Hailing from Sacramento, California, Beth Peters is a new arrival to the Page Design team — and our first-ever Project Manager! It only seemed fitting that we give her a true Page-style welcome by inviting her to be the next feature in our employee spotlight series, giving us the perfect opportunity to get to know Beth a little better.
Discovering a Job that Doesn’t Feel Like “Work”
As a child, Beth could never quite settle on just one dream job. If you asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she admits, “It changed all the time!” Over the years, she envisioned herself as an astronaut, an artist, and even a chef, but it was becoming a teacher that ended up being the dream with the most staying power.
And as it turned out, Beth eventually did find herself working in the classroom, having achieved her childhood goal of being a teacher. But as much as she cared for her students, something didn’t feel quite right. So, Beth changed career tracks and began working for the Girl Scouts, which she describes as the job that truly changed it all. Not only was she lucky enough to work under an incredible supervisor, but she enjoyed facing a diverse set of challenges in her very first project manager role. It was during those four years that Beth not only learned how much she loved being a project manager, but also that she had a true talent for it.
Another milestone in Beth’s learning journey came about in 2012, when she and her husband founded their own nonprofit. That experience, combined with her work at the Girl Scouts, culminated into a professional epiphany of sorts — one that we’re very happy to say, led her to Page Design.
Setting the Stage for Creativity to Shine
One of the aspects of project management that attracted Beth was the everyday opportunity to help other team members do exactly whatever it is they do best. In her eyes, a project manager is the one who “cleans up messes” and kicks down barriers to make sure everyone can truly shine. When it comes to the tasks that everyone in the office seems to dread doing, Beth is more than happy to take those on — in fact, she revels in the feeling of accomplishing a task and being useful.
We asked Beth what she had looked forward to most when she learned she would be joining the Page team, and we have to say, we were pretty flattered to hear her answer. She was really excited to start working with “creative people,” a compliment that we’ll certainly work hard to live up to.
A Project Manager with Plenty of Out-of-the-Office Projects
With all of the work involved in being a project manager, you might imagine that Beth takes it easy once she leaves the office for the day. But actually, she loves being just as busy in her off time as she is on the job, something that doesn’t surprise us as we’ve gotten to know her. Spending time with family, getting outdoors, and being creative are some of her go-to hobbies, in addition to hiking, working out, and trail running. Beth enjoys reading and doing stuff around the house, like taking on the impressive task (*heavy sarcasm*) of building Ikea furniture from scratch. You can also often find Beth getting in touch with her inner chef, baking up a storm and preparing pasta for her Friday Spaghetti Night tradition.
If you ask her which fictional character she could imagine being, Beth doesn’t miss a beat. “Hermione Granger,” she says proudly, describing the character from the Harry Potter series as the one who was “smart, helped the guys with everything, and should have gotten more credit.” From where we’re sitting, Beth and Hermione don’t sound that different — except we’ll be making sure that Beth gets all the credit she deserves for being an invaluable part of our crew.
And it’s not just at Page Design that Beth is making a difference; she also spends her time volunteering for organizations like Creativity+ and Sierra Club. Every summer, she makes the trek to Yosemite to volunteer, where she soaks up the sense of calmness the beloved place brings her. Beth’s other travel adventures have brought her to London (which to her feels like visiting “zany” cousins), and Fort Bragg, her family’s favorite spot for camping.
Around town, don’t be surprised if you spot Beth at Revolution Wines. There, she loves nothing more than treating herself to a glass of wine and a delicious vegetarian meal, dreaming up her next big adventure. When she heads home for the night, Beth is greeted by a full house of fun-loving pups, all three of which she adopted from Oklahoma.
A Future Filled with Big Plans
So, what does the future hold for Beth? She’d like to learn more about branding and marketing, especially because she loves the process of telling a story and engaging people. But should a million-dollar lottery ticket find its way to her, Beth laughs and says that you might just see her spending her time cruising around town in a ridiculous car. After that, a brand-new backyard would be on her list — and then, we’d cross our fingers and hope that she comes back to us at Page.
As Beth explains, the key for any professional — young, old, experienced, or novice — is to “find what you’re good at and where your gaps are at, and then work on them.” Being a project manager is a tall order that takes a special person to fill, and we’re just glad that we have Beth to make it all happen here at Page Design.