Terri Eitzen - Graniterock "Design Therapist"

Five years ago, Terri Eitzen walked into Graniterock’s Cupertino Design Center and fell in love with rock. Since then, her “dream job” as a member of the Design Center’s Inside Sales Team has allowed her to use her creative talents, meet new people every day, and help customers through the sometimes long and difficult process of choosing just the right materials for their home design projects.

“I call myself a Design Therapist,” Terri says with a laugh. “Clients who are trying to find stone for their houses may be only at the planning stage, and the decisions might take years, so I develop some long-term relationships with them.  I’m kind of a counselor. People come in with ideas and I don’t want to squish them.”  Sometimes a couple may disagree, and “I try to help them find common ground, so they both get to win.” She advises clients to “check out online sites such as Pinterest or Houzz to see what your likes and dislikes are. People love the feel of rock and stone and how it makes their homes cozy and welcoming, but it takes a long time to make their minds up.”

In 2008, Terri was looking to make a change from her long-time career as a portrait photographer.  She recalls coming into the Design Center and looking down at a floor display of teakwood marble with its lovely, sharp veining. “This is so beautiful here, and everything was just wonderful all around me. It was fantastic.” Although this is her first job in the construction business, Terri already knew quite a lot from redecorating her own home, and from listening to relatives and friends in the industry. Now Terri works to stay on top of design trends, and help customers get the natural stone products that meet their specific job requirements. “I don’t want customers to leave frustrated, and the number of choices can be overwhelming, so I try to listen and ask questions to help them eliminate what they don’t want. “

Terri credits Sales Account Manager Steve Bosco with helping her to learn and grow on the job. “He has thrown in different challenges for me and wants me to be the best, and I value that.” Like other Graniterock Team Members, Terri sets goals with an Individual Professional Development Plan and is always on the lookout for learning opportunities.  She plans to learn more about concrete sales, and attends monthly meetings of the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects to broaden her portfolio and keep looking forward – “talking with architects, checking websites, keeping the knowledge flow going. Stone is a natural product that comes out of the earth and color tones are always changing,” says Terri. “There are so many products – we need to know what is going to be the next important trend.”

Terri grew up in Cupertino, went to Cupertino High School and still gets together with friends from her old neighborhood. She now lives in Santa Cruz, where you may see her on her bike with Ginger, a little Dachshund/ Papillion mix, riding along in a basket.  She loves life at the beach, Wednesday concerts in Capitola, having friends over to visit, and enjoying the outdoors. “I have a pretty busy life,” says Terri. “I absolutely love that I’m not sitting at a desk all day. I’m up and down and out in the yard, constantly meeting new people and learning new things – this is my dream job at Graniterock.”