GB : TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU STARTED AND ABOUT THE ROOTS OF YOUR AESTHETIC . CPC : I grew up in Falls Church , Virginia . My father was an aeronautical engineer and my mother had a deep passion for fine arts and performance . Oftentimes architects are strong in just one way of thinking — either the left-brain or the right . I have some of both . From my father I have a very mathematical , logical and strategic mind ; from my mother I have an appreciation for color , texture , palette and design .
I went to college to study interior design at University of Colorado . I moved into architecture in my Junior year . Even now , I love the analytics , strategy and building process as much as I love design . Moving over was the perfect match for me . I finished at University of Maryland , College Park .
I come from a family with eight children . I have a brother with Downs Syndrome . I was raised in a home with a child with special needs and I adopted a child with multiple special needs . I am particularly driven to use much of what I learned as a sister and mother , a friend and advocate , in my work to improve the lives and opportunities available to people who live and learn and work differently .
GB : TELL US ABOUT THAT UNUSU- AL NAME AND HOW YOU CAME TO ANNAPOLIS . CPC : My maiden name is Purple . I met my husband , Michael Cherry , when I was in college . Even then I knew I would be entrepreneurial and I knew that Purple Cherry was a name people could remember and recognize .
I picked up my future husband in Ellicott City . I walked right up to him . My mother taught me how to do that stuff . She was a bold woman for her time .
Mike wanted to sell boats , so we moved to Eastport . I worked three jobs to make ends meet . I did catering at Palate Pleasers , drew illustrations for agents and builders and was an architect for a local firm making $ 8 per hour . You do what you need to do to make ends meet .
Melvin Road Sun Room
GB : HOW DID YOU WIN THE CON- TRACTS FOR SOME OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE PROJECTS IN AN- NAPOLIS ? CPC : When I decided to go out on my own in business , I was living in a 1000 square foot home in Davidsonville with 10 dogs , 3 cats , 2 children and one in my belly . I was fearless though . It doesn ’ t mean that I didn ’ t have worry or caution . But I didn ’ t let that stop me . My very first project was a porch in Severna Park . My second was a major renovation for a waterfront home . I landed my first commercial project [ Arundel Lodge ] before I had any collateral , print or even Power Point . I was a five-person firm and didn ’ t have any large-scale projects in my portfolio . I had a deep passion for the cause though . I was confident I could create an environment that would support those individuals , and it was that deep passion that helped us get that job .
I was hired to design Yellowfin in Edgewater because I was willing to share everything I knew and to be supportive before the project was even off the ground , without demanding compensation . Ultimately , designing Yellowfin led to several other projects and it all began simply because I was helpful .
It is so important to be open and responsive and supportive to others who are trying to accomplish things . It isn ’ t about good deeds . That ’ s not it . But if you take the path of doing the right thing and working hard and working diligently , in whatever form , things will come back to you , whether that is money , or people , or your spouse .
This faith in doing good and doing right was instilled by my mother , a compassionate person , a loving individual and a loving woman . I always saw in her an openness and willingness to share anything in her own environment . I carry those lessons with me and I know absolutely they have contributed to our success .
GB : DESCRIBE FOR US WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BUILD YOUR COM- PANY FROM THE GROUND UP . CPC : Keep in mind that I am fearless , and I believe in my work ethic . I have the same thing that drives the Emergency Room physician , that thing that allows you to go without stopping . I was banking on myself . I knew that to grow I had to have a level of scale . To be a com-
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