NEW San Francisco - East Bay Owner

NM :: Why do you want to run NEAT in your city?

LR :: I’ve always dreamed of working for myself and owning a business. Layer on my passion for organizing and it’s the perfect match.  On top of that, the East Bay is a great place full of diverse families migrating out of San Francisco. The housing market has exploded in the past 5 years and with the current pandemic, people are investing more in their homes than ever.  Creating functional and beautiful spaces is in high demand and I look forward to delivering that to East Bay clients.

NM :: What did you do before NEAT?

LR :: I have spent the past 18 months home with my two beautiful daughters. About a year and half ago I found myself at the peak of my career, running an HR/Talent team for a prominent Tech Company in San Francisco, when my husband and I made the decision that we wanted to be more involved in our daughters lives. So I found myself walking away from a career I had dreamed up and conquered to stay home with my daughters. Since I've been home, I've focused on my family, my health & dreaming up what is next for me.

NM :: What makes your city unique?

LR :: The East Bay is booming with growing families.  We have beautiful bike trails that connect the 30 plus miles of our region. There are pockets of gorgeous old communities where houses are flipping into custom homes that are dream worthy. The restaurants and retail stores available in our small pocket of the world, make it easy to shop local.

NM :: How long have you lived in your city?

LR ::  With the exception of being born in the Bay Area, I'd consider myself a native! I moved to Pleasanton when I was 6 years old and my parents raised my brother and I there through High School. I spent my college years in San Diego but knew I would end up back in NorCal at some point. After experiencing the city life in San Francisco for 5 years, where I built my career, I moved to Pleasant Hill with my husband to start a family.  We have been in the East Bay for 7 years now and plan to stay here for awhile.

NM :: What are your favorite places to eat in your city?

LR :: With two young daughters and a lingering pandemic, date nights have been few and far between but the two places we made an effort to squeeze in are Postino in Lafayette (Italian) and Sasa in Downtown Walnut Creek (sushi). When we are with the kids we love walking to Wences for happy hour or picnicking at Sideboard Lafayette.

NM :: Show us a picture of your most organized space and tell us what it is.

LR :: Kitchen - Catch All Cabinet - This is our home base. We have everything from COVID safety, kids medicine, household tools, crafts, celebration items and they all had to fit in one cabinet. Went with clear acrylic bins and this space continues to make me happy.

NM :: What about your least organized space? What the heck happened?

LR :: My hair accessory drawer. I see it almost everyday and it makes me crazy but for some reason I have never prioritized cleaning it up. I go in there looking for a simple hair tie and usually can only find the ones I don’t like (you know ladies, when there are 800 black hair ties but some are good and some are duds!).  This would be one of the simplest drawers to organize but it has fallen to the bottom of my list for years.

NM :: What do you think is going to be your favorite part of running NEAT in your city?

LR ::  There is nothing better than the high of being in the middle of an organizing project and getting lost in the simple act of categorizing and purging. I find some of my most zen moments at home are when I’m alone in my 5 year old daughter's closet, getting her back on track with the organizing systems I put in place.  So being onsite in a clients home will definitely bring me joy! On top of that, I’m excited to use the skills I acquired in the tech industry to run a successful business and be my own boss.

NM :: What can people expect when they hire you to organize their home?

LR :: Customer service and professionalism are two values I live by.  I will only take on projects I know I can deliver on. I have always taken pride and felt ownership over any work I do and put my name on. Once I set my mind to something, it'll get done.

NM :: Do you have any hidden talents that we should know about?

LR :: My husband would say my greatest hidden talent is spending money. I on the other hand would say I have a good intuition, especially when it comes to being a consumer :)  I also started making homemade sourdough bread and it is SO GOOD!

Send some of that bread our way! Congratulations on taking over the East Bay market! We’re so excited to have you join NEAT!

xx
The NEAT Team