Oct. 21, 2004 – It's not like Stacy Bourne to settle for doing just one thing well. Ten years ago she started her own architectural firm, Innovative Island Designs. But the name sounded too limiting to the woman who sees opportunity around every corner. She changed it to Innovations by Design, moved the firm to Havensight Mall in 1998, and decided it made good business sense to add a copy and resource center.
"We would render the same thing over and over and over," Bourne says. "Then we started color copying, and people started asking us to do things for them."
She's added graphic design, oversized copying and printing, specialty paper and finishing services. "As the needs arose, we kept adding," Bourne said. Innovations by Design can take your concept and come up with ideas on how to make it more professional.
"We do fliers, posters and business cards. We do graphic design, logos, stationary and Web pages. We do everything," Bourne said. "People e-mail orders; we print them, and then deliver them. There's no order too small. You can order a thousand, a dozen or one. It depends on what your needs are."
Innovations by Design also does wedding invitations, brochures, parking sticker tags, labels, banners, event signs, posters, menus for restaurants, T-shirt transfers and bumper stickers. Anything else?
"We do CD covers, and copies of artwork for some of the galleries. Artists come in when they want work to be reproduced for matting and framing," she said.
A few years ago, Bourne split the architecture and copy businesses, respectively calling them the Bourne Group and Innovations by Design. The Bourne Group is on one side of the office; Innovations by Design is on the other. Bourne oversees the entire operation, keeping track of projects on four different to-do lists. And to keep her sanity she's learned to delegate so she can remain true to her first love.
"Architecture is my real job," Bourne, president of the Virgin Islands Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, said. Her firm designs everything, but tends to focus on renovations and new construction in retail areas.
When you ask Bourne if she'll ever stop, take it easy or rest on her laurels, her answer is a rhetorical, "Why?"
Not only does she hold architecture licenses on St. Thomas and Georgia, but she just started the process to be licensed in Missouri. "We have a satellite office in Atlanta. I’m there as often as need be. I also want to get involved in projects in St. Louis," Bourne said. "You've got to enjoy what you do; otherwise it's just a job. It’s all about finding a balance, exploring and seeing new things."
Visit Stacy Bourne and her staff by logging onto www.innovationsbydesign.com or www.thebournegroup.com.
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