Her Story
About Alexandra
I've been practicing architecture since 2012 and have been licensed for 10 years. Six years ago, I took a leap of faith and started my own firm with my business partner. We named it Montgomery and Peoples after our middle names - she's the Montgomery side, and I'm the Peoples side. We offer full-service architecture and interior design, with about 85% of our work being residential and 15% commercial. We're too small to take on too many commercial projects, so we keep one or two on the boards at all times. In the residential world, we take on anything from a room refresh that has nothing to do with architecture - just new paint, furniture, that kind of thing - all the way to design-build projects, which is what we really love doing. That's where you're involved from day one designing all the way through construction and installing furniture and artwork at the end to give that turnkey HGTV experience. I handle managing projects, taking on new clients, meeting with them to see if they're a good fit, writing proposals, and I also get to actually do the drawing and designing. I'm really involved in every step of the project, from selecting finishes all the way through construction drawings and making sure the client is happy with the end result. I love being in charge of my own schedule now and having more of a say on what type of projects I get to work on, though there's the pressure of making sure we always have enough work to pay and feed another family since we have an employee.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alexandra
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to always treat every client the same, whether it is a high-end luxury type of project or a budget renovation. The client experience should be the same on the other end, so I always go above and beyond to make sure that the client is happy.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to women entering the architecture industry is to not be intimidated by the male dominance in the field. All opinions and perspectives are needed and important. You just kind of have to deal with some disrespect sometimes, but it's really important that you stay, because you're needed.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenges in my field always revolve around communication and making sure that you are understanding what the client wants, and then that you are clearly explaining that to the contractor, subcontractor, consulting engineers, and just being able to speak the different languages of each party so that you can make sure you're all on the same page. As for opportunities, I think there's a lot of opportunity to infuse your perspective into projects. A lot of times, it would be easy to just hear what the client has to say and produce exactly that. As an architect, you really have the opportunity to add to it, and that's really your job. They're hiring you to be able to take their ideas and then elevate them and take them to the next level. I think every project is an opportunity to help someone either live their daily life in a more comfortable way, if it's their home, or experience their professional work life in a more comfortable way at the office.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In both work and personal life, I really value doing everything with integrity and leaving things better than I found them. Obviously, that applies differently in work than it does in personal life, but I always try to do my best at whatever that thing is. It doesn't have to be the best there is, but it's my best.
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