Maria Alaverdova

I actually went to school to be a social worker and was also an ex-tennis player. I entered the lighting industry completely by accident when I moved to San Francisco. I had applied for a receptionist position at Green Creative, but they said I would be a better role fit for the PM position, and that's where I started. After the first year, they made me a sales manager, and I've been doing the same role for a couple different manufacturers over the years. I didn't think I had it in me, and I didn't think I was put out to be a salesperson, but turns out I was. You just gotta get out of that shy bubble to push forward. My main area of expertise is outside lighting, but really anything to do with interior, exterior, back of house lighting, commercial, residential, you name it. The most rewarding thing is walking through a space, not knowing that your lights are in there, and then noticing that those are your lights. I think having people that come to you regularly is the most rewarding, because then they trust you, and they know they're going to you for that specific reason.