design:retail - September 2016 - 49

049 Dedicated. Facilitator. Collaborator. OE NEVIN WAS a little shy growing up in Virginia, which may come as a surprise to those who know him now. While he liked art, he was not an artist, but his mom still encouraged him to be creative. He liked science and math, but it was when a friend convinced him to take mechanical drawing in high school that he truly excelled and discovered a passion. His educational journey included Northern Virginia Community College and Boston Architectural College, but by age 19, Nevin was already at work in an architectural firm. Working full time and going to school full time, he was immersed in the architectural world. He credits Jack French, a principal at CityDesign Collaborative Inc., for being the friend and mentor that gave him this early opportunity. "I was given great opportunities and started bringing work into the firm at the age of 22, so in turn I was given a lot of responsibility," Nevin recalls. "I could facilitate and get things done. I understood my limitations, which led me to collaborate with other team members on those parts of a project." Nevin had never really thought about the design required in retail spaces until he was presented with his first retail project opportunity with Scandinavian Design, which is when he began to understand the significant financial implications, responsibility and work available in this market. "The world opened up to me," Nevin says. "I worked really hard on the Scandinavian Design program and eventually the CEO said very nice things about me to the owner of the firm. At the age of 27, I was then given the opportunity to start up a retail group at the office. My primary motivation was to be in the top tier of retail firms and part of the retail conversation. That was my vision and mantra every day." While Nevin's career has been firmly rooted at Bergmeyer Associates Inc. since 1983, his client milestones demonstrate how he broadened the retail practice and lived this mantra. From Scandinavian Design, his retail practice grew within the firm, working with such recognizable clients as Patagonia, Jos. A. Bank, Talbots, Levi's, Dockers, GH Bass & Co. and DICK'S Sporting Goods. As a designer, Nevin always was influenced by those around him. He views himself as a facilitator just as much as a designer. "It is really about surrounding yourself with smart, talented and passionate people who give you the opportunity to do great work," Nevin says. "The dynamics of the team, both internally and externally, are always different, and that is part of what I love about it." Nevin is a natural collaborator, and it has always been important for him to know what he could do well and where he needed help. His goal is to always do what is best for the client, which means putting the strongest team together, even if that means including a competitor. Nevin loves everything about the retail world- the people, the relationships, the companies and the brands. He especially enjoys the brands with extraordinary histories and heritages. "I love creating spaces that create jobs, places that bring people joy and are successful," Nevin says. "It's not all about design. In retail, you have to consider so many things that make a store compelling, successful and facilitate sales. If we really do our job right, merchandise is the hero, a ton of product is sold and people don't even know why they bought so much." When it comes to people who have mentored and supported Nevin throughout his career, he reiterates his appreciation of French while mentioning two others. "Mori Bergmeyer, founder of Bergmeyer, like Jack, saw something in me that I didn't and gave me great opportunities to succeed, fail and learn," Nevin says. "Bergmeyer introduced the entrepreneurial world to me and showed me how creativity and commerce mix." He also credits his Levi's client Bill Ress as a huge influence on his career. "He really taught me everything about retail," Nevin remarks. "The broad aspects of product, the customer and the experience, as well as the business of retail; what a brand needs to do to be successful. He is a good friend and mentor who shared his passion for retail and helped me develop." Nevin and his teams at Bergmeyer have developed prototypes and programs for Levi's, Dockers, GH Bass & Co., Britches Great Outdoors, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Hanna Andersson, Champion, TD Bank, L.L.Bean and California Closets. His team has also been working in the museum world creating shops that extend the museum experience, including current and upcoming projects such as the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, the Museum of American Arts & Crafts Movement, the GlassMarket at the Corning Museum of Glass and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He is most proud of the special projects that he has been involved with over the years. Those projects include RH - The Gallery at the Historic Museum of Natural History in Boston, the historic restoration of the Rotunda at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and, most recently, the development of An Unlikely Story, a new building, book store, café and community space for the author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book series, Jeff Kinney. While Nevin enjoys every part of a project, he is particularly active during the early stages and loves getting immersed into the brand and the market, doing the research and working on conceptualization. He especially enjoys establishing team dynamics and relationship building. As part of that immersion process, he likes to go out and look at stores with the team, so they can form relationships, learn how people see things and start to create a common language. His favorite part of any store is when the retailer can get something in the customers' hands that they otherwise would not have seen or found and didn't necessarily know they needed. Each client brings new excitement to the process for Nevin. "You can't follow a formula," he adds. "Every path is a different path and every journey a different journey."

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