Diversifying Your Practice: How to Expand Your Services to Bolster Your Business

Lynn Coit has built her career on raising the bar for interior design in Colorado. An accomplished business leader and award-winning interior designer, Lynn brings more than 25 years of experience to her role as president and founder of Elsy Studios, a full-service commercial interior design firm based in Denver. Following the successful co-ownership of another local design studio, Lynn founded Elsy Studios in 2012 with the goal of creating memorable, people-focused experiences through design. She's since established a reputation for delivering highly customized spaces that reflect each client's business and inspire their teams. Today, the company is one of the most highly regarded design firms in the region. Her work has been featured in multiple publications, including Interior Design Magazine , Modern in Denver, 5280 Home and Colorado Homes and Lifestyles. She currently chairs the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) National Chapter Support Team and is a past president of the Colorado chapter.

Personally, Lynn's contributions to the community have been recognized with multiple honors including the 2016 Denver Business Journal's Corporate Citizen of the Year, the 2013 Outstanding Women in Business Award and the 2009 CREW Women of Influence Award. In her free time, she volunteers with organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Colorado, for which she sits on the board of directors.

Theresa Dorlini is Co-Owner, Principal Interior Designer and Creative Director of CIRCLE Design Studio, a multi-disciplinary design firm based in Roanoke, Virginia.   Founded in 2005, CIRCLE started as a private development company and today is an interior design and architecture firm licensed to practice in seven states. Theresa's "big picture" thinking and aptitude for building partnerships has shaped the company into a generalist practice covering most sectors: residential, multi-family, hospitality, healthcare, institutional, and corporate. CIRCLE also has a Class A Contracting division, CIRCLE Design Build, and real estate and lending partnership called CIRCLE Home.       

CIRCLE is winner of 37 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEAS), and four-time winner of Brightest IDEAS, for the Virginia/ West Virginia chapters of ASID and IIDA. In 2020 Theresa will be recognized as one of the Sun Devil 100, awarded to the fastest growing businesses owned by Arizona State alumni.   Theresa received her BS in Interior Design from Arizona State University and is a Certified Interior Designer in Virginia. She has held adjunct teaching appointments at the design schools of Arizona State University, James Madison University, and Virginia Tech. Her design interests include architectural acoustics, custom furniture, fabrication, and all media of fashion.  When she is not pursuing her design interests and running the business, she is busy running after her four young children. 

Tim Schelfe is Vice President and Principal at Britt Design Group (BDG) in Austin, Texas. In his role, he assists the leadership and design teams at BDG on design, business development and overall strategic operations. Prior to joining BDG, Tim was Partner, Co-Owner, and Director of Interior Design at JDavis, a multidisciplinary design firm serving the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. JDavis’ areas of expertise included multifamily housing, urban design and planning, senior living, commercial office, mixed-use, retail, clubs and resort projects.

Tim is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design. Tim has over 30 years of experience in the interior design profession and has built an impressive portfolio of design work, receiving over 30 design awards for his diverse work in residential, multifamily, commercial, hospitality and senior living interior design. Tim is a Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers and Past-Chair of the ASID National Board of Directors. Previously, Tim served as president of the ASID Carolinas Chapter, was a board member of the High Point Market Authority (HPMA) and a member of the Best Practices Network (BPN).

Jennifer has spent 20 years covering interior design, furnishings, and more for magazines in New York, Los Angeles, and now Washington, D.C., where she serves as Editor-in-Chief of i+D, the magazine for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Interior Designers of Canada (IDC). i+D was named an Honorable Mention for Overall Editorial Excellence in the 2019 Folio magazine awards.

Her work has appeared in various publications, including Luxe Interiors + Design, Western Interiors + Design, FORM, and ASPIRE Design & Home, as well as on Houzz.com and About.com, where she served as Home Furnishings Expert. Prior to working at ASID National headquarters, she served on the Board of Directors for the ASID New York Metro chapter and also as editor of both the New York Metro and New Jersey chapter magazines.

Jennifer earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications from Drexel University and has taken assorted design classes covering theory, practice, and history, at Parsons School of Design, New York University, and Sotheby's Institute of Art.