Ashley Newton, Lead Design Consultant

My passion for space, design and problem solving led me to a career as an interior designer. I earned my B.F.A. in Interior Design from Kendall College of Art + Design, and have a degree in American Culture & Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan. I love connecting with people one-on-one to learn about their projects and be their “personal shopper.” At ShadeScapes we are a small, but mighty team and every step in the process is managed by an individual.

I love when my account management style wins over clients and I hear that the experience exceeded their expectations for a luxury purchase from our shade and furniture portfolio.

Home Base: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Personal style -Classic, yet eclectic. Rather than achieving a particular style I focus more on making things that speak to me work together.

Lynn Gleason, Project Coordinator

After earning my Interior Design degree from Michigan State University, I’ve always worked in some element of design –from kitchens, window treatments, and flooring to high-end systems and commercial furniture. Being able to bring my love of design to the day-to-day details of projects is what makes my position serving customers so enjoyable. It’s always such a feeling of accomplishment for the whole team when the vision for a project comes to fruition.

Hearing a client say, “These umbrellas added just the right touch to our outdoor space.” is what motivates me to bring personal touches to every project.

Home Base: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Personal style –Traditional and classic with a touch of preppy. I’ll never turn down anopportunity to wear pink and green together!

Rick Bailey, Design Consultant

I began my career in textiles and fabric structure in high school when I started a job at Owen Corning Fiberglass where we made Teflon fiberglass fabric that was used in such iconic structures as the Denver International Airport roof and numerous stadium roofs. This led to a project in Saudi Arabia where I worked on the world’s largest fabric roof structure at the Jeddah International Airport. My experience in fabric structure allowed me to move on to a 15-year career at BirdAir, a company in Buffalo, New York that is known as the pioneer in fabric roof structures. I learned a lot about shade design in those years and eventually started my own company called Think Shade LLC. It was then that I met the owner of ShadeScapes and fell in love with the products they offered. I joined the ShadeScapes team not only because of the quality of products, but because I enjoy being a part of small team that works together to accomplish big things for our customers.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family -we have two kids and two grandchildren -and my favorite hobby is flying radio-controlled airplanes.

Rick’s personal style –I geek out on the technical details of our products and the spaces we help design. After 40 years in the business, I’m still impressed by what is possible with ever-improving technology.

Deirdre Austin, Chief Operations Officer

I knew early on that I wanted to study Communications, Advertising and Business. The psychology of human communication and buying behaviors always fascinated me and I’m one of the few people I know who stayed true to following a career path that aligned with their initial degree choice. I started out working with advertising agencies and catalog companies and also ran several of my own small businesses through the years.

At ShadeScapes, my title is COO and that means I wear many hats. If I had to describe my role, I’d say that my days are spent supporting the people and processes that need to consistently function at a high level. I’m detail and task oriented, so I can quickly get to the root of a problem to move us forward. I manage operations, HR functions, legal, and financial oversight, so there are plenty of opportunities to impact how we do business.

Creating a win-win with our customers in every situation is something I strive to accomplish. I think there is always a way to deliver at a high level by staying focused on what our customers’ needs and expectations are.

Home base: Grove, Oklahoma

Dierdre’s personal style: Being a good listener is my super power.

Ward Deruyter, Chief Marketing and Technology Officer

I grew up in Europe surrounded by modern and contemporary design and it sparked my interest in well thought out living spaces. Just before graduating with a degree in International Business Management from The University College Ghentin Belgium in 2011, I moved to Colorado for a summer to intern at ShadeScapes and we kept in touch. When I had a chance to move to America in 2020, I was given the wonderful opportunity to become a permanent part of the ShadeScapes team. My marketing and technology solutions work has always been with design-focused companies.

I love finding efficiencies in the way we work and how our business operates.

If I can optimize a process for our internal or external shareholders, it’s been a successful day!

Home Base: Downtown Los Angeles, California

Personal Style – Casual. I enjoy many types of conversation, frequent museums and unique attractions of all kinds and love traveling throughout Southern California using public transportation!

Gary C. Garrison, Procurement and Shipping Manager

My career began in the mid 80s when I was working at an auto manufacturing plant. A friend asked me if I wanted to run lights for a local band in a bar and it paid “free beer”. Who turns down free beer? That experience taught me a lot about attention to detail and being able to predict potential challenges before they become problems.

From there, I moved on to a position in purchasing and logistics for a lighting company where I managed 12 locations around North America. This is where I expanded my skills in procurement and shipping that I use to serve our customers at ShadeScapes. My path led me to a 10 million dollar furniture seller where I managed large volumes of orders and built relationships with manufacturers while supporting all aspects of operations.

I love learning new things. Since coming to ShadeScapes I see outdoor spaces differently. I’ll be at a restaurant and think, “I wonder how these shades are made?”

Gary’s personal style –casual and laid back(think classic concert t-shirts!).

Tama Capellini, Event Center Manager

I love my role at ShadeScapes because it’s versatile and keeps me moving! Bringing ideas to life in the spirit of collaboration is energizing and it’s great to work with different people to transform the ShadeScapes Event Center for a unique experience with individual touches.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science and am also a trained Nia dance instructor and certified yoga instructor. Facilitating my own dance and yoga classes taught me how important it is to listen and honed my event organization skills.

Home Base: Paonia, Colorado & Silver City, New Mexico

Personal style – When I’m not working at ShadeScapes, I am a textile artist working in the medium of handmade felt, spinning art yarn and using recycled textile remnants to create whimsical wearable art. I love to dress festively by mixing patterns and colors. I try to cultivate an attitude of exuberance and alacrity every day!