How long have you been with TSI?
1 yr 9 months

Where did you work before joining the TSI team?
Bonham Construction in Mahomet, doing project management for commercial construction projects

What do you do at TSI?
Project Management

Hometown?
Paxton, IL

What’s your favorite TSI project?
Wickiup Hill

Why?
Because the concept of basing a series of exhibits on a storybook is really exciting, and I would have loved this kind of thing as a child!  I love seeing kids get excited about learning and nature and it’s great to start encouraging that at an early age.

What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
If I hadn’t gone to school for architecture I wanted to become a professional organizer of some sort.  My closets, cabinets, and even files at home are scary organized, and I love helping others organize anything.

What’s your favorite part of the day?
Walk-through because you get to see all the progress made over the last workday, things change so quickly!

What are some of your hobbies?
Fitness & working-out

Football (go Bears!)

Remodeling house / refurbishing furniture

What do you think potential clients should know about TSI?
How talented everyone that works here is!  It blows me away every day to see what people can do.

And how much fun we have at work.  I appreciate that people can take the time to enjoy what they are doing and the people they are working with.

How long have you been with TSI?
Since February

Where did you work before joining the TSI team?
I was a freelance Set Designer/Scenic Artist living in the Chicago area

What do you do at TSI?
Exhibit Designer

Hometown?
Oakland, IL

What’s your favorite TSI project?
I’ve had a hand in a lot of different projects since I started here so it’s hard to narrow it down. But that in itself is probably my favorite part- always being involved in a variety of projects. It’s not the same thing every day.

What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
We’re a pretty close-knit group. I don’t think there’s anything about myself that I haven’t already said to my co-workers.

What’s your favorite part of the day?
‘Pete Talks.’  Every Friday at 3pm our in-house, self-appointed therapist volunteers to council the ladies in the office.  It’s really quite amusing.

What are some of your hobbies?
Painting, jewelry making, reading, hanging out on the couch watching movies with my fiancé and puppy.

What do you think potential clients should know about TSI?
We’ve got a pretty amazing group of people here all with a wide variety of skills. The client will definitely be in good hands.

How long have you been with TSI?
Approx. 7 months

Where did you work before joining the TSI team?
I graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, TN in December 2011 and worked briefly as a special projects facilitator and training assistant at Alan G. Ryle Companies in Champaign before getting hired at Taylor Studios.

What do you do at TSI?
As a graphic designer, I work with exhibit designers and interpreters to establishing a look and feel and then using that inspiration I get to create anything from murals, to wall panels, to reader rails, timelines, brochures— almost anything visual that could come up in the scope of our projects!

Hometown?
Mahomet, IL

What’s your favorite TSI project?
I have not worked on a project from design to installation yet, since design/fabrication is an extensive process, but I am looking forward to that first one!

Looking back at when I was applying at TSI, I remember Rend Lake and Killen’s Pond both catching my eye because of their graphic looks.

Why?
(Above)

What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
I have horrible rhythm, anything involving keeping a beat or carrying a tune is my downfall.

What’s your favorite part of the day?
I love designing but it is always most inspiring when I get to go over to the shop and see what they are creating. It is so exciting seeing the ideas come to life!

What are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy baking and reading. I also teach yoga part-time at various locations in the C-U area.

What do you think potential clients should know about TSI?
We thrive on relationships, the more we know about a person or site, the better we are at communicating.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Working at Taylor Studios is a dream job! With a background in education and design, I couldn’t imagine a better fit. It is inspiring to think that a successful design can encourage people to learn, engage and explore in history, nature, science or whatever the site has to offer.

How long have you been with TSI?
Since Feb 13, 2012

Where did you work before joining the TSI team?
At a Web Hosting Company running support.

What do you do at TSI?
Exhibit Artist

Hometown?
DeWitt, MI

What’s your favorite TSI project?
Modeling a Squirrel for Sinnemahoning

Why?
I’ve always loved to sculpt so it was great to actually be able sculpt something for my job.

What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
Mark Dams is my best friend

What’s your favorite part of the day?
The mornings

What are some of your hobbies?
Right now I am trying to sculpt a bust at home.   I also enjoy gaming, sword fighting, and reading.

What do you think potential clients should know about TSI?
We have smart people working here who can figure out a solution for any exhibit.

Anything else you’d like to add?
www.alexcfriend.com

How long have you been with TSI?

1 year, 7 months, 22 days

Where did you work before joining the TSI team?

I made T-Shirts and helped manage a warehouse.

What do you do at TSI?

Officially- I am an Exhibit Designer; but I have taken it upon myself to ensure that the cat doesn’t murder anyone, as well as making sure the project managers have their work cut out for them.

Hometown?

Springfield, IL

What’s your favorite TSI project?

They’re all amazing in their own way, and for very different reasons. Morton Arboretum was really enjoyable because it was whimsical, and outdoors. Sinnemahoning has been a beautifully detailed, well-designed and thought out project to get involved with… In terms of sheer creativity though, I have to say Wickiup.

Why?

Wickiup was the first project I helped design from an early phase, and have seen built. Beyond the ownership aspect, that project has a unique method of telling the story using storybooks, has beautiful dimensional and interactive elements, unique hidden elements, and we were able to utilize the space to great effect.

What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?

It would probably be something that I haven’t told them yet.

What’s your favorite part of the day?

There really isn’t one favorite part; it’s an aggregate of all the hallway conversations, marker board sessions, critique sessions, and other random productive (and some not so productive) moments that constitute a working day here at Taylor Studios.

What are some of your hobbies?

I don’t sit still very long- hobbies seem like things that you do when you sit… I like travelling, sightseeing, outdoors activities, hiking, camping, and home improvement projects.

What do you think potential clients should know about TSI?

I think if someone is thinking about using TSI for their project, they should come and visit us. Our projects look terrific in pictures, but to see them being built and look at the quality out in our shop- or to see the creative chaos in the design department… It adds a dimension you can’t get. Plus, we love to show off what we do; you can’t help but get caught up in the enthusiasm.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I try not to do math if I can help it.