Podcast Content


Candelaria Design's 2021 MVPs - Janice Rantanen

Every year our company takes the time to nominate individuals our team for MVP of the year and then we each cast our vote for MVP and they receive a weekend staycation package at the resort of their choosing. It’s a great way, in addition to quarterly bonuses and our other incentives, to reward our staff for work well done. Well this year there was a tie, we had both Team Director and Project Architect Rebecca Roe and our Director of Lasting Impressions, Janice Rantanen take the top votes for 2021’s MVP, so they are each featured in their own podcast episode which you can listen to below!

Janice has lived in the Valley since 1982 and joined Candelaria Design as Director of Lasting Impressions early 2019. She does an amazing job of catering to our valued clients and design team members, as well as upholding the Candelaria Design Lifestyle brand throughout the office, client dinners, meetings, site visits, events and is currently crafting our newest Candelaria Tour France! 

Prior to joining Candelaria Design she represented a semi-custom home builder in selling many of Scottsdale’s finest communities. In addition to her real estate background she also owned one of Scottsdale’s most beloved home and garden stores specializing in farm antiques and accoutrements sourced from Europe. Janice has always had an interest in architecture and interior design; she enjoys antiquing, cooking, gardening and traveling the US as well as abroad.

And check out this past podcast from Iconic Hour where magazine Editor Renee Dee, Jamilyn Fournier founder of The Collector’s House, Architect Mark Candelaria  and Janice Rantanen discuss "living beautifully". https://iconichour.libsyn.com/living-beautifully

Page Knudsen Walks Us Through Willamette Valley

Our guest today is Page Knudsen and her and her brothers are second-generation owners and operators of Knudsen Vineyards, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. In this episode she shares the rich history of their vineyard and the region that has grown to receive worldwide recognition for outstanding Pinot Noir grapes. We were fortunate enough to meet Page last summer on a guided Pinot Wine Walking tour that Page herself led that day. She told us all about the vineyards and the area’s history while walking us through the vineyards and sampling the wines along the way. We are so excited to include this wine walk on our first ever Willamette Valley Wine Tour this month with 16 of our friends and to have Page on our podcast today!

Jeff Kramer presents our 2020 "Jeff Kramer MVP Award" to Winner Mathew Grove

Mark recording with Mat Grove & Jeff Kramer

Mark recording with Mat Grove & Jeff Kramer

This episode of Inspiring Living features two amazing individuals and members of our Candelaria Design Team. First, we welcome Architect, Jeffrey Kramer, AIA, who has been a member of our team for nearly 20 years. Over the course of that time Jeff and i have collaborated on a number of amazing projects including a true legacy project, El Chorro in Paradise Valley, AZ.

In this podcast we will delve into Jeff Kramer's beginnings as a youth in New Jersey to his college days at Tulane University in Louisiana, to eventually ending up here in Arizona. Along the way, without even looking at Jeff's work, you will come to understand why Jeff established the MVP standard in our company and culture. 

Then, we actually present the Jeff Kramer 2020 MVP award to this year's recipient, Mathew Grove! Mat has been with the firm approximately 5 years and from his time just starting as an intern while completing his studies at the University of Arizona he has become a force and highly respected member of our Candelaria Design Team working on a number of marquis residences. 

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Jeff with his wife and two kids.

Jeff with his wife and two kids.

Jeff joined Candelaria Design as a Project Director in September 2000. After graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture from Tulane University, he spent the next 15 years with a local Phoenix firm as a Project Architect where he developed his skills on a wide variety of commercial and residential projects. Jeff joined CDA because of his enjoyment of working on quality residential architecture exclusively. He states, "Residential architecture provides an unmatched opportunity for personalized service and collaboration with clients in the creation of an inspiring and uniquely customized home. Jeff has retired from Candelaria Design to spend more time with his family and pursuing personal interests. He does however, continue to consult with Candelaria Design on several projects and provides quality control and back-checking of our projects.

Mathew joined Candelaria Design in February of 2014 as an intern and joined the firm full-time as Job Captain following his graduation from University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. Mathew’s passion for architecture was evident at an early age and led him to intern in high school with the San Diego firm of Carrier Johnson Architects for two consecutive summers. His travels through Europe have influenced and inspired his architecture perspective. Mathew is committed to a high level of client service and looks forward to opportunities to contribute his creativity and attention to detail as a Candelaria design team member. In his spare time, Mathew enjoys biking, traveling, sports and spending time with family and friends.

