Thirty Under 30: Megan Reed, AKBD, CLIPP
Megan Reed, AKBD, CLIPP is one of the outstanding young professionals in NKBA’s Thirty Under 30 Class of 2022, sponsored by Delta Faucet Co. and Signature Kitchen Suite.
By Donna Heiderstadt
Beyond the Box
Big Sky Chapter
Asked for the one word that best describes her, Megan Reed admits she “cheated and asked my co-workers.” They narrowed it down two: quirky and selfless. But Megan, who is an AKBD- and CLIPP-certified kitchen and bath designer at Billings, Mont.-based Beyond the Box Inc., is certain about one thing: how far she’s come in a short period of time. “When I applied for the apprenticeship at Beyond the Box in 2018, I had zero experience and I didn’t have a clue what I was truly getting myself into,” she says. “I just knew the moment that I walked into that building that that’s where I wanted to be.”
More than three years later, no day at Beyond the Box is the same. “I’m typically working with anywhere from 20 to 50 clients at once, at different stages, so no day is ever cookie-cutter,” Megan says. The best aspects of her job, she adds, are the freedom to use her creativity and the opportunity to forge relationships. “I love being able to connect with my clients and help them build a space that truly works for them and their family,” she says.
“When I applied for the apprenticeship at Beyond the Box in 2018, I had zero experience and I didn’t have a clue what I was truly getting myself into. I just knew the moment that I walked into that building that that’s where I wanted to be.”
Megan, who loves to design with a “modern farmhouse feel,” says one of her favorite projects was with a client who gave her a lot of creative control. “She would just send me photos and say, ‘I like something about this,’ but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was,” Megan recalls. “I would then track the patterns in all the photos and start her remodel design that way. It was tons of fun and she is now a lifelong friend.”
A mother to two sons, seven-year-old Everett and five-year-old Harrison, Megan also shares her home with her partner and three dogs: “two male Great Danes, Maverick and Winston, and one female Boxer named Zoey — who runs our home.” Her long-term goal for the past few years was to be able to take the boys to Disney. “I’m finally making that happen!” she says. Her next long-term goal is to tour castles and explore the stunning landscape of Scotland.
