A K&B designer for The Home Depot parlayed her own renovation journey into a career, and is among a handful of NKBA members to earn all eight NKBA Specialty Badges.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

Megan Kyper, a kitchen and bath designer for about three years at The Home Depot in Johnstown, PA, is proof that sometimes the best education comes out of personal experience.

After starting her career path in a pre-pharmacy college program, she decided to pursue a field she was more passionate about — interior design — and switched schools. She graduated from Indiana University of

Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design in 2007. She found a job as an associate design technician at Peoples Natural Gas, handling permitting, applications, and some drafting/design work when needed — but it still wasn’t her passion. Then a friend told her about an opening at The Home Depot for a kitchen designer, so she went for it.

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After living on her own for 10 years and working for the gas company, she bought her first home in 2017, and spent the next two-and-a-half years renovating it.

“It was a foreclosure and needed a complete gut job, which I knew when I bought it,” she recalled.  New electrical, new plumbing, new roof, new heating system, insulation — new everything. It was the first time since I graduated with my interior design degree that I really put my education to full use.”

Granted, she was the go-to person for friends looking to rearrange rooms and pick out paint colors, she said, but the renovation helped her learn how to maximize space planning, figure out where light switches, outlets and plumbing would go, what flooring was best, budgeting for a budget, how to work with contractors, schedule trades, adjust the floor plan, deal with delays — everything she needed to succeed in real-life client  situations.

“You learn about different products that you maybe otherwise wouldn’t have heard of,” she added. “It’s important in the kitchen and bath industry — or any profession, really — to know that you aren’t going to have the answer to every question and every problem that arises. You need to lean on others and welcome their expertise throughout a project. And that’s OK.  And perhaps that also helped reignite that spark when I walked into The Home Depot in search of a change.”

The Pennsylvania native, who is a member of NKBA’s Pittsburgh Tri State Chapter and also coaches high school tennis, spoke with NKBA about her journey and motivation in earning all eight Specialty Badges.

What are your specific job responsibilities?

I really am involved in the entire project from start to finish — consultation, design, sales, and in some cases, the install. Some customers want stock cabinets, while others are looking more for a semi-custom to custom look. Really getting to know your customer’s needs is so important. Some already have an idea of layout and just want to replace what’s there. Others need help with making a few subtle changes and seeing the visual, while others need help with a whole makeover that involves moving appliances, plumbing, and electrical.

The follow-up to any project is equally as important. Allowing your customer to give you feedback on all aspects of the project lets them feel that they are important to you as a client, and their project is more than just a sale to meet monthly numbers.

I love that every project is different. This is my first retail job, and though some days are very taxing, seeing the finished project and hearing from your customer how much they love their new space makes it all worthwhile. With some projects, it takes a couple of revisions to really get what the customer wants. Much like a tennis match, that ball can go back and forth several times before you accomplish the task at hand. It’s important to never give up, continue listening to your customer, and make changes until you get exactly what they’re after.

What drove you to earn all eight badges?

Our industry changes constantly. Once I started at The Home Depot, the one training course I was required to take mentioned the NKBA and the badge program, so I looked into it. It seemed like a great refresher on industry topics, so I thought, ‘Why not?” I would gain better knowledge of this industry, in which I hadn’t been active in almost 15 years. I spoke to my management, told them what I wanted to do — on my own time — and they were grateful that I was taking the initiative to further my knowledge, so The Home Depot reimbursed me for the cost of the badges.

What were the easiest and toughest badges to earn?

The toughest badge for me was Sustainability. Being green wasn’t nearly as important 2007 as it is now…so there was a lot of information I never knew. The easiest was either Color or Remodeling. I have always loved color and am forever amazed at the number of shades and tones of each color. Remodeling was easy because I have always been a hands-on learner. I helped my dad remodel the bathrooms and kitchen in our family home, and of course, there’s the full remodel of my own home.

