Meet Derrick Taylor of TAYLOR&CO EVENTS

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Taylor.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My family has been in the event industry since my Grandparents got married in 1942. Times were tough living in a small town and people did whatever they could to get by and do things as nice as they could for those times. Fortunately for my Grandparents, my great aunt Margaret baked gorgeous wedding cakes. A skill she passed down to my Great Aunt Rita (who passed it down to me) and after this wedding, they became known as “The wedding people” when you needed anything for a wedding.

Growing up I was constantly surrounded by Wedding Cakes, Wedding gowns (My mom made and altered gowns) and Event Catering (My uncle Herb was excellent at roasting suckling pig)… yes, I”m from a small town… very small… lol

Mind you, this is all on my Mother’s side, the Schmidt family. On the Taylor side of the family, my Great Grandmother was busy teaching me everything she knew about flowers…. and my goodness did she ever know her stuff!

Some of my fondest memories were sitting on her lap reading books on all the different varieties and how they could be used.

By the time I was 8 years old I entered my first competition for floral arranging at the county fair… Again… “Mayberry” lol, and I took first place but was too young to advance to the state level. Anyone who knows me can attest that telling me I can’t do something is rarely received well. I made it a personal goal to make it to the state competition the following year when I was 9 years old where I took grand champion 13 years in a row competing against adults. I’m very proud of all the ribbons that I have displayed in my showroom at TAYLOR&CO.

I started doing weddings in grade school with flowers I would grow in my garden and by the time I was in high school I had my own business and was baking wedding cakes, working on gowns, doing hair and makeup, Playing the piano, pipe and pump organ and starting to get my feet wet with draping, and other types of decor.

When I was in high school I worked with my longtime mentor April Cline at April’s Creative Floral Designs In my hometown of Mt. Sterling. April to this day is one of my idol’s and dearest of friends.

After high school, I moved to Chicago to start my business here and attend Harrington Institute of Interior Design where I obtained my BFA. While in college I was a Sr. Designer for Marshall Field’s and Company where I learned what real customer service was all about “give the lady what she wants’.

I left Field’s to be the VP of Merchandising for LA-Z-BOY inc working on re-branding the company from chenille recliners into the trendy design powerhouse it is today. After I left LA-Z-BOY I worked briefly as a paralegal for a family law practitioner in South Barrington studying the “in’s and out’s of divorce, child custody and name changes.

I left law for a contract with 1-800FLOWERS where I did E-commerce design for Costco, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Martha Stewart. By this time my company was growing rapidly and I took that leap of faith we all do and went out 100% on my own and the rest as they say… Is history.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Had I not started my company after 9/11… I’m sure I would have had far fewer obstacles than I did but fortunately, I had some amazing people and properties that supported me, believed in me and pushed me to always take things to the next level.

I don’t think starting any business is easy these days. Demands for excellence are sky high and Pinterest has made everyone an expert in knowing what they want… fact of the matter is if the photo was a styled shoot it may not be practical… but who pays attention to practicality these days…. lol wink

So, as you know, we’re impressed with TAYLOR&CO EVENTS – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are an event decor company that specializes in everything involved with events. Our products and services include but are absolutely not limited to Floral, Draping, Decor, Lighting, Hair and Makeup, Planning, Rentals. Custom Fabrication of decor elements for clients and even our colleagues in the industry.

The only things I’d rather not do anymore is bake wedding cakes, handle food, play music and tend bar but in an emergency, I have been known to do a few of these things.

I’m very proud to have a company where my design team is composed 100% of the LGBT Community. I’m very humbled to continue our family legacy doing what my grandparents always told me I would excel in. I always trusted them and miss them terribly. I just know they would be so proud of what we are doing today.

I can’t speak for other event companies but I can tell you that the lifetime of experience I have in special events affords me a level of confidence in my abilities that I wish upon everyone reading this has in their own careers.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We’ve hired a few new team members that I’m very excited about and I have my heart set on hiring one more I’ve been dying to steal from a big retailer.

Last year we moved our offices from the west loop to the northwest side to a much more modern and client friendly neighborhood which occupied much of our spare time as you can imagine. My only definite plans with my company currently are to keep doing what we are doing and have another stellar year.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2819 West Montrose Avenue
• Website: WWW.TAYLORANDCOEVENTS.COM
• Phone: 312.771.8198
• Email: DERRICK@TAYLORANDCOEVENTS.COM
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylor_and_company_events/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaylorCo-Events
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/taylor-and-co-chicago

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