HELLO ALL!
At the end of the month my current employer will relocate their design department overseas. While I am very satisfied with my career so far this relocation will cause me to enter the the job market for the first time in 10 years.
I have 8 years of professional experience that began in store fixture design. There, I designed high-end retail furniture for clients such as Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, and Nautica. While the client list was impressive, I felt that my abilities could be expressed better if given the chance to work with materials other than wood. So that summer I returned to Auburn University to further my education in design for a career in consumer products.
In 2002, I graduated and received the School of Architecture’s graduate student of the year award which highlighted design skills that would later use as the basis for my teaching. For the next 3 years, I was part of Auburn’s ID program teaching various junior/senior level studios and lecture classes. This experience improved my organization and communication among designers while maintaining my design skills with freelance work.
Currently I work in Brookfield, CT for Uni-Splendor, the manufacturing division of Uni-President. This Taiwan-based corporation is an OEM supplier of kitchen and outdoor appliances for major brands such as Mr. Coffee, Kitchen-Aid, Weber, and Hamilton Beach.
As the lead designer for Uni-Splendor USA my position is defined by:
- Act as the correspondent between our design staff and Taiwan
- Gathering and documenting all the design research for each project
- Conceptualizing product solutions for our current customers
- Create innovative solutions to recruit new business opportunities
Our Connecticut office is made up of a sales team and two junior-level designers, the majority of our designers are located in Taiwan, where we have all of our engineering and research/development. So while there is growth for my career with my current company, it would require a relocation that I am not considering
If you have any advice or insight please review my resume and portfolio online at Kevin Cowart, Industrial Designer in Madison, CT
I am open to relocate anywhere in the nation and look forward to your feedback.
Thanks.
Kevin