Jean Verbridge is the founding principal of SVD (Siemasko + Verbridge Design) in Beverly and Chatham. Jean said she has been lucky to do something she has loved every day, which she said is hard for people today. She hopes that if people are not happy they will seek out other things. For Jean, she had two lightning strikes (and is waiting for the third!). In college, (lightning strike one) she walked into a greenhouse and saw the plants and knew she had to work at a plant store. That led to plant care both for people and corporations. Then the phenomenon of “open office spaces” started (lightning strike two). Jean decided she wanted to be a corporate interior designer. She went back to school. There were no jobs in architecture in the ’80s, but they were all looking for this interior design as a specialty. Jean developed this specialty, and said she feels so lucky.
LISTENING: “Rodriguez (who recently died) has been playing for the last 48 hours. He was a leader in the apartheid, a writer and musician. Also, ‘Falling Out of Time’/Osvaldo Golijov composer (deep, dark, depressing) music… a Pied Piper of grief. Also listen to anything on podcasts.”
WATCHING: “Nothing in the summer. ‘The Diplomat’ (Netflix) is next on my list, when the weather changes.”
READING: “‘Completely Mad’/James Hansen (’67) — moon-landing time period, two rowers row solo across the Atlantic, one northern route, one southern route. It’s a true adventure tale of the ocean.”
SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU OR YOUR CAREER: “So here’s something… because of reading the rowing book of the ’70s it made me think of that time and I want to march on Washington. Back then, I was thinking about how I thought we’d die, but the march did change the world! And now my passion is oceans and environment.”
WHAT YOU ENJOY ABOUT MARBLEHEAD: “Love the community. I wasn’t here day-to-day, but now I’m around town… I will always run into somebody I know. We have fascinating people here. And I love the ocean, and I love rowing!”