CNGA LooseLeaf February March 2019

colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  February/March 2019 16 based on Creativity Landscape architecture was my destiny. As a child, I played outside whenever I could. On rainy days, I made complex block and Lego constructions, and I was always drawing. I remember the trees along my walk to school. Today I’m still drawing, coloring and playing outside… it’s my job. My Dad insisted I attend college to meet a husband, not pursue my own dreams. As the liberal arts education went nowhere, I convinced my Dad to allow me to enroll in landscape architecture school. I was an average student, but finally I cared about my education. Upon graduation I moved to Denver. I found a designer position with Woodman Brothers Nursery. I enjoyed seeing projects get built. However, landscape architects learn that design-build work is limited, so I migrated to an urban design firm. In the late 1980s, the architecture/engineering environment was rife with “Me Too” behavior. I figured that inappropriate behavior was the cost of doing business. We didn’t know better and we didn’t have support mechanisms at that time. I launched Ivy Street Design in 1992, pregnant with my second kid. My husband had a corporate career. I thought ISD would be a mommy-in-the-basement operation. Then, my husband received a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. While his health deteriorated, my company supported our family. I created a public image that hid our home-based, woman-owned character so we could compete with established design-build contractors. A commitment to quality and fostering relationships with clients and contractors brought us success during those early years. By the early 2000s, ISD was taking off. We had three employees. Both A Landscape Designer Creates Dream Job for Herself, Then Others areer & ompany Culture By Wendy Booth, Founder & President, Ivy Street Design Littleton residence, designer: Kaylin Kittle Photo by Ainslie O’Neil The Ivy Street Design staff, summer 2018: left to right, Ashley Ramos, Kaylin (and William) Kittle, Megan Hull, Wendy Booth, Edgar Suarez, Ainslie O’Neil, and Ian Ferguson (not pictured: Todd Miller)