About
Our Blog History
The Merida Blog or blogs we should say, began in February 2009. Our goal at that time was to create a link for Merida to begin communicating directly to consumers and designers who ultimately choose our products. At the time the recession was in full swing and we were finding our branding efforts were completely reliant upon our partners who were as challenged as we were to reach buyers.
We realized that the key to re-energizing our combined businesses was the same thing; in order for designers and consumers to stride into showrooms and request Merida products, Merida needed to have a brand connection with consumers and designers directly and the blogs were the first step.
We originally though it best to launch three different blogs; one focused on interior design and championed by Maegan Fee our Creative Director, one focused on sustainability and championed by Zairo Cheibub our Director of Sustainability and one focused on Merida itself.
Our Blog Today
Today we have come a long way in reaching consumers and designers; our showroom locator is one of our most popular web pages and we receive calls daily from them asking where to purchases rugs. Many of our showroom partners are now telling us they are getting regular inquiries about Merida from our efforts.
Through our PR, advertising, social media and blogging efforts as well as though MeridaHome.com we have finally started to drive brand recognition and demand which we pass to partners through our partner program. Connecting more directly has also allowed us to learn about our end customers.
What we’ve learned about our end customers (consumers and interior designer) is that they view design and sustainability under one lenses rather than simply caring more about one than the other.We see this as an encouraging trend because in Merida’s DNA both exist together where we focus on innovative design within a 30-year old framework of sustainability.
We’re thrilled with this realization not only because it signals great sophistication and understanding in our customers but it also simplifies our blogging strategy. As of June 2010 we’ve consolidated our three blogs into this one Merida Blog which aims to weave all of these ideas into one. The authors will be varied and the result will be a blog that speaks for all sides of Merida.
Key Authors
We hope to include many voices here at Merida but the primary voices will be those listed here:
Whitney Palmedo – Marketing Specialist
With retail experience and a background in graphic and web design, Whitney joined the Merida team in 2009 to help launch their new ecommerce website, Merida Home. She immediately connected with the principles and beliefs of Merida – from their sustainability mission to their unwavering commitment to great design, she quickly realized that Merida was a very special and unique company comprised of a team of highly talented and motivated individuals.
As the Marketing Specialist at Merida, Whitney does everything from branding and increasing Merida’s presence in the design community to running the Featured Design Project series and developing email campaigns.
In her time outside of the office, Whitney enjoys outdoor activities including skiing, hiking, golfing and playing tennis.
Maegan Fee – Creative Director
As a 10 year textile design veteran with a degree in Textile Design from RISD, Maegan is fluent in a variety of design skills and an expert in fabric constructions. From creating computer graphics and drawings for surface designs, to hand weaving new constructions, she’s develops prototypes of ideas at our Design Studio in Fall River often on a hand loom. Working closely with our weaving technicians, prototypes can easily be translated onto our mechanical looms.
In her Creative Director role, Maegan also spends a lot of time researching and staying ahead of fashion and design trends so that Merida’s products, packaging, photography and materials will be on target.
Zairo Cheibub – Director of Sustainability and Supply Chain
For many years Zairo was a Political Science professor and the General Director of an applied social science research institute in Brazil. He came to the US to attend the MIT Sloan Fellows Program. During this program he acquired great insights into sustainability and business, especially through a class called Sustainability Laboratory (S-Lab), where he worked with companies on sustainability strategy.
Merida was the company his S-Lab student team worked with, and he researched how Merida’s customers perceived sustainability and what business opportunities existed for the company in this emerging space. Working on the project was a great experience; he was impressed by Merida’s commitment to sustainability and the synergy between their values and his own. At the end of the project he actively pursued a job at this company that had so inspired him
In Zairo’s role he works toward sustainable manufacturing processes in all parts of our business from products to facilities, partners to suppliers. Zairo manages our products testing and supplier relationships as well.
