Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Timeline
Generic

Cheryl O'Brien

Wynnewood,Pennsylvania

Summary

Inventive, entrepreneurial minded business woman with natural marketing intuition. Personable with excellent communication, people and closing skills. Imaginative designer and professional with high success in over delivering to clients, resulting in consistent repeat business. Highly effective at project management, team leadership and training, schedule coordination, and completing projects within budget. Able to manage any paced environment and adapt accordingly. Consistently recognized for accomplishments by clients and industry.

Overview

34
34
years of professional experience

Work History

President/Company Owner/Lead Designer

C. O'Brien Architects, Inc.
BALA CYNWYD, PENNSYLVANIA
01.1997 - Current
  • Bootstrapped and built company from scratch to serving clients in 12 states and Germany
  • Envisioned and designed company branding, copy, marketing slogans and company image.
  • Generated increase in clients by developing inventive marketing strategies to attract homebuilder clients.
  • Developed unique presentations that addressed and solved some of home builder's biggest challenges.
  • Closed all sales agreement with clients.
  • Recruited, hired and managed employees.
  • Developed company manual and quality standards.
  • Managed business, small cohesive team and developed exceptional training and quality control systems.
  • Developed unique construction document system that resulted in very, very low field construction issues and increased firm profits.
  • Oversaw all finished documents prior to client delivery.
  • Designed innovative homes that blended high quality design with construction efficiency.
  • Provided "one stop shopping" experience for builders that included design, construction documents and marketing materials.
  • Kept business viable through long, hard recession by developing innovative partnering and royalty program for builders. Provided new home designs for initial 35% with royalty for sales.
  • Maintained Architectural License in multiple state.

Director of Product Development

Realen Homes
Ambler, PA
05.1994 - 04.1996
  • Oversaw redesign of entire line of single family homes and coordinated aspects of development and rollout.
  • New product line resulted in substantial savings and excellent sales increasing company profits.
  • Managed in house staff.
  • Selected, hired and managed outside consultants.
  • Met strict deadlines, coordinated moving parts in product development team and orchestrated well-designed flow.
  • Member of senior management strategic planning group.

Lead Design Architect

Ryland Homes
Columbia, MD
01.1990 - 03.1994
  • One of first women hired by national home builder as Lead Design Architect
  • Created product design and oversaw implementation of construction documents for over 3,000 homes per year.
  • Trained sales staff in 9 divisions on new product design.
  • Presented designs to senior company management.
  • Coordinated with manufacturing plant for field implementation.
  • Attended focus groups and assimilated results and market data to translate to criteria for best home design strategies.
  • Created company wide exterior color selections program for neighborhoods.
  • Worked with major product manufacturers to develop building products to meet changing market conditions.

Education

Bachelor of Architecture -

University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN

Skills

  • Entrepreneurial minded
  • Excellent communication and people skills
  • Team leader and player
  • Creative mind with balance on practical
  • Strong sales closer
  • Marketing minded
  • Strong writing skills
  • Adaptive and life long learner
  • Energetic
  • Attention to Detail
  • Self-Motivated

Accomplishments

Graduated with honors, in the 7th class of women from the University of Notre Dame.

At 28, beat the firm's partners in a home design competition, built in a parade of homes.

Created own Residential Architecture firm and expanded business to service 9 states and Germany.

Veteran speaker and the NAHB (National Association of Homebuilders) convention.

Received multiple awards for best in design.

Chosen as judge in multiple design awards competitons.

Contributing editor and/or interviewed for trade magazines, including Professional Builder and Sales & Marketing Ideas and Realtor.

Timeline

President/Company Owner/Lead Designer

C. O'Brien Architects, Inc.
01.1997 - Current

Director of Product Development

Realen Homes
05.1994 - 04.1996

Lead Design Architect

Ryland Homes
01.1990 - 03.1994

Bachelor of Architecture -

University of Notre Dame

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Cheryl O'Brien