Homes Of The Future, With Tracy Christman of Budget Blinds
An Interview With Jason Hartman
Energy efficiency — Among all the factors, energy efficiency is the main thing that makes window coverings eco-friendly. Without this key factor, a home’s heating and cooling energy can be dissipated through the windows. These energy-efficient eco-friendly window treatments offer window insulation, which shields your home against heat loss during winter and reduces excessive solar heat during the month of summer.
As a part of our series about “Homes Of The Future”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tracy Christman.
A 28-year veteran of the window covering industry, Tracy Christman is the Executive Vice President of Product Strategy and Management at Budget Blinds. Along with traveling the globe to search for the latest product and innovations. Tracy also serves as the company spokeswoman, speaking on window covering trends and the industry.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I began my career in the window covering industry as a Territory Manager for M&B Window Fashions, a Division of Hunter Douglas, Inc. After quickly proving myself in the field, I was promoted to the National Account Manager for the division. I really loved working on the manufacturing side creating new customers and growing the business. In 2002, I was approached by the five founders of Budget Blinds to join their team to develop the Budget Blinds Vendor Alliance.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I think a pinnacle turning point for me was in 2019 when I stood on stage to do my keynote. The WOW hit me and truly overwhelmed me looking out at all our franchisees — From the first time I spoke on stage in 2002 when we had just over 100 attendees at our convention to just shy of 1700 people in 2019. To look at our evolution and growth as a brand and being part of something so special and so big was such an amazing feeling, but to also know where we are going is such a sense of joy and excitement for the years to come!
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
While at Hunter Douglas, I grew quite rapidly through the ranks and my talents were widely acknowledged within the industry. I was a commission-based employee and quickly blew the sales through the roof. One of my customers was Budget Blinds and one night the five founders called me and asked me to come to dinner. I’ve been with Budget Blinds ever since and have been fortunate to flourish within the organization during my time here. My first role as Vendor Alliance Manager allowed me to develop a Vendor Alliance Program with a network of industry-leading suppliers. In 2011, I first joined the Executive Team as Vice President of Vendor Alliance, and since 2017, I have acted in my current role as Executive Vice President of Product Strategy and Management.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My parents have been strong role models for me and always instilled in me that passion, hard work, and leadership will get you to where you want to be.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
One of my favorite books is “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg. This book really resonated with me on leadership, mentorship, and work-life-balance. It encourages women to “lean in” and take equity in the workplace. The book empowers woman leaders!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little “extra.” This has been a huge mantra of mine and one I have passed on to my children. Giving that “extra” above and beyond what everyone else is willing to give can set you apart to be extraordinary!
Can you share with us a few of the methods that are being used to make homes more sustainable and more water and energy efficient?
Sustainability efforts are very important to us at Budget Blinds. We offer a wide variety of eco-friendly and sustainable window treatment options to fit your design style. There are many factors that make a window treatment eco-friendly. If you are looking forward to installing these sustainable window treatments, then you should keep these tips in mind.
- Sustainable materials — Choose materials that are eco-friendly and durable as well.
- Go for insulated window coverings that can help keep your home warmer during the winter and cooler during the summer.
- Use recycled and non-toxic materials for eco-friendly window treatments.
- Choose the best quality eco-friendly sustainable window coverings so they will last longer.
- Energy efficiency — Among all the factors, energy efficiency is the main thing that makes window coverings eco-friendly. Without this key factor, a home’s heating and cooling energy can be dissipated through the windows. These energy-efficient eco-friendly window treatments offer window insulation, which shields your home against heat loss during winter and reduces excessive solar heat during the month of summer.
There is a lot of talk about Smart Homes. Can you tell our readers a bit about what that is, what that looks like, and how that might help people?
Simply put, a smart home is a home equipped with various devices, such as lighting, heating, and more that are all electronic and can be controlled remotely. Today, everything is smart — and that includes your window treatments. Budget Blinds is one of the most established names in smart home technology. With Budget Blinds Smart Home Technology, you can:
- Set to a timer, so you can open and close at the same time each day
- Control with a remote, giving you complete control at the touch of a button
- Hook up to your phone or tablet, giving you access to them even when you’re not home
- Synchronize to electronic assistants such as Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant, so you can control them via voice commands
What’s more, motorized window treatments are child and pet safe as they don’t contain any cords that could be potential choking hazards.
Aside from Smart Homes, can you talk about other interesting tech innovations that are being incorporated into homes today?
Customization — The customer does not want to be a me-tooer. They want their own look and feel. If you can’t find that perfect color you’re looking for, we can custom color our wood blinds and shutters. We also offer a gorgeous collection of draperies fabrics that you can customize with beautiful trims, gimps, and embellishments, and if you can’t find that perfect fabric, we can design with Budget Blinds exclusive print on-demand program with Design Ink.
How about actual construction materials? Are there new trends in certain materials to address changes in the climate, fires, floods, and hurricanes?
Wood blinds are a great option that utilizes natural, renewable resources and environmentally friendly forestry techniques. Renewable resources are recyclable, and the wood gets recycled more than other materials, like fossil-based plastic, for example. Plus, wood helps us move from carbon emissions to carbon storage. Budget Blinds also uses 100% recyclable packaging when shipping our products, and most of our non-wood product components can be recycled as well.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Giving back to your community. Volunteering time or money to organizations that need your assistance is a great way to give back to your community and feel a sense of pride.
How can our readers follow you online?
- Tracy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-christman-8437559/
- Budget Blinds Twitter: @BudgetBlinds
- Budget Blinds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/budgetblinds/
- Budget Blinds LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/budget-blinds/
- Budget Blinds Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/budget_blinds_official/?hl=en
- Budget Blinds TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@budgetblinds_official
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