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You can follow Mat here:
https://instagram.com/mgr760

Meet The Principals: Evelyn Jung

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Our second featured partner and principal of Candelaria Design is Evelyn Jung. Evelyn has been with our firm for 15 years and became a partner because of her unique role with our company - Evelyn is basically our Chief Executive Officer and is the person who runs the business. 

Evelyn was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, but lived and traveled all over the world as her parents served in the Air Force for over 20 years. Traveling at a very young age gave Evelyn a great appreciation of different cultures, religions and styles. 

She started off working in management pretty early in life and then decided to join a Temp Agency to focus on school full time. From there, Evelyn got a temp job at Candelaria Design as a receptionist but soon became a a full-time employee in 2005 and became Mark’s Executive Assistant. Three years later, as we all endured the great recession, she became the Director of Finance and HR and in 2018, we were proud to make Evelyn a partner.

When Evelyn is not managing the business aspect of the firm, she loves to spend time with her family and stay active. She and husband Scott Jung celebrated their 10th Wedding Anniversary in June (2020) and have two wonderful boys, Nathan and Evan. Her pursuit for a degree at ASU was sidelined during this time, but slowly and surely she plans to graduate with a Bachelors Degree of Science in Economics in 2021 – for her kids at the very least!

Follow Evelyn:

instagram.com/ebhattan/

facebook.com/evelyn.bhattanjung

linkedin.com/in/evelyn-jung-27788113

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Meet the Principals: Meredith Thomson, AIA

Meredith Thomson, AIA, joined Candelaria Design in 2013 and officially became a partner and principal of the firm in December of 2018.

Meredith grew up in Phoenix, then attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor Degree in Architecture. Her Senior year she traveled throughout Italy and Europe, fueling her passion for traditional design. She was also fortunate to spend a summer in Chicago interning with Liederbach and Graham Architects, where she discovered her calling to be a residential architect.

After graduation, she went to work with Fairfax and Sammons Architects in New York City, where she spent three years working on projects in and outside of the city; including a townhouse in the West Village and a summer home in Long Island. Missing family on the West Coast, Meredith decided to make her way back and landed a position at Peter Pennoyer Architects; a New York based firm that has a sister office in San Francisco. From there she transitioned into the interior design world, working for Tucker and Marks Interior Design as an interior architect.

She made the final jump back to Phoenix in Spring of 2013 and joined the Candelaria Design team! Meredith oversees the design and production of Candelaria Design and has leant a tremendous amount of talent to this firm! She truly embodies the Inspiring Living spirit with her designs, cooking and lifestyle!

Follow Meredith on Instagram: instagram.com/mmt_architect/

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Actress, Fashion Model & Entrepreneur - Clarissa Burt

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Clarissa Burt’s journey to entrepreneur, TV/Video producer, public speaker, author, writer, inventor, award-winning actress, and entertainer has all the makings of a best selling novel. At 18, Clarissa was a top model with the Wilhelmina modeling agency in Manhattan. Soon after she moved to Milan and quickly began appearing on hundreds of magazine covers such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan as well as on most of the major runway shows in Milan, Paris, New York, and Japan. This led to work for cosmetic houses Revlon, Dior, and Clarita, Helena Rubenstein and her selection as the worldwide “Face” for Orlane Cosmetics.

Clarissa has performed in numerous movies and can be remembered as the evil queen in “The Never Ending Story, part II,” and as Giulia in the award-winning “Caruso Pascosky”. Clarissa has also appeared on hundreds of television shows, and in 1999, founded her television production company, Numen International in Rome. Her productions have included The Miss Universe Pageant and World Sports Awards. In 2001, the Clarissa Burt Hair Product and Facial Cream Lines were successfully launched on Home Shopping Network Italy. A leading authority on beauty, image, and self-esteem, “Good Morning, Italy” called upon Clarissa to host the popular beauty segment, “Clarissa Suggests”.


After 25 years in Europe, this who’s who of American and International women returned to the United States where she hosted her own radio show titled “Clarissa Burt Talks” on Voice America and world talk radio interviewing renown entrepreneurs and thought leaders. Runway Beauty magazine brought Clarissa on board as Health and Beauty Editor for their 2008 launch. She has since launched ClarissaBurt.TV, The Look Good, Feel Good, Be Good Television for women and is the author and co-author of a number of amazing books.

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