design:retail - September 2016 - 51

051 Driven. Committed. Risk Taker. TEVEN DERWOED was one of those LEGO-obsessed kids, but he didn't follow the stepby-step instructions-instead, he would create his own gigantic LEGO monstrosities. He would also build forts to create special habitats for him and his friends. From an early age, he had vision and made those visions a reality. Beyond building blocks and forts, Derwoed was interested in design-the design of everything from fashion and objects to architecture and interiors. He studied design at Michigan State University and received his Bachelor of Arts in Human Environment and Design in 1993. What he loved about the program was that its focus was deeper than design aesthetics; it challenged students to look at psychological, sociological and behavioral influences. "I have always loved stores, being in and around stores, everything about them-the fashion, the objects, the architecture," Derwoed describes. "As I was growing up in the '70s and '80s, I was hanging out at the malls and witnessing the pace and rate of change in retail. So, by the time I was graduating college, I knew two things-I wanted to design stores and I wanted to live in NYC." Four days after graduation, he packed up his clothes and drafting table to chase his dream. His persistence and determination (despite a challenging economic climate) landed him an opportunity six weeks later with one of those top firms, Fitzpatrick Design Group. "It was a spectacular opportunity," he recalls. "As big as the work was, the studio itself was small, so I was the right-hand person to the head designer. I was working with people who had 30 years of experience. I learned from people with the best experience in what was at the time still a fledgling industry. To me, it feels like I received my Ph.D. in retail design at Fitzpatrick. That first job truly set the stage for my career." After five years, he was hired by the branding agency Grid2 Intl. to help them rebuild an interior design practice. He spent eight years there before the next opportunity presented itself-opening a New York office for RYA Design Consultancy. He ran the office out of his bedroom for the first four months until they were able to secure two clients-that's when the doors opened to their office on Fifth Avenue. When RYA was sold to Callison Architecture, Derwoed continued on to run the retail operation. Advancing to full partner at Callison still didn't stop the opportunities from presenting themselves. Macy's approached him in 2011 at the time of the Herald Square renovation, the single largest retail renovation in the country. The enticing challenge was one he couldn't resist-so he sold his partnership at Callison and joined Macy's, where a team of more than 40 employees, 800-plus stores, thousands of projects a year and a massive amount of square footage presented him with another Ph.D.level retail design experience. Derwoed has had quite the career journey amassing tremendous accomplishments by what some might say is a young age. At 45, he has recently been promoted from vice president of merchandising to senior vice president store design, private brand environments, vendor shop programs and merchant initiatives. Between 2011 and 2015, he was a part of the Macy's Herald Square reinvention. He currently is leading the design effort on the gut renovation of the Brooklyn store; a new store at Century City, Calif.; a new store in Hawaii at Kapolei; and countless renovations. While he has encountered many memorable people along the way, he is especially thankful for the opportunities afforded him by Tom Herndon, head of design at Al Tayer Group. Herndon gave him the chance to run the New York office of RYA; they also worked together at Callison and Macy's. "When I opened the NYC office for RYA, Tom, the majority shareholder, really gave me great mentorship and a lot of latitude to build that office and make it my own. His willingness to allow me to have my own ideas on design, the approach to building the office and the clients that we pursued allowed me to become the 360-degree leader that I am today." He also credits Paul Proietto, former Macy's executive vice president and his most recent boss, for providing him with daily hard-hitting feedback. "It is something I appreciated and it made me a better, more well-rounded executive," Derwoed says. In addition to intriguing people in the industry, Derwoed loves the speed and pace of change in retail. He has been hands-on with implementing changes in these environments with innovative and technological advancements, such as mobile POS, shoe locator systems, register-less stores, digital mannequins, endless aisle technologies, content management systems and more. He sees the industry's current challenge as creating an experience that makes the customer want to come to the store. Derwoed continues to be a man of vision in everything that he does, a man who makes those visions a reality. This visionary thinking is his favorite part of the design process. During the conceptual phase, he is always asking the question "what if" and then working to create the "what's next?"

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of design:retail - September 2016