Meet the Pro

Jen Davidson runs a residential design firm on Chicago's North Shore with a team of four, tackling everything from major new construction to complex renovations. But Jen isn't your typical designer—she's a former Southwest Airlines flight attendant with 20 years of customer service DNA baked into her business philosophy.

"Next level. I'm always trying to go to like the next level," Jen explains. It's not just ambition—it's survival in an industry where "things happen all the time in construction and remodeling... there's just always something."

For Jen, organization isn't optional: "What I've learned during my time as being a business owner is the more process-driven we are, and the more organized we are, the more seamless our projects go."

The Problem

Despite her Southwest Airlines-level commitment to process, Jen's business was held together by digital duct tape. She was using DesignFiles as her main platform, but it fell short where she needed it most:

"I was using DesignFiles before, which I think DesignFiles is a great platform, but what it was missing is, I do a lot of construction and remodels, and it just wasn't there for me with that."

Jen was juggling DesignFiles for some tasks, Excel for others, and constantly switching between platforms while her team of four struggled to stay synchronized.

"We have 4 different girls doing 4 different things. I want one platform where we can all see and know everything's going on. We're not having to look at different places. I don't wanna ever have a dropped ball."

But the balls were dropping anyway. "For me to do an invoice before, invoices would take forever!" And the downstream effects were brutal: "My books were a complete mess."

The breaking point? Her bookkeeper was drowning:

"I've worked with other bookkeepers in my other platform, and it was a nightmare for them."

With Materio as a Partner

Then Jen saw a Materio Instagram ad. "Oh, my gosh! That's so cool," was her first reaction. But what converted her wasn't just the features—it was discovering a true partnership.

"You guys are so open to hearing, how can we make it better, you know, and really want to work with us users to make it better, and that to me that's a part of the customer service that is important to me."

When implementation challenges arose, Materio didn't just send documentation:

"You took the time and got on a zoom call with us and really just walked it through."

The Transformation

The change was immediate and total.

"I was able to do my process with one platform, and to me that was a game changer."

The selection process went from hours to minutes:

"Now it's like almost like a click of the button, you know, and then sent. It's done. They're approved. It's just faster and more efficient."

But something unexpected happened—Jen became the local Materio authority.

"I've actually brought other customers to you guys. Some local designers... one design firm, they paid my lunch for me to come over and just show them how I use it."

Success

Today, Jen operates at a completely different level—and other firms have noticed.

"New team members from other firms often say, ‘Wow, you all are super organized.’ I think that really sets us apart in how professionally we present ourselves to clients."

Her Friday client updates have become a signature move:

"Every Friday we send a Friday update, and we attach the PDF form of all of our selections... it's branded. It's pretty, and I don't have to spend hours in excel trying to create... this is literally a click of a button."

The accounting nightmare is now a dream:

"My bookkeeper... loves y'all... this just makes the whole accounting part of a very difficult business even more manageable."

When asked what would happen if Materio disappeared tomorrow, her response was immediate:

"I would be lost... I would die. I would freak out, so don't go anywhere."