Design Your Own Path: A Journey in Entrepreneurship with Cheryl Duvall
Release Date: 04/08/2022
The Future of Downtown Is the Lifestyle District
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We explore the concept of lifestyle districts and how cities can be designed to be accessible and livable for all on this episode of Gensler’s Design Exchange.
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From Stores to Stories: Immersive Experience and the Future of Retail
Gensler Design Exchange
As consumers seek more meaningful connections in a digital world, brands are looking to immersive experiences to better engage audiences. Listen as we explore the growing trend of immersive experiences and how designers can help realize new frontiers.
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Attainable and Affordable Housing: Creating Homes for All
Gensler Design Exchange
As populations swell and housing costs rise, many middle-income families are finding themselves priced out of the market. In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, we explore the differences between affordable and attainable housing and provide context on housing burden trends.
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Office-to-Residential Conversions: Mandates, Myths, and Possibilities
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Experts weigh the opportunities, myths, and challenges of converting increasingly vacant office buildings into much needed housing.
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How is Decarbonization Changing Architecture and Design?
Gensler Design Exchange
In this episode, we examine decarbonization in the built environment. We define embodied carbon vs. operating carbon, address net carbon impact, discuss how we approach resilience with our clients, and weigh the impact of carbon in interior design.
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Being Women in Architecture and Design
Gensler Design Exchange
In honor of Women’s History Month, this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast is celebrating women in the industry, including right here in our own firm. Three women in leadership roles within Gensler share their stories about their career paths.
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What Is the Architect's Role in Creating Equitable Communities?
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Contributors of a new AIA resource called the "Architect’s Role in Creating Equitable Communities" share how architects can, in their practices, bring about racially just and equitable outcomes for all members of the communities they serve.
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Mass Timber: The Sustainable Solution for the Design Industry (Part 2)
Gensler Design Exchange
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How to Manage Change in Today’s Evolving Workplace
Gensler Design Exchange
Hear from Change Management experts on what Change Management is, why it’s important, and how it can be implemented in the workplace.
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Can We Breathe New Life into Government Buildings?
Gensler Design Exchange
Guest host Diana Apalategui and guest Lucy Kitchin explore ideas for private sector intervention in federally owned assets in the District
info_outlineModerator: Nadia Volchansky, LEED AP, NCIDQ
Strategy Lead
Gensler
Guest:
Cheryl Duvall, CID, FIIDA, LEED AP, NCIDQ
Senior Associate, Regional Consulting Practice Area Leader
Gensler
Gensler is filled with innovative individuals who have diverse perspectives. This unique nature allows our people to approach projects with entrepreneurial spirits, and helps their clients go further by pushing the boundaries of what design can do.
This episode is the first in a series where we will highlight trailblazers at Gensler who have taken their strengths and talents and invested it in their work to become intrapreneurs. In this episode, Regional Consulting Practice Area Leader Cheryl Duvall joins series host Nadia Volchansky to share her background as an entrepreneur in the architecture and design industry.
01:30 Cheryl’s intro, background
03:00 Cheryl starts her first design firm at the age of 25; she examines the initial challenges and eventual success.
05:42 Cheryl’s company is acquired by a larger firm.
07:55 Cheryl speaks to her experience as a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry.
“When I was a 25-year-old woman designing a major law firm, there were times I felt disrespected. I saw it as an opportunity to prove myself. I knew if I was knowledgeable and not faking it, I would come across as confident. And because I believed in myself, others did too.” – Cheryl Duvall
11:20 The barrier to entry for women in business, then and now.
11:53 Cheryl embarks on starting her second design firm while attending graduate school; her entrepreneurial evolution
14:18 Cheryl arrives at Gensler in 2018.
16:33 Covid’s impact on Cheryl’s role at Gensler, the growth of the consulting practice
“As designers, we influence and build culture. Culture and innovation strategy services are really what’s next. The focus on organizational development and the softer, human-centric services is where our consulting practices are going to see growth.” – Cheryl Duvall
17:41 The innate and learned skills and behaviors Cheryl believes it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
18:30 The advice Cheryl would give her younger self.
20:05 Cheryl’s definition of success in entrepreneurship.
Tune in to hear the full conversation. As always, thanks for listening!