What advice do you have for anyone else thinking about earning all the badges? Absolutely do it!  You can do them on your own time (I literally did one at 1 in the morning because I couldn’t sleep!) and you get to expand your knowledge for a fraction of the cost of college courses. Why wouldn’t you do it? And if you’re looking to maybe take the CKBD exam, but have been out of studying and coursework for a while, what better way to use the badge program as a stepping stone?

What’s next for you professionally?

I am currently studying for NKBA’s Certified Kitchen & Bath Designer exam.  For right now, I am happy at The Home Depot.  Once I get through the Certification, we’ll see how life shakes out. It has a funny way of surprising us sometimes!

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Just 34 NKBA | KBIS members have earned six or more Specialty Badges, with an elite six members earning all eight. Current badges include Floor Plans & Specifications, Lighting, Cabinetry, Sales & Marketing, Sustainability, Remodeling, Universal Design, and Color. Badges cost $199 apiece for the study materials and testing, and NKBA periodically offers special promotions that give members discounts. For more information about the badges, visit NKBA.org.

On a journey that took her from apparel retail to remodeling, this sales and design pro is among a handful of NKBA members to earn all eight NKBA Specialty Badges.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

Emily Duffner always thought she would pursue a career in fashion, and she did — but now it’s fashion for kitchens and baths.

The 11-year veteran at Ceramic Tile Sales (CTS) in Bethel Park, PA, who specializes in design and sales, started out designing for an apparel retailer while in college. Ultimately, she rose to a management position. “My goal then was to remain in the fashion industry,” she related. “While I loved working in fashion, the hours were hard, and I was given the opportunity to work part-time at CTS to see if I liked creating with building material instead of clothes.”

She wasn’t totally new to the home industry, however. Her father was in the carpet business, and she worked for him growing up. So, with her familiarity in floor coverings, she got into CTS initially selling tile. The company grew and expanded from tile sales and installation to kitchen and bath design as well.

And as the tile showroom evolved, so did Duffner, who is now senior designer and general manager of operations. She’s also one of just six NKBA members to earn all eight Specialty Badges, and she chatted with NKBA about her career trajectory and professional development.

What is your area of expertise at CTS?

My specific role is design and sales, but it has evolved and changed over 10+ years at CTS. I started as a part-time sales associate, became full-time after six months, and fell in love with design and construction. Since then, I have become a designer not only for CTS but for many kitchen and bathroom operations without an in-house designer. We are unique at CTS in the sense that we deal with homeowners, designers, contractors, and customers of our own. We pride ourselves not only on design but how a product will be installed and what are the best products to use to ensure functionality and longevity. We have our own installation crews that I manage, which helps me understand design and its limitations even more from an installation standpoint. The owner of the company was very supportive and encouraging of me getting my badges. CTS pays for any continuing education in the kitchen and bath field.

What do you like most about your job, and where do you find inspiration?

I like that every day you are meeting and helping new people. You never know what you will be designing or what problems you will have to overcome. I draw most of my inspiration from the customers themselves. Listening and understanding a customer’s wants, feelings, or ideas helps me design a uniquely personalized space. I also gain inspiration from seeing the space that will be redone.  

Why did you go for all eight badges? Which were the easiest and the toughest for you to earn, and which is most useful to you?

I decided that if I was going to do one, I should do them all! The easiest badge for me to complete was Remodeling because the questions were things that I deal with on a day-to-day basis. The hardest was Cabinetry because there was a lot of terminology to learn. While it was the most challenging for me, I also learned the most when preparing for that badge.

The most useful for me is a tie between Remodeling and Sales & Marketing. Every day, we go through the processes of the Remodeling badge with the jobs for which we act as the general contractor. But even if people aren’t using CTS as their GC, we still help homeowners understand the processes involved in their projects. Sales & Marketing is what we do anytime someone walks through our front door.

What advice do you have for anyone else thinking about earning all the badges?

It’s never a bad idea to gain or refresh your knowledge. Going through all of the badges taught me some new things, but also reiterated things I already knew. Regardless, I finished the badges knowing more than when I started.

What’s next for you professionally?

