Author
Symmons Industries
Toronto-based Lisa Coté-McKain has helped customers successfully navigate difficult plumbing decisions for over three years in her role as a Symmons® Design Consultant. Well-connected to the Toronto market and an NEWH member, Lisa brings a host of consultative insight from her experience collaborating with design professionals while working for a fabrics company prior to joining Symmons. Keep reading to see why you will want Lisa on your team when selecting plumbing fixtures and accessories for your next commercial project.
What does Lisa like most about her role as a Design Consultant?
Watching a client relationship evolve from “project ideation to conception” excites Lisa the most. Her sole focus is providing actionable design solutions to her customers while also meeting her customers’ needs for high quality products that will function as required for end customers.
According to Lisa, “What’s most important to me is to gain my client’s trust and to be their trusted adviser when they are selecting plumbing, which can be complicated. I make it easy and support them through the selection.”
What makes Lisa’s role challenging?
Lisa strives to stay up to date on a project’s progress—or delays—going through its development stages so that she can serve the right project stakeholders at the right time. Many individuals may touch on one development and be involved in the decision-making for plumbing fixtures. Therefore, Lisa assembles a team of hand-selected fellow Symmons representatives and experts to cater to each of her customer’s specific project needs. This ensures that every customer can get questions answered and help with specifications quickly in order to keep their projects on schedule.
What are Lisa’s recommendations for trends to look out for in 2018?
When drafting design plans for your 2018 projects, Lisa says:
- Plumbing fixtures with an industrial aesthetic are in. Lisa is finding that her customers are gravitating towards this design trend, and she anticipates customers will continue to demand this look in 2018.
- Don’t be afraid to mix metal finishes throughout a room. Lisa’s North American Hospitality clients are taking risks by specifying their bathroom plumbing fixtures in one finish (e.g. Brushed Bronze) and bathroom accessories in another finish (e.g. Matte Black).
- You can combine metal finishes within one fixture, too. With Symmons Design Studio™, Lisa offers customers the customization option to utilize multiple finishes within one fixture. For example, you can design a lavatory faucet with a Polished Chrome spout paired with Matte Black handles.
Why choose Symmons, according to Lisa?
Lisa’s personal mission is to deliver results for her clients. When selecting catalog products is not the suitable solution for a customer, Lisa leverages Design Studio to bring the customer’s unique design vision to life, which proves advantageous. Whether her customers opt for catalog or custom products—or both—Lisa comments, “It’s the quality of our products. You can trust what you’re getting in front of and behind the wall.” Lisa lives out Symmons’ “backed by a customer-first culture” commitment, where her customers can rely not only on Lisa for help, but also the entire Symmons team.
Want to know firsthand what it’s like to work with Lisa and our team of tenured Design Consultants? Start with a design consultation to get on your way to making your next project stand out.
