Although Stephanie Colbert had initially thought that after graduating college she would work for a large firm, she realized that her real passion was to be a part of a smaller local business and be involved in the local community. So, she decided to go back to her roots, Colbert Custom Framing & Art Printing, and back to Naperville, where she has lived since she was nine-years-old.
“We are a third generation family business,” said Colbert, “At a young age, I stapled courtesy picture hooks to our mailer for three cents each and kept track of how many I did.”
Colbert continued to learn the family business, working in high school, part-time, summers and school breaks. To date, she has worked in the business for 15 years, and as operations manager for the last eight. Overseeing a staff of eight employees, her current position involves in-store, in-home and in-office consultation with both residential and corporate clients for custom picture framing and custom art printing projects. Colbert takes care of everything from customer service, to design consultation, to creating matting and framing designs for everything from fine art to photography to sports memorabilia and more.
Colbert, who was on a respirator the first four months of her life, and was told she would never breathe on her own, actually thrived as a child, participating in music and athletic programs through the Naperville Park District and the Naperville school system. Her family hosted exchange students from all over the world, and traveled throughout the United States, Canada, France and Spain. She graduated high school from Colbert Academy, along with her two brothers. After graduation, she attended Purdue University where she was a member of the Purdue Student Union Board and was an English Conversation Partner with an international student. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Relations and Rhetorical Advocacy with a minor in Sociology.
In addition to her utilizing her education and years of hands on experience, in order for Colbert to be successful in her position, she has to draw on a wide range of abilities including:
When not volunteering or working, Colbert enjoys playing the violin and piano at church or with friends, including an occasional gig for a wedding or business event. She also loves reading, cooking and baking what she finds on Pinterest (and then giving most of it away), traveling to visit friends and trying a new or favorite restaurant with friends.
By: Angela Bender, Marketing and Communications Associate
Naperville CARES
Headquartered in Naperville, IL since 1999, Naperville CARES is where the community comes together to ensure all our neighbors have access to resources to meet their essential needs. The CARES Emergency Assistance Program provides emergency financial assistance to pay for basic needs like rent and utilities. The goal of the CARES Car Program is to help individuals maintain employment by providing reliable transportation by either providing a client with a donated vehicle or repairing client-owned vehicles.
www.NapervilleCARES.org
Photo by: Sabina Cavalli Photography, a boutique studio in the south of Naperville specialized in creating photographic art with you or your favorite people in it.
Sabina Cavalli is a Certified Professional Photographer who has received the accolade of Top 10 Imager of the State of Illinois by the North Central District of PPA – Professional Photographer of America, and teaches lighting and posing techniques to fellow photographers at PPA affiliates in Illinois, Michigan and Iowa.
Please visit her website at www.sabinacavalli.com or call 630-699-2072 for a visit to her studio.
“We are a third generation family business,” said Colbert, “At a young age, I stapled courtesy picture hooks to our mailer for three cents each and kept track of how many I did.”
Colbert continued to learn the family business, working in high school, part-time, summers and school breaks. To date, she has worked in the business for 15 years, and as operations manager for the last eight. Overseeing a staff of eight employees, her current position involves in-store, in-home and in-office consultation with both residential and corporate clients for custom picture framing and custom art printing projects. Colbert takes care of everything from customer service, to design consultation, to creating matting and framing designs for everything from fine art to photography to sports memorabilia and more.
Colbert, who was on a respirator the first four months of her life, and was told she would never breathe on her own, actually thrived as a child, participating in music and athletic programs through the Naperville Park District and the Naperville school system. Her family hosted exchange students from all over the world, and traveled throughout the United States, Canada, France and Spain. She graduated high school from Colbert Academy, along with her two brothers. After graduation, she attended Purdue University where she was a member of the Purdue Student Union Board and was an English Conversation Partner with an international student. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Relations and Rhetorical Advocacy with a minor in Sociology.
In addition to her utilizing her education and years of hands on experience, in order for Colbert to be successful in her position, she has to draw on a wide range of abilities including:
- Design skills: Knowledge of color and design, knowing how one design feature impacts other design features, how to draw attention to the art while having an eye for detail
- Interpersonal skills: Knowing how to listen to the client, understand their taste, discover the story behind a client’s project, help them make decisions and then recommend designs, explain her own thought processes to clients and help them place an order
- Organizational skills: Ability to go from one task to another at a moment’s notice, establish priorities and set and meet deadlines, focus on one project while keeping other projects moving forward
When not volunteering or working, Colbert enjoys playing the violin and piano at church or with friends, including an occasional gig for a wedding or business event. She also loves reading, cooking and baking what she finds on Pinterest (and then giving most of it away), traveling to visit friends and trying a new or favorite restaurant with friends.
By: Angela Bender, Marketing and Communications Associate
Naperville CARES
Headquartered in Naperville, IL since 1999, Naperville CARES is where the community comes together to ensure all our neighbors have access to resources to meet their essential needs. The CARES Emergency Assistance Program provides emergency financial assistance to pay for basic needs like rent and utilities. The goal of the CARES Car Program is to help individuals maintain employment by providing reliable transportation by either providing a client with a donated vehicle or repairing client-owned vehicles.
www.NapervilleCARES.org
Photo by: Sabina Cavalli Photography, a boutique studio in the south of Naperville specialized in creating photographic art with you or your favorite people in it.
Sabina Cavalli is a Certified Professional Photographer who has received the accolade of Top 10 Imager of the State of Illinois by the North Central District of PPA – Professional Photographer of America, and teaches lighting and posing techniques to fellow photographers at PPA affiliates in Illinois, Michigan and Iowa.
Please visit her website at www.sabinacavalli.com or call 630-699-2072 for a visit to her studio.
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