I just recently took the next step professionally by accepting the general manager position, but I’m always looking for a new challenge and opportunity. While I am very happy where I currently am, you never know when an opportunity will present itself. I make sure to remind myself to not get in my own way!

Just 34 NKBA | KBIS members have earned six or more Specialty Badges, with an elite six members earning all eight. Current badges include Floor Plans & Specifications, Lighting, Cabinetry, Sales & Marketing, Sustainability, Remodeling, Universal Design, and Color. Badges cost $199 apiece for the study materials and testing, and NKBA periodically offers special promotions that give members discounts. For more information about the badges, visit NKBA.org.

The sales and design specialist at Ceramic Tile Sales in western Pennsylvania is among a handful of NKBA members to earn all eight NKBA Specialty Badges.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

Mady Condie merged her interest in health with a passion for interior design and has carved out a career as a sales and design pro at Ceramic Tile Sales in Bethel Park, PA. She’s also one of just six NKBA members to have earned all eight Specialty Badges, and she did it all within six months.

To learn more about NKBA | KBIS Specialty Badges, click here.

While she did not go to school for a career in design or sales, she said her training and certifications in nutrition and health coaching have been of great value in her current role.

“These have helped with knowing that every single person has unique tastes, wants and needs and that it is your job to execute a balance of those so that the client is satisfied with the overall outcome of the project,” she said.

Condie, a member of NKBA’s Pittsburgh Tri-State Chapter, has been with CTS for about a year-and-a-half. “I’ve always had an interest and a passion for interior design,” she noted. “I knew some people in the industry and was offered a position in sales and design, with the opportunity to learn and grow. I have immensely enjoyed working in this industry and I am excited to gain more experience in the future.

In her downtime, Condie loves reading, hiking and cooking — which no doubt helps when she’s designing kitchen spaces.

She spoke with NKBA about her career and her motivation in earning all eight badges.

What is your area of expertise and your specific role at CTS?

My area of expertise is in both sales and design, and I am one of two designers here at CTS. We deal directly with many contractors, as well as homeowners, and other designers. A lot of my past work experience has been in customer service, which still plays a large part of my day-to-day role at CTS.

What drove you to earn all eight badges, which ones were easiest and toughest to earn, and which is most useful?

I wanted my knowledge around design to be as comprehensive as possible and I felt the badges were the best way to accomplish that.

The easiest badge for me to earn was Sales & Marketing. As someone who has worked in many customer-service/front-of-house positions, I feel like much of the information — while helpful — is common sense.

The toughest one to earn was Cabinetry, because there was so much information and vocabulary. Although it was the toughest, I have implemented so much of this knowledge into my job, which has been extremely helpful.

It’s very difficult to choose which is most useful, because they are all extremely helpful, but I use the information in Floor Plans & Specifications the most.

What advice do you have for anyone else thinking about earning all the badges?

Do it! I feel like I was able to learn so much beneficial information in a straightforward and accessible way. I also highly, highly recommend taking notes. There have been multiple instances where I have gone back to reference some of the information that I’ve learned throughout the Badge program.

What do you like most about your job?

I love being able to creatively problem solve! I also enjoy making the remodeling experience as fun and as easy as possible for our clients. It can be such an overwhelming task for some people to have to make so many decisions and it feels very rewarding to be able to direct people and mitigate the stress of having so many options. I also adore the people that I am surrounded by at work, which makes any job feel less like work!

Where do you draw inspiration from regarding designing with tile?

I think one of the best elements of designing is that you can draw inspiration from anywhere or anything. I get inspiration for each project from something new every time — whether it’s a specific color or just how the client wants to feel when they walk into their space.

Just 34 NKBA | KBIS members have earned six or more Specialty Badges, with an elite six members earning all eight. Current badges include Floor Plans & Specifications, Lighting, Cabinetry, Sales & Marketing, Sustainability, Remodeling, Universal Design and Color. Badges cost $199 apiece for the study materials and testing, and NKBA periodically offers special promotions that give members discounts. For more information about the badges, visit NKBA.org.