Her Story
About Ashlen
Ashlen Veatch is an Interior Architectural Design and Project Management professional with two years of experience in sport stadium design and one year experience in the luxury stone industry. She currently serves as Project Manager and CAD Operator at Paris Ceramics America, a luxury stone company that imports materials from Europe. In this role, she handles takeoffs and drawings for multiple salespeople, coordinates larger projects including drawings, materials, fabrication, and delivery, and has recently begun programming a robotic arm to carve fireplaces in-house by modeling in Revit and transferring to robot software, ENCY. Prior to this, she worked as an architectural designer at Aecom and PBK, primarily designing sports stadiums before being laid off. Ashlen holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Radford University in Radford, Virginia. During her 4 years there, she was a student athlete. Competing in the hammer and weight throw for the track amd field team. She also holds a Master's of Fine Art degree in Interior Architecture and Design from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, California, which she completed online while managing full-time jobs and raising young children. She attributes her success to her parents' support and work ethic from their farming and business background, and values the flexibility her current position provides to balance work with family responsibilities as a mother.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ashlen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think it would definitely be my parents. We grew up in a small farming family in Illinois, and then we moved to Virginia where they ran their own dog boarding kennel. They were always there through every failure, supporting me, and telling me that as long as I set my mind to it, I can do it. To not give up, and to see it through.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
This came from my mentor... his best advice was 'Don't be afraid to ask for help.' There are going to be times where your workload is too much for you to handle by yourself. Asking for help doesn't show weakness, but shows you know yourself and your limits. It also shows places for you to grow. The workload may seem like too much now but in the future, you may be asking for more.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Being a woman may be seen as a weakness, but it is a greater strength than you will ever realize.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In my current job, one of the biggest opportunities for me is getting to learn new things. Whether that be new software for streamlining production or seeing the hard work and care that goes into every piece that leaves our factory.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family. Being able to be a working professional and a mother is no small feat. Working at a company that values their employees and understands the importance of family is a true blessing.
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