Inside Business 2022 Women in Business: Stephanie Kalantarians, GuernseyTingle

Job title: Vice president and architect, GuernseyTingle.

At work: I spend most days managing multiple projects that are in various phases of the design and/or construction process. This could consist of facilitating a programming meeting with the client, coordinating the design team through a building solution or responding to a contractor’s issue in the field. I always say that architects are problem solvers. Give us a challenge, and we’ll tackle it head on. As a vice president at our firm, I love the challenge of working with other partners to address our growth and work to continually improve our processes and firm culture.

Volunteer activities: I enjoy serving as executive partner at the William & Mary Raymond A. Mason School of Business, on the Virginia Peninsula Chamber’s board of directors and as president of the board of directors at Grove Christian Outreach Center. My commitment in service to the community started at a young age and has been amplified by having personal experience with those struggling to meet life’s basic necessities.

Home and family: I currently live in Williamsburg with my husband, Narbe, and son, Emmit. I grew up in Gloucester.

Motivating factor: I absolutely love meeting and serving people, whether it’s in my role as an architect or in community service. I have had the pleasure of working with company CEOs, tradespeople on construction sites, engineers, high schoolers and college students. I have had the pleasure of serving homeless people and those with mental illness or physical disabilities. My view is that all people are created equal, and I seek to treat everyone this way in my daily interactions.

Advice for women in business: Don’t be afraid to go after what you want. I have wanted to be an architect since I was 12 years old. I have had periods in my life where I doubted myself, but I always had a champion to cheer me on. For me, it’s been my parents, a high school professor, my friends and my husband. Listen to your champions when you may not always believe in yourself. If you have a vision for a goal you want to achieve, keep persevering, and don’t let self-doubt or life’s obstacles get in the way. They may slow you down, but they will not define you.

The one thing I would change about Hampton Roads: I truly wish that the region was more connected. There is still such a separation between the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads. Our region, if unified, would be a force for growth in the commonwealth of Virginia, similar to what we see in Northern Virginia and some other states. I am hoping that the current and planned transportation improvements and groups working toward a more holistic 757 Region will see growth in this area.

Professional goal in five years: My goal is to keep growing our firm as the largest architectural firm on the Peninsula and to expand our growth in other regions while still maintaining our small-firm culture and client service model. I also look to build on my current community work to serve on specific committees to better facilitate my engagement and impact.

Downtime: I love to be outside and active as much as possible! I’ve been stand-up paddleboarding for a few years, have been doing Pilates and barre for about 15 years and have just started getting into strength training this year. My goal for next year is to golf more and participate in more charity walking events. I also love attending my son’s sports activities, which have included baseball over the past five years. My husband is a pitmaster when not at his day job as an assistant professor of physics at Virginia Union University, so we spend a lot of time in our backyard relaxing with friends and grilling. We also love to travel as a family. Iceland and Japan are some of our favorite places, besides all of the wonderful places right in our backyard in Virginia — the beach is our favorite!

What really gets under my skin: When someone doesn’t take their role and responsibility seriously enough to follow through on given assignments and double check their work. Be conscientious and thorough.