industry leader. A successful career in design in the exclusive Westchester region of New York gave her the credentials and experience to take her to the top of the U.S. Interior Design Society where she served as president, and continues as an elected Fellow and Honorary Lifetime Member.
Susanne is principal of Susanne Wiener Consultants, a White Plains, New York-based firm that specializes in comprehensive training, planning, buying and merchandising solutions for furniture industry retailers and manufacturers. Susanne is author of the correspondence course, Six Solid Steps into Design.
Susanne works with Decor&You franchisees, providing hands-on decorating sales training.
Ed Schultek
Ed Schultek is president of Sandler Sales Institute for Western Connecticut, founded in 2004. Ed has decades of experience in sales for multinational corporations leading the business world, such as Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo International. At Pepsi for more than 20 years, he built and led the company’s first international sales organization. Ed is the ultimate sales trainer for people who aren’t comfortable selling. His approach hinges on looking at sales as the “art of matching what your customer needs with something of value that you have to offer.” Ed’s expertise lies in sales reorganization and professional sales training and coaching targeted to boost business owners’ self-confidence in sales and improve their close ratios – by becoming better “customer listeners.”
Ed’s training for Decor&You embraces role-playing, coupled with techniques to change both attitude and behavior, with emphasis on sales as a customer-driven experience.
Karen Powell, along with business partners who she met while managing a top-ten ranking sales team for Transdesigns (a national home decorating company) launched their own independent interior decorating business called Décor & More, in 1995. It was concluded that this business concept would best be implemented by a network of franchisees, who would function as full-time entrepreneurs, committed to growing and developing individual decorating businesses to their fullest potential. Franchising also offered a proven path for the partners to expand nationally and internationally while protecting and building the brand and securing the integrity of the system. The partners set to work perfecting systems and training programs, developing a replicable system for decorators or managers to open, operate, and build successful interior decorating businesses. On that basis, in January 1998, that perfected interior decorating business system was franchised with the establishment of the Decor&You®, Inc. Franchise Program. The structure of Decor&You responded robustly to economic trends in the 90’s and the nature of the changing workforce in the decorating industry.
In less than a decade the company grew to merit inclusion among the top 500 franchise opportunities in the U.S., for four years in a row, as ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine. Today, Decor&You stands as the second largest interior decorating products and services franchise in the U.S., with more than 100 decorators in 30 states.
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