.efficiently
Seattle, WA

What exactly are a Senior Catalog Manager’s responsibilities? When the job is at .efficiently—an online productivity partner that provides unique software and staffing solutions to the Architecture, Design and Construction industries—they include auditing databases, overseeing staffing and work flow, analyzing ways to improve project and database management software, and researching home-improvement stores and the needs of designers and showrooms. It’s no wonder that the person who holds that job, Grace Juhala, starts her workday at 7:00 a.m. 

In a short time, Grace has achieved significant results and has done so quite efficiently. Starting with just 15 employees, she has grown the team to 100 virtual employees, increased the database of home finish manufacturers from 1,000 to 1,500 and increased products available across seven divisions of home finishes by 500 percent, creating a database of over five million items. She has also built and implemented all product information in the platform, capturing exhausting lists of item attributes and ensuring they are accounted for in the catalog.

“I strive to help build a product that can make everyone’s life easier. Why work harder when you can work smarter?”

Grace’s career path was a bit of a backroad journey. After majoring in Latin American Studies, she was working in a kitchen (aimlessly, she says) when she sought more stability by taking a “foot-in-the-door” receptionist job at Earth Elements Design Center in Bozeman, MT. A promotion three months later to Samples Coordinator and Assistant Project Manager piqued her interest in the design industry. Soon thereafter came a chance to work remotely as Catalog Manager at .efficiently. “I quickly realized that .efficiently had a place in the industry and so did I,” she says. “Why does the home building/home renovation industry have to be so convoluted and unscheduled? Why can’t we have a database that is straight-forward with a project management aspect that streamlines the process for industry professionals and the homeowner? I strive to help build a product that can make everyone’s life easier. Why work harder when you can work smarter?”

Of all her accomplishments—among them being promoted to Senior Catalog Manager within a year and being part of NKBA’s Thirty Under 30 program—she claims deadlifting 275 pounds as her proudest moment (she’s in the gym daily at 5:00 a.m.). “Also, if I bake a perfect apple pie by the end of this winter, that will make my top-five greatest accomplishments,” says Grace, who also enjoys painting, jewelry metalsmithing and hunting.